GRECIANS CLUB

[sejintenej]

I can only repeat what I writ sum time ago !

The slightest HINT of alcohol in my day would almost definitely mean expulsion, and that would include Grecians.

You missed out the

CCF field days were planned so that the march would result in lunch (sandwiches) being consumed at a well chosen venue which knew we were coming and would not object. The officers were totally aware.

You missed out on Kit's trips. In the Easter holidays Kit would take senior boys sailing on the Norfolk Broads - I doubt if there were many who were not invited. That was a 7 day pub crawl with Kit knowing all the pubs and he was not stingy about buying a round. That said, the time I went nobody got drunk, I suspect because we only had a pint each at lunch and after supper. Fortunately there is nobody else on the Forum who went on the same trip as me - I have some interesting memories of trying to sleep on the cabin sole (floor)!

[richardb]

From memory the Club opened towards the end of the summer term 1972 which was the end of the first year. I might be wrong though and it might be 1973.

I well remember the place as JamesF35 and I became the first people ever to be suspended for excess drinking in the summer of 1978.

Drinks were paid for by chits (14p per half I believe) with a maximum of one and a half pints per night. Can't remember how much the books of chits were but there were limits on how many you could buy, possibly one per week.

The club was open from 8.45 p.m to 10 p.m with longer hours at weekends. Ploughmans lunches were available at Sunday lunch time.

Drinking was rife in the 1970s and I remember a series of expulsions, suspensions and canings. It still didn't deter people from drinking.

[wurzel]

by late 80's beer was between 64p & 88p per pint chits were in books containing £2.46 and costing £2.50 official limit was 2 pints a night but with O'Meara behind the bar that had morphed to 2 pints at one trip to the bar to stop the buying of rounds.
Was open tue to sunday evenings i think and Sun lunch. Behind the club was very much a Grecians only smoking place with a tacit understanding that as long as it stayed as such and "subtle" then during club opening hours it would be unlikely to be "bust".

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Still didn't stop the plethora of homebrew operations which when we finished a-levels meant there was a choice of various different bitter brews plus lager, cider and white wine available from various sources and with various qualities although all sold in 4pint milk bottles saved from house milk (they ditched the buckets from the farm in early 80's and after a brief stint with polybins in special fridges they went to plastic bottles)

[Mid A 15]

From memory the Club opened towards the end of the summer term 1972 which was the end of the first year. I might be wrong though and it might be 1973.

I well remember the place as JamesF35 and I became the first people ever to be suspended for excess drinking in the summer of 1978.

Drinks were paid for by chits (14p per half I believe) with a maximum of one and a half pints per night. Can't remember how much the books of chits were but there were limits on how many you could buy, possibly one per week.

The club was open from 8.45 p.m to 10 p.m with longer hours at weekends. Ploughmans lunches were available at Sunday lunch time.

Drinking was rife in the 1970s and I remember a series of expulsions, suspensions and canings. It still didn't deter people from drinking.

It wasn't 1972 unless everybody conspired to keep it a secret from me

[cj]

Like many others, I have no recollection of my first night in the Club (May 1989, end of my Deps) I never really realised what a priviledge it was to have such a facility at our disposal and it is A Great Shame that it has not survived. It was a real rite of passage and something to look forward to. It would be interesting to know whether it kept illicit drinking in the Deps/Grecians down or had no effect? I was on the committee 1989-1990, bit chuffed at that, but never had a Sunday lunch there as they were always finished before band practice was over. Consequently I always did an extra duty shift during the week or Saturday night to make up.

Trying to remember who was on the committee with me Someone has already mentioned Charlie Smith who gave me my nickname of Canteen Cath at that time, also Rick Slater who was President, Jo King, Ro Collis, Trish Combe, Tom Endacott (?), can't remember any more! There must be photos of past committees still up there in the entrance.

Don't worry, st Cath's girl were still being bussed in until at least 87 to try and even up the numbers.

Amazing! I don't remember Other Girls on our turf then. Maybe I wasn't old enough (UF)? Did it cause any rivalry between the two sets of females?

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

A couple of things from the "Stone Age " !

IPA stands for India Pale Ale a hangover from the days of Empire !

We had two avenues to Alchohol --- LM Carey's Study at End of Term, when the Monitors (Including Grecians) were invited to have a pint of Cider ---oh Joy !
and Home-made Elderberry Wine, which fermented on the back concrete Escape stairs from the Dormitories, and which used to explode from time to time, when everyone rushed to see who had to clear up the mess !
I am certain that LMC and Miss Watts knew about this, but probably regarded it as innocent fun !

Grecians were, of course part of, and resident in the House --- which was "Run" by them, with very little interference from Housemasters !! -------- Not a bad system !

[kerrensimmonds]

I once suggested that 'IPA' stood for 'I'm P*ss*d Already'

[Vonny]

Don't worry, st Cath's girl were still being bussed in until at least 87 to try and even up the numbers.

Amazing! I don't remember Other Girls on our turf then. Maybe I wasn't old enough (UF)? Did it cause any rivalry between the two sets of females?

I don't remember that either!

[wurzel]

definately on my Ge & deps (1986-8) the LHA house dance got girls from Rosemead in Littlehampton and then Farlington. As I kept "in touch" with a girl from each who both lived in Horsham. At the time there were only 4 girls houses and 12 boys so i think relief rather than envy would have been on the CH girls minds. They had to deal with UF/GE club in the Octagon every saturday and then Deps club in the portacabin by the barbers/tuck shop

[cstegerlewis]

Cath & Yvonne,

They had to bring others in as we knew you lot were out of our league.........

They definitely were there as Ian recalls as well. I was taliking to a colleague the other day whose wife is a House parent at St.Catherine's, apparently CH are one of the schools that they bring in children from for their own socials, usually following one from drama events where they needs some male actors, but it is very rare and quite controlled. I did tell him of my experience with a St.C atherines girl (nothing smutty, just me falling asleep at an inopportune moment having played rugby at Tiffin's and drinking in the minibus on the way back - for some reason whoever was driving didn't seem to worry) while we were in a bar in Israel on business, and when he told his wife later she just laughed.

[bobcrawshaw]

From memory the Club opened towards the end of the summer term 1972 which was the end of the first year. I might be wrong though and it might be 1973.

I well remember the place as JamesF35 and I became the first people ever to be suspended for excess drinking in the summer of 1978.

Drinks were paid for by chits (14p per half I believe) with a maximum of one and a half pints per night. Can't remember how much the books of chits were but there were limits on how many you could buy, possibly one per week.

The club was open from 8.45 p.m to 10 p.m with longer hours at weekends. Ploughmans lunches were available at Sunday lunch time.

Drinking was rife in the 1970s and I remember a series of expulsions, suspensions and canings. It still didn't deter people from drinking.

It wasn't 1972 unless everybody conspired to keep it a secret from me

I was the 3rd chairman of the Club (74/75) so an opening in 72/73 would fit with that. As I recall the chairman was always a boy, the president and treasurer were masters, Bomber Nicholson and DJOM in my era. I can remember in those days as we had no girls in the school at all then, they were all bussed in for the annual ball and it was my pleasure to jump on the coaches as they arrived and greet them, Roedean was certainly one of the three girls schools invited but I can't remember the others. I recall also that the masters very obligingly took the chaparons over to common room so we were left to it. Happy days but I don't ever remember getting a return invitation to the girl's schools...............

[wurzel]

I remember going to a summer ball at Rosemead in littlehampton but no others

[Charlie s]

Like many others, I have no recollection of my first night in the Club (May 1989, end of my Deps) I never really realised what a priviledge it was to have such a facility at our disposal and it is A Great Shame that it has not survived. It was a real rite of passage and something to look forward to. It would be interesting to know whether it kept illicit drinking in the Deps/Grecians down or had no effect? I was on the committee 1989-1990, bit chuffed at that, but never had a Sunday lunch there as they were always finished before band practice was over. Consequently I always did an extra duty shift during the week or Saturday night to make up.

Trying to remember who was on the committee with me Someone has already mentioned Charlie Smith who gave me my nickname of Canteen Cath at that time, also Rick Slater who was President, Jo King, Ro Collis, Trish Combe, Tom Endacott (?), can't remember any more! There must be photos of past committees still up there in the entrance.

Don't worry, st Cath's girl were still being bussed in until at least 87 to try and even up the numbers.

Amazing! I don't remember Other Girls on our turf then. Maybe I wasn't old enough (UF)? Did it cause any rivalry between the two sets of females?

Yep I remember Snakebite and Black, or 'purple nasty' as we called it....and jacket potatoes done by Ronnie Simms for Sunday Lunch

[MrEd]

I recall the limit of 1.5 pints per night, rigorously enforced if a Master was around. Around 93p of chits like raffle tickets in a little blue book, with different coloured chits for various denominations.

I also recall appalling dishonesty from bar staff (called 'shrinkage' in the retail trade). The Club was a place for a pint, some crisps, and a useful explanation for alcohol on one's breath of a Saturday evening.

One weekday, I went to the Club of an evening, at the end of the Deps, and Baker was coming to have a coffee with us in the Pe A library. First time most of us had spoken to him, a distant, almost Parkinson-ian mask on his face did not fall much. Anyway, I sat there slightly merrier than was good for me, and after lots of questions about the School (with the merger looming but after our departure), Baker asked 'Any more questions?' and I said 'Where's the coffee?'. Gasps all round, and Baker looked at me and asked me what I'd said, and I said 'Where's the coffee? We were promised coffee with you sir.".

We didn't get any coffee.