'Posh School' at Hertford

Share your memories and stories from the Hertford Christ's Hospital School, which closed in 1985, when the two schools integrated to the Horsham site....

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Great Plum
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Post by Great Plum »

I think the men's game is quite popular in the US
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AKAP wrote:If plumbs can shrivel or implode, an angel might metamorphose into aunty dot.
A truly cruel thing to wish on anyone!
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englishangel wrote:I have the bosom for it, formidable, but I don't wear crimplene.
I'm sure we can find some crimplene.
Getting even more scarrrrrrrrrrrrry
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Post by fivethreeone »

englishangel wrote:There is some more on our (non) contact with Haileybury on another thread, but I'm blowed if I can find it. They used to invite us to their 'end of year' dance, but as we would have had to wear uniform we always declined the invitation.
I remember Haileybury boys coming to sixth form dances at CH - this caused great excitement among the whole school. However, there was some 'incident' at a dance just before I reached the sixth form and after that the dances were stopped.
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Post by Katharine »

fivethreeone wrote:I remember Haileybury boys coming to sixth form dances at CH - this caused great excitement among the whole school.
You had sixth form dances!! We never did!!

I was summoned to DR because I spoke to a BOY on Speech Day, my brother's best friend who had stayed with us one holiday when he could not go home. DR had a list of all the girls who had brothers visiting, they were allowed to speak to them, but nobody else!!
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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I don't understand how keeping you away from boys to that extent was healthy...
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Post by englishangel »

Great Plum wrote:I don't understand how keeping you away from boys to that extent was healthy...
It wasn't, ask your Dad.
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
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Great Plum wrote:I don't understand how keeping you away from boys to that extent was healthy...
Some girls were tending to their pet rabbits behind the school chapel, and were seen talking to BOYS through the railings. Just to be sure you have the scenario, this was broad daylight ,the road outside was one of the main roads through Hertford and the railings must have been between 5 and 6 feet high. They were summoned to the presence and were told that 'you are of the age when accidents may happen'.

I kid you not, that was our CH of the sixties.

Another story is mine, my father was a vicar only five miles from the school. On one exeat I was out with my brother in a scarlet MG during the day - and seen. Later, as he had to drive past the school to pick up his girlfriend he saved my parents the journey. I did enjoy roaring up the square in that MG!! I was in DR's study within the hour - and challenged her to ring my father as she did not believe the black haired young man could be the (Old Blue) brother of the blonde in front of her.
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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englishangel wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I don't understand how keeping you away from boys to that extent was healthy...
It wasn't, ask your Dad.
But at least they got into Horsham...

And I have heard that it wasn't too difficult to see girls from Horsham High School for Girls...
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Post by AKAP »

Great Plum wrote:
englishangel wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I don't understand how keeping you away from boys to that extent was healthy...
It wasn't, ask your Dad.
But at least they got into Horsham...

And I have heard that it wasn't too difficult to see girls from Horsham High School for Girls...
The attitude at Horsham was different to that described at Hertford.
I remember having a girlfriend who lived locally and attended the local convent boarding school, she would come and collect me from CH in her car.
Just for the record her name was Gay. I wonder if she still uses that name.
Last edited by AKAP on Sat Jan 14, 2006 5:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mr tall

Post by mr tall »

Great Plum wrote:
englishangel wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I don't understand how keeping you away from boys to that extent was healthy...
It wasn't, ask your Dad.
But at least they got into Horsham...

And I have heard that it wasn't too difficult to see girls from Horsham High School for Girls...
Seem to recall that school's name was usually Spoonerised. Somewhat like opening a tea-shop in Horsham, or at least we thought that was what was said.
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Post by englishangel »

I don't know if Katherine and/or midget had brothers at home, we know Barbara had a brother(though Horsham and Hertford holidays did not always coincide), and I had brothers at home so at least we got some sense of normality there.

I also kept up with my primary school friends (thinking about it they were very good to me) and even managed a home boyfriend when I was 14 or 15. He lasted about a year, he was more a 'tick in the box' (I am normal and can get a boyfrend) and gave me bragging rghts on Valentine's Day.

Being so cut off we did tend to get very siggly (Freudian typo there, silly and giggly) as soon as we got the merest whiff of testosterone.

Looking back we were extremely embarrassing.

My 17 year old daughter can lounge on our sofa with her boy mates without turning a hair. And son is currently sitting here with current gf who is a boarder at local girl's school. (Midday on a term-time Saturday)
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
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Post by Katharine »

When I was doing my Dof E and had nearly reached Gold, all of us at the same stage were summoned. DR told us that the school would pay for our residential week to complete the award. Our choice was Lee Abbey where the course was mixed and, I believe, evangelical Christian, or Burwash which was all girls and a variety of outdoor activities. We did not have the choice of which to go to, if you had a brother reasonably close to you in age you went to Burwash, otherwise you went to Lee Abbey. The reasoning, and this is a direct quote from DR was 'Everyone should live with boys for a week before going to the university'.

The first night at Burwash was a getting to know you session, the tutor spoke to me and said 'You're a Christ's Hospital girl aren't you?' She then picked out all of the others on the course with no mistakes and nobody left out. I could not see how we were behaving differently from anyone else, but she thought we were far more confident than the others.

The school must have done us some good!!
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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Post by Katharine »

englishangel wrote:I don't know if Katherine and/or midget had brothers at home, we know Barbara had a brother(though Horsham and Hertford holidays did not always coincide)
Take care, Mary with your spelling!!! :twisted: :twisted:
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Post by englishangel »

Katharine wrote:
englishangel wrote:I don't know if Katherine and/or midget had brothers at home, we know Barbara had a brother(though Horsham and Hertford holidays did not always coincide)
Take care, Mary with your spelling!!! :twisted: :twisted:
Humble apologies Katharine
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