Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

How many bicycles are used at C.H. these days compared with days gone by ?
I remember various members of staff used them on a regular basis of which the late Reggie Dean was a well known example. He lived on the Worthing Road, at Horsham., near the railway bridge, so would not have had too far to come. Others I recall were Mrs. Hurst who possessed an ancient machine
with a large basket, Philip Dore, Junior House Master at Barnes A and a Music master. There was also a Doctor White, again I think a Music Master ,who I have a recollection of transporting his small son about the school on a rear trailer attached to his machine. Kit Aitken had one with a fixed pedal to accommodate his disability but he later bought a car also adapted.
There was also a Miss Constable employed in the Science School as a Laboratory Assistant who cycled in from Horsham each day.
Boys were allowed to use bicycles, generally if they lived fairly locally.
Present day boys and girls use them to go from the Grecians' New Houses back to their old House.
I imagine that there must be restrictions on the numbers allowed and also where they are allowed to park.

Up to 1961 only house monitors could have bicycles at school; Within the school grounds they were generally unnecessary - years of hardship had made us pretty fit.
One morning I got stopped because I was wearing a housie coat (rolled up into the girdle as was the norm); my excuse was that a boy taking his A levels was in the sicker under sedation- he was "woken up" for the exams and I had been chosen to courier the paper to him at the same time as others were opening their exam papers. That was deemed an acceptable excuse for riding in full uniform within the school grounds.

Of course some masters has them - Kit Aitken's problems at finding his pedal was on the wrong side have already been mentioned

I don't remember any prohibition on riding while wearing school uniform. Having a bicycle did provide a previously unimagined freedom to travel round the countryside and visiting a variety of (probably unapproved) places including the girl's school at Bramley.

Dear Moderators, Isn't it more appropriate that this thread is in the section entitled "General Chat - CH Stuff," rather than here?

William wrote:Dear Moderators, Isn't it more appropriate that this thread is in the section entitled "General Chat - CH Stuff," rather than here?

Your very humble wish is mine to command.

(Well - It is getting near panto season !!)

The rules about bicycles ca. 1960 were complicated, and were different in the summer term from the other two. I have my copy of the school rules in front of me, and in the winter terms, bicycles were the privilege of 2nd and 3rd year grecians. I vaguely recall hearing a cheer go up when this new rule was introduced -- previously it had been button grecians. In the summer, all seniors were allowed bicycles, but were not allowed to ride them in the school grounds (except when setting out on, or returning from) longer journeys. You were allowed your own cycling shorts for summer cycling, but there had to be passed as suitable by housemasters (who also had to pass the bikes as roadworthy.

One of the worst frights I ever had at CH was when I was cycling back in the dark after afternoon school along the Quarter Mile, without lights, and knocked someone over. For a second or two I feared it was the headmaster, but it was a friend of mine, who had a bit of a shock but was otherwise unharmed. I still have nightmares about this.

The above calls to mind an incident involing the headmaster, albeit off the subject.
It was the end of a period, and we were changing classrooms. I was going out by the swing doors just outside the headmaster's study. It was the normal crush. However, the boy immediately behind me stood back to let the headmaster through.I did not know this; when I let go of the door, it swung back and hit the headmaster, who explained to me how he would hold the door open for the smallest boy. This was Flecker, who luckily did not know the names of all the boys (at least we presumed so), for which I was very grateful.

There was a famous occasion when the local Police carried out an inspection of all school bicycles presumably to do with a road safety campaign.
The Coleridge A House captain, R.N.H. Bulmer mounted his machine to do a test run and the whole thing completely collapsed and the wheels fell off. I don't think it was sabotage.

Kit Bartlett wrote:There was a famous occasion when the local Police carried out an inspection of all school bicycles presumably to do with a road safety campaign.
The Coleridge A House captain, R.N.H. Bulmer mounted his machine to do a test run and the whole thing completely collapsed and the wheels fell off. I don't think it was sabotage.

Of course it wan't !! (cough, cough, snigger !!)