The St Tibb's Door-Knockers by johnpf
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Description
Anyone approaching the main door to the Marringdon Hall building of St Tibb's (the public face of the school) will notice the two lion-headed golden door-knockers. Over the years, there have been many myths and legends developed about these items. Very few of these myths are true but that does not prevent them from circulating amongst the more credulous students of the school.
The main myth is that any student who has committed a disciplinary offence in the past day may hold onto the knocking ring on either door and claim amnesty from any punishment due to her. This is similar to the real 'sanctuary knockers' that have existed on churches and cathedrals from early times (e.g., at the north entrance to Durham Cathedral), but in the case of the St Tibb's door-knockers, there is nothing to enforce the claims of sanctuary, and any girl who has tried to escape punishment for something in breach of school rules has soon found out how much truth there is to her claimed immunity (i.e., none at all).
Another myth is that the knockers are made of pure gold, which would make them a prime target for any thief becoming aware of them since they must weigh a considerable amount and, thus, be worth a lot of money when melted down and sold as bullion. Since there has never been any report of the knockers ever being stolen or even attempted to be stolen, thieves must not consider them worth the effort and therefore not valuable in monetary terms.
One rumour that is true, however, is that using the knockers in the intended way (i.e., lifting the knocking ring and letting it fall to create a sound which resounds loudly throughout the building) is forbidden and any student caught doing this will be instantly given detention. Visitors to the school are instructed to use the intercom to alert staff of their presence if the main doors are locked, and the door-knockers are purely decorative and only there today to provide a link to the legacy and history they represent.
Finally, the opportunity to make crude innuendos should never be overlooked, and with 'knockers' being a British slang term for the female breasts (particularly larger and more pendulous ones), this provides plenty of fuel for giggling girls to laugh and snort at the "golden knockers" being a magnificent sight to see at St Tibb's.
(In the picture, we see Cho Soo-Yun, currently of form 8W, walking past the main doors. Another student, Adeline Hetteridge of 10T, stands at the other side, reading a book. Students rarely enter the building through these doors since they pass right by the Head Mistress's office and several of the admin departments for individual Years. The side entrances are preferred by most girls for reaching the Hall library, classrooms, toilets, and locker area much more quickly.)
(Posed and rendered in PoserPro 11, uniform created in Marvelous Designer 9.5, postwork in PSP 2022.)
Comments (2)
perpetualrevision
Fun story behind the knockers! I wonder what happens if someone actually does use them? Maybe the sound is just too horrible to bear? Or maybe there's a rumor that the knockers can wake the dead?! Perhaps the school officials should put some little pieces of felt between the knocker ring and its resting place to dampen the effect! I'm guessing they're made of brass, not gold, but I can see how the gold rumors might've started!
johnpf
I remember my time at junior school and there were always silly rumours going around that we (the students) would pass on to each other without even thinking. One that still stands out today is that a new teacher who had just started was unable to read. Now, when I think about it, it seems ridiculous but I can remember, when I was 8 or 9, seriously wondering about things such as "How does he know what the kids in his class have written?" and other questions all based on genuinely believing he couldn't read.