The Houseblock Lofts

[Angela Woodford]

michael scuffil says:

"...I shall not reveal the names of my credible first-hand sources..."

Possibly an unfortunate choice of words, given the circumstancers!?

Exactly my thoughts, Foureyes .

Women are considerably more free and frank - and funny with it!

[J.R.]

michael scuffil says:

"...I shall not reveal the names of my credible first-hand sources..."

Possibly an unfortunate choice of words, given the circumstancers!?

Hmmmmmm ???

[Great Plum]

Thinking of the lofts, I never knew anyone who ventured into them but a rumour persisted for a number of years that you could get from the boarding house lofts into the attached housemaster's houses' lofts (the ones built in 1902).

I was able to prove this wrong as I had one of the attic rooms in Peele A attached house and I had a small door that led into the rather large attic - the attic stopped at the wall of the boarding house (it wouldn't have been at the same height as the attic in the boarding house as the floor heights are different...)

[Mid A 15]

I can't recall ever entering a loft.

As others have said the tube (s) were more interesting.

[michael scuffil]

The tubes were more interesting, but more crowded. They were used by smokers, but not I think for romantic assignations, or at least, not much. Another (in itself) boring place was the flat roof on top of the staircase. This was used by nude sunbathers.

[Lightbulbbroken]

Tubing?

[Great Plum]

Underneath the boarding houses and extending out to other buildings on the campus is a series of tunnels called the 'Tube'. These were orignally there to enable people to walk across campus without getting wet as well as being a useful place for storage etc.

About 25 years ago (I guess), they were closed to most people as they have asbestos in them - they are now used as service tunnels and the gas pipes, phone lines etc run down there... as you can guess, it makes for some good exploring!

[J.R.]

Wih the dim and somewhat intermittant lighting, one would probably have described the tubes in the late 50's & 60's as very 'Hogwarts/Harry Potterish'.

[sport!]

No - not the name of a band.

I was wondering whether any of you ever ventured into the seldom-visited lofts of the old houseblocks at CH Horsham. I was always rather amazed by the fact that whilst Tubing was relatively commonplace, exploring the lofts was apparently unknown.

Anyone?

Yes! Barnes B circa '76. Not a full exploration above the dorms though. I only remember staying close to the loft hatch entrance. As I remember, it was more like a small room - can't recall there being access any further, so I couldn't say either way - it did make a nice, peaceful private room and storage place for things you didn't want to be found.

[Chrissie Boy]

And the bat guano?

[Wuppertal]

When I was on my LE I lived in 'top north' dormitory, by the fire escape stairs (which we were allowed to use completely as normal stairs). For about a week there were some builders doing something up there. Only upon reading this thread has it sprung to mind the idea of 'exploring' them. I'm surprised that, to my knowledge, when this unknown building work was going on, no-one in my dorm made any attempt to see what was there. But I suppose it's just a loft and is not like a whole exciting network like the tube. I've never been in the loft in my own home but don't much care!

[michael scuffil]

It occurs to me that they did have a legitimate use too. In Thornton B we stored the house sledges in the loft. I was there from 55 to 63. We used the sledges twice: in my first year (early 56), for about three days, and in my last year (early 63) for a very long time.

[Great Plum]

House sledges... I like the sound of that...

I'm suprised that the school made it through that 1963 winter with what I have heard...

[J.R.]

House sledges... I like the sound of that...

I'm suprised that the school made it through that 1963 winter with what I have heard...

Probably the worst I can remember, though there was one worse end of the 1940's/early 1950's, but I was too young to remember that one.

[michael scuffil]

The winter of early 47 was worse, if only because there were constant power cuts (which I can just remember).
As for 1963 at CH, it was actually quite fun. It had some very good sides -- no mid-morning PT for a start, and "activities" consisted mostly of sledging in Denne Park.
I remember that my swab and I kept my study fire going uninterruptedly for about five weeks. It was quite illegal -- we weren't supposed to light them until 4 in the afternoon. But in the evening I would cover the remains with ash, and in the morning he would come in and fan the last few embers into a fire, so the study was warm by the time I got there at 7.30 (I was an honorary house captain, so I was allowed to be late for breakfast.) While doing the fire, he also used the (illegal) electric kettle to make my early-morning tea, which he brought to me in bed. Those were the days...