Proposed gathering at Hertford Museum - 4/5 April 08

[museumcurator]

Dear All,

I have been reading with interest the plans for a 'gathering' at the museum in April. I thought you might like some up to date info about Hertford - eateries etc:

Restaurants: Salisbury - has a formal dining area but cosy bar that does snacks(also a hotel)
The Barge Inn - just down the road from the museum - does bar snacks
Stonehouse Pub - over the road from the museum - does bar snacks
Caffe Uno
Pizza Express
Ask (Italian)
Lussmans
These are all on Fore Street
Shahenshah - yummy Indian restaurant on Fore Street
Caffe Nero for coffee in Market Place
We are supposed to be getting a Starbucks but may not be completed by April.

RE hotels - Baldock is quite far away - about 30-40 mins drive down the A10? Hotels in Hertford are limited although there are B&Bs. If you are looking for accommodation - try this link:

http://www.hertsdirect.org/public_searc ... m&comb=all
Which has details of all B&Bs in Herts - with some nearer than others such as Ware, Broxbourne, Hatfield etc

I am slightly concerned about the number of ladies turning up to this 'proposed gathering' as the museum is titchy and we usually have around 40 for private views which is crowded. We are open all day from 10am to 5pm and admission is free.

We will be serving cream teas in the museum garden (home made scones) on the Saturday so keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

Miss Tucker is giving a talk at the museum on Thursday 3rd of April at 8pm at the museum if anyone can make it. It is £3 per person (pay on the door).

In the meantime, please feel free to post me or email me any memories, snaps or objects for the museum to borrow.

Thanks
Helen

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Hi Helen

I was intending to contact you personally when we have more finite details.

I don't know that there will be a huge number of us attending (hint, hint guys and gals - planning takes times, and numbers are important), and I'm sure that we won't all arrive at the same time. I envisage at least one person being on hand throughout the day, possibly keeping track of where people intend to head off to between Museum and dinner that night, then directing later comers who wish to try to catch them. As yummy refreshments will be on sale, I put my hand up for that job

We do realise that Baldock is not in the immediate vicinity of Hertford, but Liz, Mary and I will be staying for two nights, and it was chosen for it's slightly more countryfied location. I think that there is a warning on the site that guests may be 'disturbed' by farmyard noises - will be just like home for me, except that it won't be I that has to crawl from my bed to feed out.

Dinner will almost certainly be at Cafe Rouge. Numbers for dinner required by 3 March, and Kerren has very kindly offered to cough up the required per head deposit. Maximum number of seats available 50, so, again, please let us know asap of your intent to eat with us that night. Helen, I wondered whether you and any of your staff would be interested in joining us?

If numbers blow out beyond 50 I will source an alternative venue for the overflow.

All for now.

xx

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Ooops. not quite all.

Helen, does Miss Tucker live locally?

Would you be willing to pass on my contact details to her (or ask her if I may have hers) so that I can invite her to join us, either on Friday night or on Saturday?

Thanks.

Caroline

[kayinbaja]

Hello! Thanks for sending the FR message(s!), Caroline. At the moment, it looks as if I'll be in Mexico for those dates, but if I'm back in Ireland I'll pop over for the weekend. I'll stay with friends in London, so no need to find a TravelLodge, with or without dogs. Happy New Year, all. Kay

[kerrensimmonds]

Hello folks
I was at the Hertford Museum yesterday - handing over memorabilia etc. and being taped (aarrgghhh.... I am sure I was indiscreet at times). It's a great place, and Helen (the Curator) is not only very nice but also extremely interested in Christ's Hospital, Hertford. I think it all augurs well for an excellent and extremely professional exhibition which will primarily educate the good people of Hertfordshire about 'us' (what went on behind those walls?), but which will also give a good focus for reminiscence for all Old Girls who visit - whether they do so privately, or with a small group of friends, or on your 'big day' of 5 April, which Caroline is arranging.
Just one word of warning.. if you can possibly do your travelling by train to Hertford East and be able to walk around the town, then do so. Otherwise, you may need to park in an 'external' car park (even Tesco's!?) or a multistorey (I think there is one in Gascoyne Way, parallel to Fore Street) and walk. Would you believe that I spent HALF AN HOUR negotiating Hertford by car (I went round the school site three times.....) until I found my way to Bull Plain and the Museum. Even that was with Helen's navigational tips at the other end of a mobile phone. Everything is cobbled and pedestrian (and extremely busy.. I wonder how much you will recognise!?). If you have a 'disabled' 'blue badge' you may find parking a little easier - this was the first time that I genuinely was so grateful for mine! I was in the Museum for over 3.5 hours (together with Diana Gould [nee Robinson], the last Chair of the CH Club and daughter of Mr. A. Robinson who was Steward at Hertford, then Steward at Horsham, then Clerk).

When we had left the Museum we went for a cup of tea with Betty Jukes, who was very pleased to see us. Her spirit, sense of humour and her 'marbles' are perfect (aged 86) even if she is almost blind, pretty deaf, and physically fairly frail. It was hard to tear ourselves away for the long drive home.

Kerren

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Hi Kerren

Thanks for all he info - particularly the heads up about parking. I gave up reverse parking about 20 years ago, so it may have to be Tesco's for me

Looking forward to hearing what you disclosed. I sent a few scanned images to Helen last week, with short comments, and felt very daring when I wrote briefly about midnight escapades around the grounds. - Should I? Shouldn't I disclose what we got up to? What will the Seniors say?

Oh, forgot. The Seniors are you and Katharine

I have had two lovely emails from Miss Tucker (to call her or not to call her Elizabeth? Kerren, was DR always Miss West to you, or were you able to call her Ruth?). She will be joining us for dinner on 5/4. Should I reveal that we did meet - once. The harder she tried to dissuade me from attending Chapel (I was wearing trousers and an ankle length black cape), the more determined I was to be there.

xx

[Jo]

Oh gosh.... I'm tempted by the reunion even though I didn't know most people on the forum at school. Is it ok if I mention it to some of my year that I'm still in touch with?

By the way, someone mentioned wanting to contact Pam Jones - I'm in touch with her sister Nina so if you haven't managed to track her down I can probably put you in touch with her. I believe she lives in St Albans. Can't remember who mentioned it, so please shout!

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Oh gosh.... I'm tempted by the reunion even though I didn't know most people on the forum at school. Is it ok if I mention it to some of my year that I'm still in touch with?


Hi Jo

Please mention the reunion to as many people as you would like, and even if your contemporaries can't make it, we would love to see you.



By the way, someone mentioned wanting to contact Pam Jones - I'm in touch with her sister Nina so if you haven't managed to track her down I can probably put you in touch with her. I believe she lives in St Albans. Can't remember who mentioned it, so please shout!

It was MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, and Pam hasn't responded to a message I sent her via FR, so if you could possibly pass on my contact details via Nina I would be very pleased. Of course, if she does live in St Albans and decides not to join us at Hertford, we (Munch, Mary, Liz, Alex and I) could be tempted to drive up and kidnap her

Oh, my email address (not the one Pam would have, even if she hasn't lost it) is caroline.payne@adelaide.edu.au.
Thanks Jo

xx

[sejintenej]

More than delighted to report that the CHA newsletter which appeared in my email in-tray this morning has not one but two different articles about the Hertford Museum do. One thing new - there is a £3 charge for Elizabeth Tucker's speech and slide show at 8pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The first is a pretty detailed (and it looks accurate) dossier about the exhibition itself and the second looks as if it is a complete quote from (and it is ascribed to) Caroline. Again it follows what has appeared here.

Unfortunately they don't mention this thread or even the Forum.

[J.R.]

More than delighted to report that the CHA newsletter which appeared in my email in-tray this morning has not one but two different articles about the Hertford Museum do. One thing new - there is a £3 charge for Elizabeth Tucker's speech and slide show at 8pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The first is a pretty detailed (and it looks accurate) dossier about the exhibition itself and the second looks as if it is a complete quote from (and it is ascribed to) Caroline. Again it follows what has appeared here.

Unfortunately they don't mention this thread or even the Forum.

Cue J.T. or DbtSea for CHA enlightenment ??

[jhopgood]

More than delighted to report that the CHA newsletter which appeared in my email in-tray this morning has not one but two different articles about the Hertford Museum do. One thing new - there is a £3 charge for Elizabeth Tucker's speech and slide show at 8pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The first is a pretty detailed (and it looks accurate) dossier about the exhibition itself and the second looks as if it is a complete quote from (and it is ascribed to) Caroline. Again it follows what has appeared here.

Unfortunately they don't mention this thread or even the Forum.

Cue J.T. or DbtSea for CHA enlightenment ??

Extract from editorial in the Old Blue which goes to printers next week

There is no mention in this issue of the Unofficial CH Forum (http://www.chforum.info), which remains very active with almost 950 members and over 2,000 topics. Most impressively,.............. acted as a point of informal contact for many Hertford Old Blues. As an example of the long reach of the Forum, the proposed visit to the Hertford Museum for the Forgotten Blues exhibition is being coordinated from Australia. The “Forgotten Blues” name also came from the Forum.

No patience you lot.

[J.R.]

Nice one J.H. !

Strike while the iron is hot, and all that !

[sejintenej]

Extract from editorial in the Old Blue which goes to printers next week

There is no mention in this issue of the Unofficial CH Forum (http://www.chforum.info), which remains very active with almost 950 members and over 2,000 topics. Most impressively,.............. acted as a point of informal contact for many Hertford Old Blues. As an example of the long reach of the Forum, the proposed visit to the Hertford Museum for the Forgotten Blues exhibition is being coordinated from Australia. The “Forgotten Blues” name also came from the Forum.

No patience you lot.

How long has the Forum been active? It's like the army ordering new vehicles for the soldiers and delivering them 3 years after the battle is over. I can wait one issue, perhaps two but this has been nonsense; as they have being making use of the Forum t5hey can't even claim that they don't know about it.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

More than delighted to report that the CHA newsletter which appeared in my email in-tray this morning has not one but two different articles about the Hertford Museum do. One thing new - there is a £3 charge for Elizabeth Tucker's speech and slide show at 8pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The first is a pretty detailed (and it looks accurate) dossier about the exhibition itself and the second looks as if it is a complete quote from (and it is ascribed to) Caroline. Again it follows what has appeared here.

Unfortunately they don't mention this thread or even the Forum.

Hello David

I wrote the blurb about the reunion. My understanding is that Helen, Hertford Museum Curator, wrote the piece about the exhibition.

No-one edited the piece I asked Wendy to include in the Newsletter - any omissions are down to me.

I am, however, directing everyone who replies to any of the advertisements that Kerren or I have placed, or to any personally delivered invitations, to the Forum, and explaining that this is where details will be posted as they are finalised.

Is there anything else you would like me to do? Reserve you a seat for dinner on the 5th? Pre-submit anything else that I write to you for approval?

Best wishes

Caroline

[Katharine]

Regretfully, I'm going to bow out of this one, as I said earlier I have to go to Blackpool on the Sunday. The timing is just wrong for me, so sorry. Don't forget to post photos!