A NATIVITY play that was originally created at Hanford School in 1960 and has been performed at the school every year since wowed audiences last week.

The nativity play was originally written for Hanford’s founder, Sarah Canning, by Donald Kittermaster, an English teacher at The King’s School Worcester, in 1960 using words from the King James Bible, Wordsworth and T. S. Elliot.

The music was chosen by Mr Kittermaster’s wife, Meriel, and costumes were donated by Lady Rockley from the Amerhurst Collection.

The same play, set to the same music and with the same costumes, has been performed by girls in Years 7 and 8 ever since.

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The most recent performance took place on December 8.

A spokesperson for the school said: “The sense of history was tangible on a chilly, and windy, Sunday evening and Francoise Witheridge who has been directing the play since 1989 said she felt a real sense of responsibility to keep the play exactly as it was originally intended.

The play is steeped in tradition Picture: Hanford School

“The choreography of the play is such that different scenes from famous pieces of art, such as Botticelli, Guido Reni and Murillo, are recreated adding an additional layer of interest and poignancy.

“We were delighted to be joined this year by Joy Plested, below, who was one of the very first cohort of girls joining Hanford when the school was founded in 1947.

“Joy, then called Joy Graham, joined the school the following year in 1948 and entertained current pupils with tales about the school’s early days.”

Hilary Phillips, head of Hanford, praised the girls’ performance.

“This was a wonderful production, the nativity is one of Hanford’s most precious traditions,” she said.

“It has been performed in the hall at Hanford since 1960 every year, and I look forward to many more performances in the years to come.”