Giant People:
Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein was arguably the leading pop impresario of the 1960s and widely credited with discovering The Beatles. After watching the band at the famous Cavern Club in November 1961, he became its manager a few months later — a position he held until his untimely death in 1967 following an accidental drug overdose.
The Wellington Connection
Epstein, the son of a Liverpool furniture store owner, arrived at Wrekin College in 1948, staying for two years at the Wellington-based private institution where his elder brother also studied. In 1964, he documented his boarding school experiences in an autobiography, A Cellarful of Noise, painting a colourful, if largely unfulfilling, picture of his time in Shropshire.
Why Is It Important
Despite being aged just 14 when he arrived, Wrekin was already the seventh school Epstein had attended. While his academic achievements were, as he confessed himself, ‘listless’, he did exhibit ability in painting and acting (later going on to briefly study at RADA). However, before sitting his final exams he wrote home asking to be taken out of school so he could become a dress designer. While this request was denied, perhaps the most important consequence of his time at Wrekin was that it inspired his exit from full-time education!
In September 1950, Epstein joined the Walton-based family business, and was later put in charge of the musical instrument and gramophone department — to which he eventually added records! As a result, NEMS would become one of the most important musical outlets in the northwest. Consequently, he was charged with managing a new city centre branch close to the Cavern Club, where he became a leading figure in the Merseybeat scene, managing other local acts including Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black.
The Wellington Connection
Epstein, the son of a Liverpool furniture store owner, arrived at Wrekin College in 1948, staying for two years at the Wellington-based private institution where his elder brother also studied. In 1964, he documented his boarding school experiences in an autobiography, A Cellarful of Noise, painting a colourful, if largely unfulfilling, picture of his time in Shropshire.
Why Is It Important
Despite being aged just 14 when he arrived, Wrekin was already the seventh school Epstein had attended. While his academic achievements were, as he confessed himself, ‘listless’, he did exhibit ability in painting and acting (later going on to briefly study at RADA). However, before sitting his final exams he wrote home asking to be taken out of school so he could become a dress designer. While this request was denied, perhaps the most important consequence of his time at Wrekin was that it inspired his exit from full-time education!
In September 1950, Epstein joined the Walton-based family business, and was later put in charge of the musical instrument and gramophone department — to which he eventually added records! As a result, NEMS would become one of the most important musical outlets in the northwest. Consequently, he was charged with managing a new city centre branch close to the Cavern Club, where he became a leading figure in the Merseybeat scene, managing other local acts including Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black.
Giant Steps
The Wrekin College campus occupies a vast, largely detached site close to the railway station at the top of Constitution Hill, site of the state school where its founder Sir John Bayley established his reputation as a talented headmaster. In 1964, Epstein told the Shropshire Star newspaper that of all the colleges he’d attended Wrekin was the one for which he retained most affection:
“I remember Shropshire very well. I loved to walk in the countryside and have extremely fond memories of Wellington, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury.”
Giant Steps
The Wrekin College campus occupies a vast, largely detached site close to the railway station at the top of Constitution Hill, site of the state school where its founder Sir John Bayley established his reputation as a talented headmaster. In 1964, Epstein told the Shropshire Star newspaper that of all the colleges he’d attended Wrekin was the one for which he retained most affection:
“I remember Shropshire very well. I loved to walk in the countryside and have extremely fond memories of Wellington, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury.”
Elsewhere
For a brief introduction to Wrekin College’s cultural connections, click here.