Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

J.R. wrote:I think we were restricted to around a fiver a term pocket money and as someone has posted earlier, you had to queue on a weekly basis at the Deputy housemaster study to collect around two bob, maximum. No wonder Horsham eas out of the question for a visit.

I don't know if we had an upper limit - it was £1 10/- (£1.50) minimum and that was hard to find (I had £25 a year for all fares, clothing, extras etc with fares amounting to close on £21) so my line in home made ginger beer was a relative great moneyspinner.

I just seem to remember that we took what we wanted and only declared the amount that we should... training for going through customs.

hoob wrote: I remember the illicit trips to Southwater, housey to Donkey Bridge, change into civvies and try to look overage in the offie........

*shudders at the thought of Guinness & Martini*

I even remember going to a pub in Southwater one weekday evening

Yikes the 2 pubs in Southwater are awful!

Great Plum wrote:Yikes the 2 pubs in Southwater are awful!

But remember Matt, a pubs ambience always changes with a change of land-lord.

J.R. wrote:

Great Plum wrote:Yikes the 2 pubs in Southwater are awful!

But remember Matt, a pubs ambience always changes with a change of land-lord.

True, but on is called the Cock Inn...

We used the Hen & Chicken quite a bit when I was at C.H. - it always seemed OK then (but that was some time ago........).

There's a Cock Inn up on the downs at Headley !

Quite a few on a Friday night as well, I'm told.

Great Plum wrote:Yikes the 2 pubs in Southwater are awful!

Couldn't tell you which one it was we went too but I do remember making a swift exit as someone recognised a CH master turn up!

Never bothered with pubs - was always much safer in House.....

I was asked my age up to 25 so drinking in pub under age didn't happen for me. In the summer, there was plenty of nice countryside in the winter we built a reasonably water proof and cozy den down near where the shooting range was.

hoob wrote:Never bothered with pubs - was always much safer in House.....

I only went to the pub in Southwater once and I remember going to the Boars Head with Emma & her parents (my first taste of g & t!) - other than that we tended to drink outside - I don't recall ever drinking in house!

i think the point has been missed here. pocket money was (probably still is) tightly controlled. all the more reason to sell stuff and keep what you made.

even if there was nothing to spend it on, it was worth having for spending on leave days or buying other illicit things during term time which other people had brought in.

I didn't sell anything but did clean several teachers cars for money.
The teachers never knew that this was to finance my drinking binges on a Saturday afternoon in the fields and woods around CH.
Thank you, teachers, you helped me on the road to a lifetime of very enjoyable boozing.

Re: Verrio stuff.
Can't get the hang of this quote business - sorry.

Verrio was excellent. I still remember most of the details, like cost of the individual paintings and little anedotes behind various statues in the Quad. (Ben - shame on you!!)I really enjoyed it at the time.We got to meet a wide variety of people, not just the Elderly! I had to take the Georgian National Rugby team around once, translating the whole thing into Russian as I went. It was great practice and I learned loads of Georgian which came in handy later in Moscow. Climbing on a tour bus twice a week and welcoming visitors to CH in my best Hi Di Hi Campers voice was good fun and yes, there was always plenty of spare chocolate biscuits at the end of the afternoon, which was perfect for me.
Tips were variable so as a money spinner it was unreliable. Once, an old lady pressed a 5p into my hand and as if it were a fortune, told me to make sure I got sweets for everyone. Another time, I got a £20 note which was a shocker. Yes, all tips were pooled and even the learners got their share.

Incidentally, I saw more of Verrio's work at Tate Britain yesterday, and CH definitely got the better deal....