Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Does anyone remember going to tea with the headmaster ? and his lovely wife ?

A very formal ocassion where about a dozen of us turned up on a sunday afternoon on our "squits" year to be officially welcomed to CH by DHN and his better half.
Afterwards we were allowed to "play" in his garden which was "careful don't damage the roses "type of affair.

I thought it was a real treat so it made a big impression on me when it was my turn , summer 1972. (aged 11)

Such a nice fellow DJH , heart definetly in the right place and an excellent Headmaster.

BUT.....

If only I had known about the selections of canes he had !!! The next visit to his house was not so pleasant !

DID ANY OTHER HEAD MASTERS WELCOME US LIKE NEWSOME ?

Were you allowed to address the cats? (Having performed the necessary kowtows, of course.)

What is interesting about Newsome is that his interest in being headmaster was academic. He was senior tutor of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and would probably have become the next Master. But having written the definitive account of the origin of the English public school, he felt he should take the opportunity that presented itself when Seaman retired.

I never heard of Flecker welcoming anybody.

DavidRawlins wrote:I never heard of Flecker welcoming anybody.

....... or C.M.E.S in my day !

J.R. wrote:

DavidRawlins wrote:I never heard of Flecker welcoming anybody.

....... or C.M.E.S in my day !

No welcoming, but Clarence seemed to be able to remember every boys name.

True. Social occasions with the Seamans were limited to Grecians' play-readings. And the close of house-captains' meetings, when Mrs S. would serve tea and biscuits. The tea was invariably Lapsang Souchong and tasted of kipper water.

Invited to dinner with the Fleckers in my last term. Can't remember the details, perhaps he dined out his leaving Grecians.

In my day the house captains in their final term were invited to dinner by the Lady Superintendent (Mrs Johnson). Served by the Common Room butler (a man named Rainbow) and his wife. A very grand meal in Mrs J's very grand lodgings (every bit as grand as the headmaster's house, but less public, and she didn't have a garden).

michael scuffil wrote:In my day the house captains in their final term were invited to dinner by the Lady Superintendent (Mrs Johnson). Served by the Common Room butler (a man named Rainbow) and his wife. A very grand meal in Mrs J's very grand lodgings (every bit as grand as the headmaster's house, but less public, and she didn't have a garden).

Lady Superintendent ? ------ I know not of this Lady, what were her duties ?, whom did she supervise ? when did she appear on the scene ?

Perhaps she was there in the 40s, and perhaps I was too ignorant to know. --- information please !

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:

michael scuffil wrote:In my day the house captains in their final term were invited to dinner by the Lady Superintendent (Mrs Johnson). Served by the Common Room butler (a man named Rainbow) and his wife. A very grand meal in Mrs J's very grand lodgings (every bit as grand as the headmaster's house, but less public, and she didn't have a garden).

Lady Superintendent ? ------ I know not of this Lady, what were her duties ?, whom did she supervise ? when did she appear on the scene ?

Perhaps she was there in the 40s, and perhaps I was too ignorant to know. --- information please !

The lasy Superintendent supervised the domestic staff, she mainly featured in the dining hall.

A small spelling mistake in my last post.

AKAP wrote:

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:

michael scuffil wrote:In my day the house captains in their final term were invited to dinner by the Lady Superintendent (Mrs Johnson). Served by the Common Room butler (a man named Rainbow) and his wife. A very grand meal in Mrs J's very grand lodgings (every bit as grand as the headmaster's house, but less public, and she didn't have a garden).

Lady Superintendent ? ------ I know not of this Lady, what were her duties ?, whom did she supervise ? when did she appear on the scene ?

Perhaps she was there in the 40s, and perhaps I was too ignorant to know. --- information please !

The lasy Superintendent supervised the domestic staff, she mainly featured in the dining hall.

I think she was in charge of planning the pupil menu too.

The Lady Superintendant in my time was Miss Stevenson; rather overweight. She must have had a difficult task, coping with raioning and shortages, for which she was reviled by almost the whole school.

Mrs Johnson (known to all as Mrs J) was described in an article in The Blue by Michael Cherniavsky as "by far the most successful of the senior officers" in the 1950s. (The senior officers of the school were the headmaster, the clerk, the medical officer and the lady superintendent, later joined by the steward.) I arrived shortly after the kitchens were refurbished under her supervision. Those who experienced "before" and "after" all said the improvement was immense.

It was mostly through the dining hall that the boys had any contact with her, but she was also responsible for appointing matrons and housemaids, and had overall responsibility for the wardrobe (I once had to negotiate with her about getting a "best" grecian's coat). As far as I remember, she personally carried out the annual mattress inspection. She was important.

She was generally a reformer. She tried for years to get rid of kiff-bowls, and eventually succeeded.

michael scuffil wrote:Mrs Johnson (known to all as Mrs J) was described in an article in The Blue by Michael Cherniavsky as "by far the most successful of the senior officers" in the 1950s. (The senior officers of the school were the headmaster, the clerk, the medical officer and the lady superintendent, later joined by the steward.) I arrived shortly after the kitchens were refurbished under her supervision. Those who experienced "before" and "after" all said the improvement was immense.

I agree entirely in respect of the change in food. However I suspect that the end of rationing and the school's willingness to pay for kitchen updating had a part. Mrs J was also willing to experiment and usually got away with it. The exception was the one off, never to be repeated, tripe for tea which could be smelt at the ends of the Avenue; Miss Stevenson (see below) would have been proud.

How Miss Stevenson could prepare meals so reliably revolting staggers the imagination - meat was actually gristle, the inevitable greens had been boiling since the week before ..................... yeuch