Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Was anyone here any good at nightwalking? Again for my CH Encyclopaedia - I was thinking of writing about it - both in and out of doors...So if anyone was proficient, how you did it, what you did and did you ever get caught?

Thanks!

I was proficient at sleepwalking (not nightwalking) in my juniors!

When you say nightwalking do you mean a) walking during the night whilst asleep, or b) being fully-conscious and breaking every rule in the book about not going out of house after lights out?

Eruresto wrote:Was anyone here any good at nightwalking? Again for my CH Encyclopaedia - I was thinking of writing about it - both in and out of doors...So if anyone was proficient, how you did it, what you did and did you ever get caught?

Thanks!

How do you classify proficient?

Many of us used to wander the grounds at Hertford without being caught. I remember one night seeing ghostly figures not far off, and being scared witless (at the thought of confronting ghosts, not be being caught), but it was just a recon party from one of the other houses They had their blue dressing gowns undone, and I could see their paler flannalette nighties, which, for some reason, appeared ghostly.

We just used to walk through the dorm, down the stairs and out the back door, then wander about the grounds: into the kitchens (very strange smell), nothing very exciting. I don't remember ever going into Chapel: think that was too scary.

icomefromalanddownunder wrote:How do you classify proficient?

Many of us used to wander the grounds at Hertford without being caught. I remember one night seeing ghostly figures not far off, and being scared witless (at the thought of confronting ghosts, not be being caught), but it was just a recon party from one of the other houses They had their blue dressing gowns undone, and I could see their paler flannalette nighties, which, for some reason, appeared ghostly.

We just used to walk through the dorm, down the stairs and out the back door, then wander about the grounds: into the kitchens (very strange smell), nothing very exciting. I don't remember ever going into Chapel: think that was too scary.

I remember the night-time wanderings, including the kitchens. It all seemed very peaceful in the cool night air*, but exciting at the same time. The last night of term was busier, with several groups wandering around.

Sometimes we went swimming. Looking back, I'm horrified at the risk, especially when I was on my own. What if I'd slipped and banged my head on the way into the deep end?

Perhaps going out at night, on my own, was a reaction to the lack of privacy and solitude in our day-to-day lives at Hertford. I never left the grounds so, apart from the swimming, there was not much danger involved.

Thank you Joshua and Caroline for reminding me about it.

* 35+ years ago, so it was always summer.

In my first term I did genuinely sleepwalk; as I have said before my brother had just died and I may have been allowed a little bit of licence to adjust. It was very useful in later life to be a known sleepwalker - it could cover a multitude of sins!!!

I never night walked as such but there were (as well you know Josh) numerous people that nightwalked...

(Peter Newell, who was on my year at CH is now the head of the security at the school - maybe you should speak to him about nightwalking!)

Can't help you on this one, Josh.

very rarely was anything like sleepwalking or going out at night done as far as I remember - the only nights it was allowed was midsummer for 6's who used to make a fairy ring , and the end of the academic year when the leavers did just about anything (my year 80 we put up pots and pand strunge from lime tree to lime tree down the avenue, and got the school up with the bell at 6am instead of 7am.... it wasn't like we could be expelled! Each year tried to out do the previous - but I remember us getting a bit drunk (heavens only knows what it was - probably babysham!!) and going into all the various houses and saying our goodbyes - I don't think I had any sleep that night...

The only time we went out at night was on double dares - we would stuff the clanging bell in the dorm with as many tissues as possible and then go out via the fire exit - it was probably the most exciting thing I did at CH!

I'd forgotten about that 6's thing

The only nightwalking I remember at Hertford was the fire drills in the middle of the night

Vonny wrote:I'd forgotten about that 6's thing

The only nightwalking I remember at Hertford was the fire drills in the middle of the night

Now you know why on the 1st day of term the 3rd formers would stuff that bloddy great red clanging bell with tissues! you could have heard it a mile off - and we were only little!

Jude wrote:Now you know why on the 1st day of term the 3rd formers would stuff that bloddy great red clanging bell with tissues! you could have heard it a mile off - and we were only little!

I don't remember the noise - just Laurie ushering us all out in her dressing gown

Vonny wrote:

Jude wrote:Now you know why on the 1st day of term the 3rd formers would stuff that bloddy great red clanging bell with tissues! you could have heard it a mile off - and we were only little!

I don't remember the noise - just Laurie ushering us all out in her dressing gown

between Miss Tucker and Miss Morrison there was almost competition on how fast they could get their houses out and rollcalled - I remember one ocassion (we had been tipped off so were all ready to run) when we were praised for getting out in the fastest time ever!

Jude wrote:

Vonny wrote:

Jude wrote:Now you know why on the 1st day of term the 3rd formers would stuff that bloddy great red clanging bell with tissues! you could have heard it a mile off - and we were only little!

I don't remember the noise - just Laurie ushering us all out in her dressing gown

between Miss Tucker and Miss Morrison there was almost competition on how fast they could get their houses out and rollcalled - I remember one ocassion (we had been tipped off so were all ready to run) when we were praised for getting out in the fastest time ever!

I don't think I ever knew when the drills would be. We had further to walk than you on the other side of the square so I doubt we'd have ever "won."

I don't ever remember having a fire drill, I don't remember ever going down the fire escape, the stairs were put in at teh end of my first year I think, before that there were ladders attached to the back of the houses, except 1's and 5's which were junior houses so had staircases