As part of their post-scholarship programme in the summer term, Cheam pupils were asked to produce a piece of historical fiction to enter into the Historical Association’s national fiction writing competition. Cheam’s scholars entered five stories into the competition for pupils in Years 7-9. The theme for this year’s competition was, appropriately, ‘coronations’ and the topics in the Cheam entries ranged from a race across the Baltic sea in post WW2 Europe, to a reimagining of the Great Fire of London with dire consequences for Charles II.
Mr Fildes was delighted to receive an email from the Historical Association informing him that Matilda’s story ‘The Coronation which never came’ was selected as one of just 3 winners in the best story category. Her story – a retelling of the sombre fate of the Princes in the Tower – wowed the judges and they noted the following: “I enjoyed the mixture of dialogue and interior monologue as well as the portrayal of the sibling relationship here. The fact that the character is very much a boy, determined to play and consumed by childhood pursuits while waiting for his coronation, rang true to me – and the postscript added a compelling new perspective.”
Matilda has now started at Marlborough College as an Academic Scholar and was very pleased to hear the news when it was passed on to her. The story can be found here.
10 Dec 2024 
