Dorothy Ruth West : RIP

[Angela Woodford]

I don't know that I would have liked wearing a Susannah dress - in the 20c it would have looked a bit like a chambermaid - I rather think she had a long green dress, an apron and a white puffy hat? But tell me my memory is wrong. I sat opposite the portrait in 1s and liked it very much.

As a junior, we had brown woolly socks in winter, held up by self constructed elastic bands. In summer, beige socks. Enhanced by heavy brown shoes, supplied by the little troglodyte-style man in a mystery dark chamber under the Science Block. Certainly, I remember daringly saying that the old ones he produced for me weren't comfortable, until he brought out some new ones - a strange orange brown.

But those ugly putty-coloured ribbed stockings in winter! They were truly hideous! The tall heaved them up, the short rolled them around their suspenders as they would wrinkle around the ankles...

Love

Munch

[Liz Jay]

I wonder why the brown/beige theme was adopted for our lower limbs when the rest of the uniform was predominantly blue?

Would black have been preferable? The St Trinian's look?

They didn't go any better with our Sunday outfits of grey and red either.

I would have LOVED to have worn a Susannah Holmes outfit (didn't she die of TB or something and have a ghost?) as maxi-skirts were only just around the corner and for once we would have been ahead of fashion. Maybe not the hat thing though, chapel caps were bad enough! Long skirts would have been wonderful in winter and soooo flattering.

Munch darling please do stop harping on about divinely slim!!! My mum was really upset when I was five feet tall and weighed five stone. It was the main reason why she prevailed upon my dad to let me leave CH. I wasn't anorexic as I ate well at home where the food was nicer, just something about the CH food and being so on edge (and COLD!) all the time meant I just was as thin as a rake, a problem I no longer have in the slightest (sigh).

I've only worn a suspender belt once since leaving CH. For fun - on my wedding day!!! Had to buy one specially and I believe I still have it somewhere. Doesn't get much use with jeans. It did present a rather different image with pretty pale lacy-topped stockings rather than heavily-darned beige lisle!!!!!!

Love

[Katharine]

Were there two paintings of Susannah? When I wrote earlier I was thinking of a head and shoulders one (School Hall over a rear door?), now Munch has mentioned it I remember the one in the Dining Hall - but I was on the other side of the square and hall! When I said that we thought we should have that uniform, I don't think we had really thought the practicalities through. There were various replica uniforms in existence that came out for special occasions.

Kerren do you remember a few weeks when the tables were rearranged in Dining Hall and broken into the three separate ones? I seem to have a vague memory of eating somewhere around where the junior sections of 3s & 4s normally ate. Was this a vivid dream or did it happen?

[Great Plum]

I do remember a story about a ghost - didn't she try and escape from the Hertford sicker or something?

[Angela Woodford]

I do remember a story about a ghost - didn't she try and escape from the Hertford sicker or something?

Susannah Holmes was an early 19c inmate, painted by A J Oliver RA "because of her beautiful eyebrows" as related in DR's Memoirs. But how did the artist know about her eyebrows? Interesting!

There are two portraits, and the smaller one is in the Clerk's Office, Counting House, Horsham - DRW again. I'd like to see the smaller one again - perhaps if I ever go to Horsham. Has somebody mentioned a museum at Horsham with displays of our uniforms?

The ghost was supposed to appear from a particular bed in Upper Dorm, Twos, but it was just a fun rumour. Unless anyone in Twos experienced a sight of Susannah seeking a new home from the 19c?

Liz - don't mean to go on about how slim you were; sorry! But how passionately I envied those who were. Stockings - try some sheer lace-topped hold-ups! They're very pretty. Put on your high heels and pose! pose! pose! Instant glamour.

I agree, black accessories would have looked so much better with the winter uniform. I didn't realise at the time that our uniforms were devised by DR and Miss Richards to look as up-to-date as possible, then approved by a Committee of Women. Those grey dresses must have been designed by Miss Richards with a all-purpose dressmakers' suits-all-sizes method. Bodice, skirt, belt!

Love,

Munch

[Katharine]

DR was VERY proud of the grey dresses. When they were very new, I was taken on a day trip to Chelsea Flower Show by DR, just the HG, Nicolette Mills from 8s, and myself. We had to wear our grey dresses for the occasion and I remember her joking that we did not look as if we were in uniform we could have been her daughters in our own clothes!

I was chosen for the trip as Hilary Evans and I kept on winning the Gardens Prize - we had the one with a silver birch tree near the swings. I think Hilary went the following day with someone else. An OB had sent the tickets. I have no idea now why Hilary and I didn't go together, it would have been much more fun!

[J.R.]

Yes all the second and third formers wore socks, unless you were tall/had big feet. Caroline was tall so I think she probably wore stockings as well.

Can't remember whether I wore socks at CH, but do remember the agony of exczema (hmmm, should there be a 'q' in there somewhere? lol) festering at the backs of my knees in the gap between where my socks stopped and my skirt started, while walking to primary school.

Suspender belts - oh the joy of wearing them. Inside liners/blues and risk losing the whole lot? Even though my hips should have been more than adequately large to keep the whole lot up, somehow (because stockings came in one length, so my suspenders were stretched to maximum capacity) everything worked it's way south. Nowhere near as attractive as Tim C's pins in Rocky Horror Show

Eczema

With all this talk of stockings & suspenders, and with Matt and me reading this thread there will DEFINITELY be a 'q' (queue) !

[Mrs C.]

I do remember a story about a ghost - didn't she try and escape from the Hertford sicker or something?

The ghost was supposed to appear from a particular bed in Upper Dorm, Twos, but it was just a fun rumour. Unless anyone in Twos experienced a sight of Susannah seeking a new home from the 19c?

That would appear to partly agree with the current "ghost story" - I`m` not sure of the details, but something about a ghost appearing at a certain bed in each house on some particular night! She certainly gets about, all the way from Hertford and in every house at the same time!!

(I`m sure someone will be able to elaborate)

[Angela Woodford]

Caroline wrote

Suspender belts - oh the joy of wearing them. Inside liners/blues and risk losing the whole lot? Even though my hips should have been more than adequately large to keep the whole lot up, somehow (because stockings came in one length, so my suspenders were stretched to maximum capacity) everything worked it's way south.

I've never seen those horrible one-size putty-coloured ribbed stockings anywhere before or since.I could never see why we could have a suspender belt of our own. Not that I wanted a school issue one! But far less difficult to provide than a bra?

Tights are comfortable and practical, but I do love fine denier stockings - seamed black stockings - wonderful!

Just been checking in history of underwear reference book - those "blues" and linings were usual wear for schoolgirls from the 1890s onwards. And we still had them in the 1960s!

That's quite poignant that DR should think you could have been taken for her daughters at the Chelsea Flower Show, Katharine.

Love, Munch

[Vonny]

isn't there some story about her?

Yes

And the story is????????????????????

Can't remember the ins & outs of it.

[Vonny]

The ghost was supposed to appear from a particular bed in Upper Dorm, Twos, but it was just a fun rumour. Unless anyone in Twos experienced a sight of Susannah seeking a new home from the 19c?

We had a spare bed in 2's (lower dorm). It was slightly smaller than the other beds and the frame was white whereas the others were black. The bed was made up but no one ever slept in it. The bed was rumoured to be "haunted." Imagine my terror when I woke up in it one morning I used to sleep walk when I was younger and obviously got into this bed whist sleep walking. Everyone thought it hilarious I can't recall if this bed was related to the Susannah Holmes story.

[englishangel]

I was in 2's and I don't ever remember the story that Susannah was a 2's girl.

Please remember that the houses were built in 1904 and Susannah was a pupil in the late 18th century.

[Angela Woodford]

Please remember that the houses were built in 1904 and Susannah was a pupil in the late 18th century.

Well, exactly! Susannah was a pupil from 1826-1832 - so the legend of her connected with 2's was just a fun thing.

To quote DR's Memoir:

"The ghost in Twos, a shadow thrown up by the moon on the wall of Threes, but only visible from one of the beds in Twos, was called "Susannah".

Love

Munch

[MKM]

Just been checking in history of underwear reference book ...

Oh, the excitement of knowing someone who owns a history of underwear referece book.

[englishangel]

LOLOL.

Sorry, Susannah was early 19th century, not that I don't know my 18th from my 19th but I thought Susannah was about 1780.