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Marsh Hill Girls Grammar Tech School

Vivienne,
Was this the same Non Nobis........... that was sung by Henry V and his army after the Battle of Agincourt in the Kenneth Branagh film version?
Jim
Hi - I was Suzanne Booton and I can't for the life of me remember which form I was in! My closest friends in my class were Lynn Hayes (lived in Handsworth) Susan Laight (lived near the Yew Tree) and Penny Higgins (lived near Stockland Green). The other girls that I can remember in my class were Julia Cope, Margaret (Ann) Turvey aka Topsy, Lesley Pritchard and Margaret Brain. My cousin was Bronwen Moore (Bonny) who was Head Girl. Do any of the above names ring any bells? I have my class form photo which I will try to download. I would love to know who you are.
I have just found another photo with 4A on it so it is more than possible that I was in 5A the year after.
Hi Suzanne
Just found this site and been reading through. I was Kathleen Wilkins then and you were in the z forms with me. I'm having a meal on Friday night with Margaret brain Lynn Hayes, Glenda Nolan and Linda Potter. We haven't met in a while but still keep in touch
 
Hi Kathleen, I remember you too!
I live in London now but I'm still in touch with Lynda P.
Give all the girls my love!
Anne Spencer x
 
Lovely to hear you ‘gals’ are still in touch. You’d be a little older than me, but the names you mention are familiar. I lost touch with everyone when I too moved to London in the early 1980s. Now living on the Kent coast. Often imagined myself living near the sea during Mr Slinn’s Geography lessons. Us old girls are scattered far and wide.

Best wishes Viv
 
Found this photo the other day. Form photo is of 1Z taken in 1964/5. I'm top left, refusing to smile and looking awkward (as was the norm for me in those early days at MHGGS).

I think the Form Mistress was Miss Jones. She was lovely and really helped us all to adjust to life at the school. Viv.
 

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Trip to Germany (Cologne) in, I think, 1967/8. The industrial photo (with big sewer (?) pipes) was taken on a factory visit in Bonn. No idea what the factory produced. We all went on the Rhine. I remember eating at a restaurant on the Rhine - very Tyrolean in style, it was high up a cliffside and we looked down onto the river.

This was an exchange visit, we went to the school of our exchange students. Then they visited us later in the year. I stayed with a family who owned a bakery and we had 'high tea' every day at 4.00 pm - loads of cakes and gateaux to choose from ! Viv.
 

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Hi Viv, Margaret was with Birchfield Harriers for a while and I think she may have have gone on to study PE at College, her sister was called Eileen and was a couple of years older.

I remember many of the teachers you mention! Mr Evans also took a Current Events Class but I didn't have him for History. My teacher was Mr Jackson.

Oh Miss Foxon! - she was very sweet but not very good at controlling the class, she did get played up sometimes and I feel very sorry for that now. Yes, I remember the socks and she used to cycle to school if I recall correctly.

I had Mr Denton for French for a year - didn't like him at all! He did have a quick sense of humour though and often very funny but could also be very sarcastic.

Miss Lingen was the Maths teacher, she was lovely and I got on well with her even though I was hopeless and was allowed to drop Maths after the 4th year.

I remember Mr Manning, he taught Latin as well.
A few of my class went on a trip to London with the art teacher Mr Bailey to see an exhibition of the artist Bonnard and Mr Manning came too, we pestered them to take us to Carnaby Street which they kindly did, however the shops were closed being a Sunday then, still enjoyed seeing it though :)
I remember that trip to London!
 
Didn't know Mr Denton taught French, I'm sure we had him for maths. Maybe he taught both.

Miss Lingen sounds like a very understanding teacher - she never taught me, but remember her as a very happy soul. She must have loved teaching.

These are my memories of the school uniform:

The school uniform list was quite lengthy and probably fairly typical of many other schools of the time. On the list were blue open-neck blouses, navy, box pleated skirts, cotton summer dresses in regulation material and styles, navy sweater or cardigan (knitted in a very specified navy colour), blue expanding money belt with zip pocket, dark blue gabardine mac, navy blazer plus school badge to sew on ("Non Nobis Solum"), thin striped scarf, dance tunic, blue science overall, blue aertex sports blouse, another aertex blouse in your school house colour, navy, cross-over gym skirt, black regulation swimming costume, swimming cap, laced shoes, black plimsoles, a straw boater in summer and a beret in winter. The boater seems to have been dropped off the list, don't know why, but probably because it was scratchy, uncomfortable and basically impracticable. A satchel and a plimsole bag with embroidered initials were also essential. Hockey boots could be bought in school for, I think 7/6d. Remember the intense rubber smell of the new boots ? Although a relatively young school, a tradition quickly developed called 'de-bobbling'. This was an unwritten school ritual requiring the removal (by the older girls) of the bobble from the top of every newbie beret, more often than not resulting in a gaping hole.

Fifth formers had a special privilege: regular thin school scarf could be replaced by a college-type, felt scarf with wide navy blue and light blue vertical stripes. It sent a clear message that you were now senior. Unfortunately, it didn't guarantee we were any more mature.

Shift-style summer dresses could be made in needlework lessons using specially selected material by the Headmistress. She fancied herself as a bit of a fashionista in this department and once commented on catching me reading Vogue magazine that, she too, was an avid reader. However most girls weren't taken in by this occasional nod to fashion. The only saving grace was the knowledge that, in time as VI Formers, we'd be wearing our own choice of clothes. And that's when we made up for lost time! Short skirts, platforms, maxi coats, vintage fur coats, layers of pan stick, false lashes, pachouli perfume, you name it we wore it
Does anyone remember having to make a dance tunic? As far as I recall they only had a one size pattern which had to fit all.
 
Hi Kathleen, I remember you too!
I live in London now but I'm still in touch with Lynda P.
Give all the girls my love!
Anne Spencer x
Anne Spencer!!! Happy memories of trailing round after the Way of Life. Give Lynda my love. X
 
I remember dance tunics! They were cotton. I had a very pale pastel green one (eau de nil ?). There was also a very pale blue one. Totally shapeless, think they had a slash neck and a material belt. They were not far off a sack in style. Mum bought mine with the rest of my uniform, but they must have been fairly easy to make as they had no shape to them ! Viv.
 
I don't recall mine being very easy to make!
Ours had some sort of pleating, I think my mother helped with mine.
 
Pleats, wow that’s fancy !

Remember science overalls too. I had a royal blue one that wrapped around. Viv.
 
Might be worth mentioning that there were 2 other schools on the site: Marsh Hill Boys grammar tech and Stockland Green Bilateral School. All 3 schools (including Marsh Hill Girls) were on the same campus. I expect these have all since disappeared or been amalgamated into what became the FE college. Viv
Two questions ,bored on a cold, wet, windy Devon afternoon, so read this thread, question 1 what was or is a bilateral school? Question 2 was there not an Erdington Grammar School or has my memory deceived me?
Bob
 
Yes, Stockland Green was a bilateral (comprehensive?) School.

On the same large site were Marsh Hill Girls Grammar Technical and Marsh Hill Boys Grammar Technical (separate buildings ).

Yes, there was also an Erdington Girls Grammar School which was probably a mile or so away
 
Yes, Erdington Girls Grammar School was on Kingsbury Road, by the jumction of Bromford Lane
 
Re Stockland Green School, ‘Bilateral’ meant it was partially selective. I think SGBS selected on the basis of artistic/creative skill. Don’t think you had to pass the 11+ to go there.

Of the three schools on the site only the girls’ school building remains, although I think this has been totally redeveloped in more recent times. Viv.
 
Had a go at naming the teachers on the whole school photo. These are the ones I remember. Viv

Green dot Mrs Cockbain, Head
Blue dot Mrs Box, Deputy Head
Red dot - I think her name was Miss Head (?)
Orange dot Mr Evans
Purple dot Mr Manning
Pink dot Miss Foxen

132468
 
Hi Viv, I don't have a pc so I can't see photos so clearly on my phone but I would agree with your guesses of Mrs C, Mr Evans, Mr Manning and Miss Dixon.

Miss Haste was deputy head when I left, I vaguely remember Mrs Box I think but have no memory of what she looked liked, the same with Miss Head.
I think you may be right about Mr Denton - I can't really picture his face now but he did have dark hair.

Well done!
 
Hi ASparks, I’ve removed my note of Mr Denton as I think I’ve spotted him on another section of the photo. The name Miss Haste rings a bell - maybe she was a teacher at the school before being appointed Deputy. Viv
 
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