Looking back

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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Pixie
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Looking back

Post by Pixie »

I joined the forum a few days ago but wasn't sure where to start. I couldn't find an 'Introduce yourself' section that I've seen elsewhere so I decided to start a new topic here. Hertford is where our school was and though I have been to the Horsham site to visit a friend and old girl (old blue doesn't seem to fit our era) who was teaching there for a few years I just couldn't feel any connection with it.

I have mixed feelings about CH. I thought I was going to Malory Towers and found myself at Borstal (that's what it felt like at first). After the initial shock I got used to the austerity and the prison-like regulations and eventually found it too hard to leave, even though my father tried his best to persuade me to do so after 'O' levels. It turned out that I should have listened to him as the school and the awful science teachers let our year down very badly when it came to 'A' levels.

However, there is a lot of good that came from my time there: enduring friendships and an ability to get on with people from different backgrounds and cultures. I became strong and self reliant at school which helped me to cope with the almost unbearable loss of our first child. I learnt how to be tolerant and less materialistic.

It's taken me a long time to sign up here. I have visited the forum periodically for quite some time and I'm amazed at what my peers can remember. I seem to have forgotten most of it but It'll be good to join in the discussions even with such a bad memory!

In the meantime Happy New Year to you all!
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Re: Looking back

Post by Mid A 15 »

Welcome Pixie from an ex Horsham contemporary.

There are plenty of ex Hertford girls from around your era posting as you will have seen when lurking so enjoy reminiscing!
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Re: Looking back

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

Welcome, Pixie! I can really relate to the Mallory Towers thing. I had read ALL of them and begged and begged my mother to allow me to go to a boarding school. I do remember something of a letdown when there was a marked absence of jolly midnight feasts etc!! Took a while to get into stride at CH, but I missed the regimen fiercely when I left. Definitely drifted (adrift?) after leaving, for a while!
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Re: Looking back

Post by Katharine »

Welcome Pixie, you should find some contemporaries here. You arrived just before I left, as left at Christmas 1965. We each have our memories, many coloured by our Housemistresses, they were so dominant in our lives!

I'm sure you will find plenty to stir your memory here - from Thames Mud & Barges to school uniform, and of course DR!
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Re: Looking back

Post by Jo »

Hi Pixie! Much of your post reflects my feelings about CH, particularly thinking I was going to Mallory Towers.

I remember you from Hertford; if I recall correctly you were in 3s and were good at sport, and friendly with Ailsa Gould who was a sporting legend. Good to hear from you :)
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Re: Looking back

Post by midget »

Hello Pixie, good to see more 3s on the forum! You will probably find that reading other posts will bring back memories you didn't know you had. I certainly remember more about Hertford than I did 5 years ago.(or is that just old age?)
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Re: Looking back

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

Hi Pixie

Welcome and Happy New Year from a fellow survivor of the 65 intake. I left after O Levels, and did OK with my science A Levels. Well, except for Physics, which I hated. I think that they only let me scrape through with an E because I got an A for the prac. Of course, everyone at St Martin's, except me, who did Bio A Level had studied Bio at O Level too. Another example of Hertford's idiosyncracity.

As you make your way through the archives you may get a sense of how healing the trip some of us made to Hertford last year was. I believe that even Miss Tucker commented to someone that much healing had taken place.

Looking forward to hearing lots more from you.

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Re: Looking back

Post by MaryB »

Hello Pixie - you and I are probably the nearest 3s in time, and even in numbers (separated by Mervion at 3.7, as I recall). Have you seen the picture here - viewtopic.php?f=58&t=3176 - lots of familiar faces from your year, though 3s are mainly not in it, apart from Maureen.
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Re: Looking back

Post by englishangel »

I think Pixie and Ailsa (Gauld NOT Gould, younger sister of Stella who was in 6's) are in the front row beyond Juli Bennett, who also appears on here from time to time.
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Re: Looking back

Post by MaryB »

Wasn't Stella in 7s...(Munch?) I really should get a life.
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Re: Looking back

Post by Pixie »

I think I can see myself (or part of me) and Ailsa. It looks as though we were sorted according to height with the shortest at the back! By the way Ailsa looks exactly the same now as she did then, hardly aged at all!
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Re: Looking back

Post by englishangel »

Yes, MaryB, I think she was, and Pixie, is that you next to Jane Erskine, and Ailsa beyond you?

You are of course both in this one.

Image
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Re: Looking back

Post by Pixie »

If you mean the one with part of her head showing, yes I think that's me and Ailsa behind me but I'm not 100% sure.
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Re: Looking back

Post by Angela Woodford »

Stella Gould definitely in 7's!

It was when dancing wildly in 7's dayroom with Stella, that Deirdre fell prone and smashed her nose. I was chatting to Deirdre a couple of days ago (her birthday!) when she reminded me of this accident!
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Re: Looking back

Post by J.R. »

englishangel wrote:Yes, MaryB, I think she was, and Pixie, is that you next to Jane Erskine, and Ailsa beyond you?

You are of course both in this one.

Image

QUESTION, Mary !

Why is the girl, standing, far right on the photograph as you view, wearing a badge on the right of her uniform when all the others are wearing a badge on the left :?:

I'm intrigued.
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