Sircharles, My dad taught in the Seniors. Mainly music and art, I would think. Do you remember Harold Martin, the wood- and metalwork teacher, who had his own workshop on the right as you came in. He also got the lads to build a greenhouse and grow their own stuff. He was quite a good violinist too, often used to play with my dad in the evenings.
And wasn't that building wonderful? The assembly hall with the staircases at both ends going up two high floors, and the smell of the Staff Room - coffee grounds and ciggie smoke. That would have been in Sam Hartshorne's time. He was headmaster and used to smoke a pipe in his office, where my mum worked as secretary during the war.
Peter
I remember Mr Martin the woodwork teacher, I was about 7 yrs old and overheard him talking to my dad about him and his wife adopting me because I was so 'cute', I immediately locked myself in the bedroom just in case my dad agreed, needless to say he did not.
I have fond memories of that school as I spent many an hour playing in there after the school was closed. The school was an impressive building with those cathedral arches rising above the assembly hall come gymnasium.
My dad also used to run the old boys club in the evening, which in most cases would end up with all the old boys chasing my dad around the building in a play fight.
I also remember a guy called Brian Stanton who I believe was head boy when he left the school and would regularly be at the old boys club and a guy called ............ Allen, can not remember his first name. One day they played hide and seek in the dark, everyone was found accept this lad called Allen, when the lights were put on he was hanging upside down clinging to one of those cathedral arches.
I remember looking at my dad and seeing his face turn white as he pleaded with Allen to come down, which he did but that really shook my dad, no more hide and seek after that incident.
Both of those guys even visited dad after we had moved I think Allen was an upholsterer as he had this lovely low-line consul convertible when he visited us.
I can visualise that school so much, I know it celebrated its 75th birthday while we were there. I also remember another lad who went on TV to draw a swallow on some kids TV program. Other names that come to mind are Miss Lumsden who even though I was just about 6yr old at the time I thought was lovely, I think there a Mr Hall who gave me an IQ test that the boys in the senior school had done and when he marked it he reckoned I had scored higher, I think he was in the annex which was just round the back of the house. So you walked in the school gate the house [caretakers] was on your right and you walked round to your right to the annexes.
I really do have fond memories of that place.