 He had an abrupt tutoring technique and once (at least) locked the door when the time of his tutor group was due to start which left only one student in the room (at the magnificent mansion of Nuneham) to enjoy his didactic and engaging teaching style.Meanwhile, he undertook a research degree on "the place of history in education" for Exeter College, Oxford.He also turned his hand to the world of publishing, for a time being general editor of the Historical Division of Pergamon Press.