Quick questions and (maybe) answers Hertford Memories thread

Share your memories and stories from the Hertford Christ's Hospital School, which closed in 1985, when the two schools integrated to the Horsham site....

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MaryB
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Re: Quick questions and (maybe) answers Hertford Memories th

Post by MaryB »

Yes, 3 ornaments on the locker, one cuddly toy if you must, and three books brought form home, to be initialled as suitable by the housemistress. I lost the argument about The Lord of the rings being one book really, and had to surrender my "otehr" two.... It did look really relaxed in the video. The tuck room in 1s seemed to have become a study. There was a cherry red blazer hanging up in there, not by its loop (shock horror)... why wasn't it in number order with its 36 brothers and sisters in one of the Upper Dorm cupboards....?
Off to church now to take Evensong. Mr Walker would feel really at home with us in Haslemere (except for the fact of my being able to write that last sentence)... I have his voice in my head every time I do it.
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fra828
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Post by fra828 »

I had forgotten about the 3 ornaments-one could be a photo from home couldn't it? Didn't we stick any posters and pics of pop stars etc inside our bedside lockers, and then when we got allocated a shared 'cubie', we could put posters on the walls then?
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Post by kerrensimmonds »

In my day (1957-66) there were no 'cubies'. We had lockers (both when I was in 5's as a Junior Ward, and then in 2's in a Senior House). They were highly polished (by us) and yes we were only allowed three items on the top, only one of which could be a photograph. I still have the cheaply framed family photograph that I had on my locker fifty years or more ago! The locker also had a rail onto which we hung our soggy flannels, and another for the towel (do I remember that correctly?), and a shelf for the tooth mug/brush/toothpaste. (I have a HUGE memory of liking strawberry flavoured toothpaste, and slurping from the tube clandestinely at night, when no-one was looking, because I was hungry!!). But what else was there that we might have kept IN the locker??? The nighdress, dressing gown, slippers, hairbrush etc., were in the militarily organised basket under the bed.
When I first went to Hertford (1957) our beds were separated by poles in the hospital style, on which hung heavy yellow/gold curtains. We used to pull the curtains down when we went to bed, but had to fold them up (very precisely, in a mathematical fashion) when we got up the next morning.
Kerren Simmonds
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Post by Fjgrogan »

I echo all Kerren's memories, except that I don't remember having the curtains down at night. Theoretically we could close the curtains to get dressed/undressed in privacy, but we quickly learned to dress under the bedclothes or under our nighties, which meant that the curtains didn't have to be refolded in the morning, saving precious time before we had to present ourselves at dayroom prayers properly washed, dressed and with hair brushed. We also had to completely strip our beds before going down to prayers, and then go upstairs afterwards to completely remake the beds with hospital corners, and blankets folded up at the sides and the aforementioned baskets on top, so that the floor was clear for sweeping and washing. At night. bedtimes were staggered by age, and so that seniors coming up later didn't disturb the juniors, it was the duty of the juniors to put the seniors' baskets out on the landing with any necessary toiletries added. At the end of term the custom was for a senior to give a 'basket present' to whichever junior had performed this duty throughout the term. I still have somewhere an assortment of Wade Wimsies which I received as basket presents - if my daughter hasn't laid claim to them! Actually I think some of them were later passed on to the children via the 'tooth fairy'! I also still fold my nightie in exactly the way I was taught at Hertford when I started in 5s in 1956.
Frances Grogan (Haley) 6's 1956 - 62

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Angela Pratt 56-63
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Post by Angela Pratt 56-63 »

Gosh, yes, Kerren and Frances, that brought back memories of the dorms and getting told off if we didn't discretely get our underwear dressed and undressed under our nighties.(We never seemed to use the "cubie curtains").
Also I remember one of the first bits of school needlework in the 3rd form (?) was to make and embroider in cross stitch our brush-and-comb bags which we kept on our downstairs cloakroom pegs during the day but took upstairs at night.
Also does anyone else have embarassing memories of being fitted for the compusory uniform school bras? We weren't allowed any of our own underwear in the 1950's so the housemistress would assess everybodies "development" (We had to notify her when we started our periods!) and she would invite us to the wardrobe room where we had to strip off and be measured and fitted with a soft pink bra that had did up with elastic straps that came round from the back and crossed over at the front to button up! Obviously it made games and gym more comfortable but like all our uniform it was usually passed down from someone else...The smallest size was 34A and it was amatter of status which size one started with!
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Re: Quick questions and (maybe) answers Hertford Memories th

Post by Fjgrogan »

Bras were known as B squared (sorry, I should know how to type a superscript 2!!) and then there were blues and linings. Presumably the idea of two layers of knickers was so that the inner linings could be washed more frequently? When I started in 1956, linings were made of calico, very stiff and probably starched; they were one of several items of uniform that we had to make in school needlework, because they offered an example of a run-and-fell seam - I have no memory now of how to do a run-and-fell seam or why it was better than a French seam. Nighties also were made of calico and equally stiff. Later both these articles were 'modernised'. Linings became made of aertex, and nighties of floral winceyette in assorted colours. Another needlework item was embroidered collars for dressing gowns! I still have an example of the dressing gown material, made up to fit a doll - or possibly Maria's Teddy bear!
Frances Grogan (Haley) 6's 1956 - 62

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Re: Quick questions and (maybe) answers Hertford Memories th

Post by kerrensimmonds »

I think you are right - the curtains probably only came down to protect modesty as we were changing.
When I was in the Sixth form I rebelled against the issue night- and underwear, and brought my own which I washed by hand and dried on radiators, discreetly. Years later I was telling DR about this, and how I had to rush around and 'do the dusting' with the school issue stuff before it went to the laundry, so it looked as if it has been 'used'. She was quite shocked!
Kerren Simmonds
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Angela Pratt 56-63
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Post by Angela Pratt 56-63 »

Yes and the first summer blues I had had pockets on them to keep hankies in. I can recall MKP also having a pocket in hers as she once got out her handkie during a hockey lesson!
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Post by Angela Woodford »

A sudden explanation for something I'd always remembered and about which I'd wondered!

My computer always gives me a Yahoo page for starters. There was a thing about new babies being named after this year's Olympic athletes. "We must call him Usain!"

There were so many Susans about my age at CH. Three Susans and a Sue in my form alone! What could have led to all those Susans in the Fifties? It wasn't a name that had been popular before, was it? Now I've just read that there was a sensation when a Hungarian athlete called Susan Halter swam splendidly in the 1948 Olympics, causing an initial rush by 62,000 new parents to call their baby girl Susan.

But never before had I met so many Judiths as I did at school. I wonder why Judith?
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Re: Quick questions and (maybe) answers Hertford Memories th

Post by Fjgrogan »

........... and why were we not inundated with Nadias and Olgas?
Frances Grogan (Haley) 6's 1956 - 62

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Post by Angela Woodford »

I suppose they just didn't seem such attractive names at the time?

Unusual names I remember from Hertford -

Drusilla

Doreen (an older lady's name for a very pretty V1 Form girl in 1964, I thought. I wonder if she continued to use it?)

Rowan

Robin
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Re: Quick questions and (maybe) answers Hertford Memories th

Post by Fjgrogan »

In earlier years there were D'Este and Danae.
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Angela Woodford
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Post by Angela Woodford »

How pretty!

And I've just remembered Sabina. Lovely!
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Post by seajayuu »

Ditteke and Melissina (Mina) in 3's in my time.
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Post by Katharine »

Who was Ditteke? For some reason I always thought Mina was Wilhelmina. All the talk about House plays has reminded me of Orlaith Kelly. She starred in 2s Shrove Tuesday play one year.
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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