Welcome to the unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum - for discussing everything CH/Old Blue related. All pupils, parents, families, staff, Old Blues and anyone else related to CH are welcome to browse the boards, register and contribute.
englishangel wrote:That was my thought too, but it was 25 years ago that Hertford closed.
Now that I know more about Horsham, I realise that we weren't the "real CH". We were a kind of offshoot reflecting the personalities of several stern powerful women... especially the last one.
The modern CH sounds just terrific. Contemporary pupils are so fortunate.
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
I am afraid I am going to do an 'in my day' which I try very much to avoid.
We had so little that my parents paid NO fees for me after my first year (and I believe my Grandfather paid those anyway) so my sibs were actually better off as my parents had one less mouth to feed (and body to clothe), during term-time anyway, and once I reached 14 I got a job every holiday so never needed money for clothes or anything.
I have emailed my sibs to ask if they felt they missed out, but as I have said to them in the email, things have changed a great deal in 40 years, especially for the girls.
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
My sisters definitely didn't feel as if they had missed out by not joining me at CH. They went to another all girl's school, a nearby grammer school, where they were happy and successful. As time went by our different experiences affected our sibling relationships to some extent and it took time to rebuild them after our school years.
My much-older brother and sister hugely resented the fact that I'd been accepted into CH. One had been a London war child, one had been evacuated. My late brother never ceased to mock that I went to a private school. "Don't they teach you anything useful at Dothegirls Hall?" he'd comment. My sister deeply resented that I'd had chances that she had never had. It's still an issue!
I never convinced them that I was a despised failure at Hertford.
Couldn't win!
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
Angela Woodford wrote:
My much-older brother and sister hugely resented the fact that I'd been accepted into CH. One had been a London war child, one had been evacuated. My late brother never ceased to mock that I went to a private school. "Don't they teach you anything useful at Dothegirls Hall?" he'd comment. My sister deeply resented that I'd had chances that she had never had. It's still an issue!
I never convinced them that I was a despised failure at Hertford.
No siblings but there seemed to be mixed feelings where I lived. At the same time as I left the school had its first ever (and also last) pass at 11+ so there would be two people escaping to the "outside world". (The previous escapee that I know of was in the 1939 call-up).
OTOH during holidays I had become an outsider even to those I had been at school with, speaking an almost different language and being required to mix solely with adults (and you know what kids think of adults) who were fine with me. (Ironically, going to Horsham I had been forced to learn a virtually different language and acknowledgement of the difficulties was not an attribute of the Prep A housemaster (?Mr Jones).)
An issue? perhaps - nothing was said.
My parents had moved from Greenwich where I wwent to primary school, and we lived at 5 different places while I was at CH, so I had little chance of making "out of school" friends, and my cousins treated me warily during the holidays.
Thou shalt not sit with statisticians nor commit a social science.
I have only had a reply from one sib, the one closest to me in age (2 years younger) so I suppose the one who would have been most affected.
He said he never wanted to go to CH and refused to take the exam, and didn't feel he missed out on anything because I went. He did go on to be the star and Head Boy of the Grammar School.
He then said "however if you would like to send me a couple of thousand pounds I won't turn my nose up".
The other two are 7 and 8 years younger so I had left CH before they would have gone anyway.
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
i lived half way between slindfold and itchingfield and had only 1 friend outside school within walking distance so missed nobody going to CH. In fact i met more ex primary school contempories through dances with farlington than i did in holidays until i reached 16 and got a moped so could go to Horsham in evenings (during holidays).
My younger brother failed the exams and went to Tandbridge but by then my mum had moved to Horsham so he had local friends. My half brother went to CH many years later (Mr Holdsworth may remember him Tom Noble) and my brother never felt aggrieved.
In fact as when we lived in the middle of nowhere there were 5 children in a 3 bedroom cottage me being away meant more room for everyone else
HowardH wrote:Matthew, if i have told you once, I have told you many times .... appalling not "Apauling".
Oh dear, what sort of education did you receive!
Honestly, I don't know! Who was your English teacher?
Right all you locals..... we need somewhere to have lunch on Wed before dropping Madam off. Any suggestions - preferably from recent use rather than Hertford times....
I don't suppose the cafeteria at Tesco at Southwater would count? That's what we used to do on visiting days - and use up a load of Clubcard vouchers in the process!!
I had him for my 2nd form and LE - had us in stitches non-stop!
