History of Sedbergh School in 50 Objects #27: The Boggis Ice Axe
The Reverend Canon Austin Boggis (Chaplain 1938 – 1976) was one of those most special Sedbergh School Masters who expanded the horizons of the pupils in his charge. Boggis arrived at Sedbergh aged 30, freshly ordained following training at Salisbury Theological College.
His colleague, Revd. Bill Long recalled that Boggis had a clear calling to be a priest in a school, and when the post at Sedbergh fell vacant he was delighted to accept the position, a dream job for Boggis combining practice and teaching of divinity, a formal pastoral care role, and access to the hills he so loved.
Boggis wasn’t merely a weekend rambler, he was a serious mountaineer. He scaled many noteworthy Alpine peaks, including the Matterhorn, and he introduced both boys and masters to the world of climbing. Establishing climbing as a formal outdoor pursuit at Sedbergh he gave his time freely both in term time, and during the School holidays leading trips and more substantial expeditions with his signature meticulous and steady leadership. On these trips his great love of nature was apparent. With particular interest in butterflies and flowers, he admired equally those specimens he found in high Alpine pastures and those spotted in the local dales.
The ice axe featured here joined him on many of his expeditions, including a winter ascent of Matterhorn. What makes the ice axe so unusual was that it had also accompanied his own father up the Matterhorn in 1903. Climbing the Matterhorn is still a noteworthy achievement, however 120 years ago it was so rare as to be an astonishing feat.
Boggis’s ice axe has become a symbol of the Sedberghian spirit of adventure and exploration. Since Sedbergh’s first overseas trip to Switzerland in 1924 our pupils have had the opportunity to travel globally taking part in scientific research in Madagascar; trekking in Patagonia, Iceland and Kenya; singing in the Cathedrals of Europe and the United States; and playing sport at the highest level against challenging opponents. Our pupils continue to use the Howgill fells as their nursery, learning bush craft and navigation, and testing their own boundaries of strength and resilience before launching out into the world. Dedicated teachers, following in Boggis’ footsteps nurture the desire to explore that exists in so many of us, setting young Sedberghians on a lifelong path of adventure.
