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Things you made at school.

I don't have my anvil any more. I had the patern and finished aluminum product for many years but was separated from them when I came to Canada. Since I was always very interested in wood work and metal work I guess I had an anvil to be proud of. Anyway I think the height gauge with cast iron base and hardened and tempered scribe was a more valuable achievement. Hmmm...remember pale straw...Thats gone too. Well it was kind of heavy to bring.
Whetton was a charachter but did not dislike him. In fact most of the masters there 52-55 were pretty decent and earned the respect of most boys I think. What a great final year history project I could have done after being on here for going on three years now. The school was super training for a life in industry and design...making stuff...not required any more seemingly...unless you want to work in China. I guess the modern day equivalent of HTS is service oriented.
 
We used to cherish the peace and added freedom that came with a student teacher. One was the appropriately named, Mr. Lamb. He was a blessed relief from the feared Fred Moseley. Men taught handicrafts such as woodwork, even if their skills were no greater than those of their charges. This is probably why Moseley loathed teaching it so much! We were required to make something out of wood, for handicraft. To the bewilderment of Mr. Lamb I chose to make a bookcase. Over the days and weeks, my creation took shape. The joints were hardly a threat to the reputation of Chippendale! It had a sort of flexible, lateral sway that gave it a rather unique character. We all enjoyed school with Mr. Lamb. The gentle Lamb was about to move on to pastures new within a few days; “What colour do you want it to be?” he asked. I hadn’t even thought of such detail, so he suggested; “brown, to match the rest of the furniture”. I concurred with his very wise, considered suggestion. “Tell Mr. Moseley what colour it is to be, because I won’t be here next week”, he advised. We all thought the world of Mr. Lamb, and the threat of reverting to the former regime, was simply dispiriting. Mr. Lamb left, and we had a collection to buy him a gift. The next handicraft lesson dawned. “What colour are you going to paint it?”, inquired Moseley. With due gravity I replied, “ Mr. Lamb and I agreed that it should be brown to match the other furniture in the room”. “Well”, snarled the ugly codfish, “He’s not here any more, and we have not got any brown paint; it will just have to be red!” Red it became. Moseley was back! At the end of term, the time parents love, when the term-time creations of their children are taken home. Moseley was handing them out, and he came to my treasured bookcase. “Here”, he sneared, “take this out before it folds up!” With those words of encouragement ringing in my ears, I struggled homeward, proudly, if precariously, carrying my work. It was at least bigger than anyone elses!
 
Bittersweet story Silver Fox.....a dreadful bully woodwork teacher and a kind and understanding student teacher. The impressions they left on you are there forever. Thank goodness Mr. Lamb showed you there was another way to treat students in school. Thanks for posting your story Silver Fox.
 
I made many things at School, from a Squirrel carved out of soap (my Mom went mad, we all looked like Coal miners for a week after I stole it) right up to a metal poker which supposedly looked like a dueling sword (only weighed about a ton mind)
But my masterstroke was a little 4 legged stool with a woven seat that wobbled that much, after 5 minutes you got sea sick.
I kept cutting little bits off it to 'level' it up, inevitably I ended up with a stool two inches high that still wobbled..should just about fit Pom now...;)
 
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The immediately above posts must have been a later time than my schooling. The woodwork classes at Liegh Rd Senior School back in the late 40s and early 50s were well equiped and run by expert permanent craftsmen/masters. Very high quality tuition indeed which probably set many pupils on the way to a life of making things properly. We had Mr Cheshire, a fine man who commanded much respect not the least because of his manifest skills in his trade. I think the other woodwork master was a Mr. Woods also a fine master. The two adjacent shops were well equiped and the treatment of the equipment was with respect.
The metalwork classes and facilities were also of a very high standard. Part of the process was the production of competent manufacturing drawings; in first angle projection in those days. This would have been a lead into an engineering career for some, as it was for me. A grounding in carpentry or pattern making would have been had for others.
I had heard of the woodwork classes from two older boys of my acquaintance, mentors you might say, and could not wait to become old enough to start them. My enthusiasm was fully rewarded.
Looking back now I would say that these classes were the most important formative ones for me as they were for my friends, the two David's Perkins and Parks. One went into Patern Making, the other into Carpentry and myself Mechanical Design Engineering involving many thousands of drawings at this point. Mr. Cheshire started it though.
I think that it is the same for all endeavours in life; the more you put into it...the more you get out. One had the feeling that the masters got as much out of the classes as we did. There are good stories.
 
i remember making a peg bag .cookery apron ..pajamas and a dress which was my pride and joy.we had fashion shows to show off our work which was fine because it was an all gitls school. upper highgate school for girls birmingh
 
Sandra we had to make our summer dress and it was blue gingham. I had my first migraine ever doing it and wondered what was happening. My doctor said it was staring at the squares. I had never had flashing lights in my eyes before. Didn't have another till I was about sixteen. Jean.
 
It took me 4 years of woodwork lessons to make a halving joint,I treated school like a social occasion.
However,learning came easy after I left,and have in recent times made furniture for friends and family.
 
I know where to come now Ray. I still have things our twins made in metal craft. I don't have the heart to part with them. Jean.
 
We had to make our Cookery Uniform and cap, well I still have nightmares about that. It was undone so many times it's a wonder it ever stayed in one piece. The teacher was a dragon. We had to knit some school socks, and I couldn't tell knit from purl, so another fine mess and golly did that teacher shout at me. Little did she know that I became a professional knitter later in life. We used to get those wooden tomato baskets from the greengrocer and paint them to take our ingredients for the cookery class. Does anyone remember those baskets? And housewifery...dont mention that. We were the drudges for the teachers houses in my opinion.
 
Maggs you should have seen the bloomers that went with our babydoll nightie. I still have them but can't find the drawers at the moment. Maybe I used them for a duster. Jean.
 
hi mags yes i remember house wifery ,we went to a huge villa in princess road balsall heath ..it was drudgery ..i remember the teenage bedroom ...only teachers pets got to clean that one .but saying that it put me in good stead for my career in hotels and catering ..
 
We went to a big house in Harborne for our housewifery, and we used to have to cook lunch for the teacher in charge that day. Lay the fire's ready for when the teachers came home in the evening.

Norma, isn't funny how we change. As I said I couldn't knit or sew at school. now I am a whizz at it.

We had to make a heavy winter skirt with panels, plus a blouse, all mine turned out a mess and I never did wear them.

Jean I think baby doll pyjamas might have appealed a bit more.
 
Norma I looked through my school reports the other day and I atained an A for needlecraft every year and yet know I hate sewing and admit I even use wonderweb sometimes. Mind you I adored both teachers and that helped. TTFN. Jean.
 
We had to make our cookery aprons.
Blue and white check, which we had to embroider at the hem.

The stitching on mine was appalling .... sorry' is' appalling . I still use it 48 plus years later!!!!

Linda
 
Hi Sandracoley

My sister went to housewifrey at the villa you were talking about, I think it was a house for teachers. When I went to the same school (Hope Street) two years later they had stopped the housewifrey classes. My sister in law went to Upper Highgate St school but I think it was later than you as she will be 60 next month. On one of your previous post did you say that the Wellington Pub was in Sherbourne Road or Coneybere St. I thought it was on the corner of Mary St and Balsall Heath Road opposite Fred Lanes newsagents.
 
the wellington pub was in hick street.on the corner near belgrave road end there was an off license on the opposite corner as well near st patricks school which is still there .....its not used as a school any more though.your sister in law would have been in first year when i was in 4th year..ask her if miss robertshaw was still headmistress..or mrs bamfield..ask her if she remembers lorna or jennifer leake.they are around the same age as your sister in law.....
 
Norma I don't know if I told you but Pete and myself used to bowl [ten pin] almost every evening and sometimes days too of the week. Unfortunately it has left me with a broken finger [middle] on my right hand. There I rest my case. Go for it Norma when you look at the end product it will all be worth it. Bye. Jean.
 
l like the girls on this thread did the sewing and cookery classes.....from Burlington st sch we had to go to Albert Road sch, and like everyone else we cooked cottage pie, shepherds pie cheese straws and stuffed baked potatos....to name a few...also we did ironing to, trouble was we did'nt have an electric iron just the old iron iron, having to heat it up on the stove top, thought we regressed to the stone age....also at BSS,we did the sewing bit we all made a dresses every stich by hand l could,nt get the french seams right...so after unpicking a few times l decided to cut the seam out needless to say it diid'nt fit right but l must have picked up some idea what to do as for many years l made my own clothes and my mothers..Brenda
 
Sorry Alf only just noticed your post and the answer is NO. These are the baby doll pyjamas I made at school. Dig those nickers. Jean.
 
jean loved the pajamas and knickers .i did the same at school and smocking at the front of the p.js.the material was white cotton poplin with tiny spots on ...we did a fashion parade to show our work and my little sister modelled the pjs...good days good memories
 
Sandra it wasn't much fun wearing them to the Head's office especially if the workmen were in school. Miss Plant made me go and undo a hem once because she said it was rushed. I did the second hem even faster and she passed it. Bye. Jean.
 
hi jean ..we had sadistic trachers who made you redo stuff over and over just to prove a point that THEY were in charge .and being an all girls school it was worse. men teachers did give a little .keep in touch .x
 
Sandra we were quite lucky with regards our needlework teachers but the French Mistress Miss Bacon and when Married Mrs Patrick. She was quite good looking but my goodness me did she have a bark. Mind you in the second year she was our form tutor and she was different towards us then. I used to hate reading in French and still hate listening to the language today. Nothing against the French people just can't pronounce their language. Jean.
 
I didn't like French or needlework, but I can't blame the French teacher, she was excellent. Our needlework teacher also made me constantly undo my work. After sewing on a sewing machine and being undone so many times, you can imagine what my work looked like.
 
Maggs that's enogh to turn you off sewing for life. I no longer have the patience I am afraid. Jean.
 
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