Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Many OBs have been very nostalgic in their visits to tuckshop, and will no doubt be sorry to hear that , having already undergone a change of location recently, as of end of this term, tuck shop will cease to exist, being replaced by a "one stop shop" run by Chartwells ( who are in charge of catering, cleaning...)

Aaaagh! Why? Is nothing sacred? Is this too a financial decision? Will it become less 'personal' and friendly? Will life ever be the same again?

How sad to see another link gone. I remember Mrs Dickerson and then Mrs Tickner who were in charge. Memories of being jammed up against the wire screen at the counter and putting one's hand up clutching a few pennies hoping to buy a bun or
two. Lunches were served on Saturdays for boys whose parents were visiting the school.

Oh no. It was a magical place. I'd often run there after lunch with a shilling to buy a quarter of strawberries and cream (wonderful boiled sweets that I can still taste today nearly 45 years later!) and penny chews. I can't remember the name of the woman who ran it in the 70s but I do remember that she was always kind and smiling.Happy memories.

dsmg wrote:Oh no. It was a magical place. I'd often run there after lunch with a shilling to buy a quarter of strawberries and cream (wonderful boiled sweets that I can still taste today nearly 45 years later!) and penny chews. I can't remember the name of the woman who ran it in the 70s but I do remember that she was always kind and smiling.Happy memories.

Mrs Clarke (Hilda) wife of Bob Clarke the cricket professional. Mrs Tickner still served (at least in my early days) but Mrs Clarke was in charge.

I couldn't believe that my beloved Tuck Shop was Security Reception when I attended the 40 years on reunion last year. Somebody said that the Tuck Shop had relocated to the Scout Hut I think it was but I didn't get there.

Another nail in the ethos coffin of C.H.

How I remember the inner sanctum of Mrs Tickners tuck-shop AND on the three Saturday afternoon visits from Mum, we would normally have lunch there before a trip into Horsham

I never had lunch in the Tuck Shop, but I did have a Tuck Shop tea, courtesy of Mr Page, for getting my swimming certificate. Otherwise it was just Murraymints and Waggon Wheels and and...

How many High St shops can boast 111 years?

Mid A 15 wrote:

dsmg wrote:Oh no. It was a magical place. I'd often run there after lunch with a shilling to buy a quarter of strawberries and cream (wonderful boiled sweets that I can still taste today nearly 45 years later!) and penny chews. I can't remember the name of the woman who ran it in the 70s but I do remember that she was always kind and smiling.Happy memories.

Mrs Clarke (Hilda) wife of Bob Clarke the cricket professional. Mrs Tickner still served (at least in my early days) but Mrs Clarke was in charge.

I couldn't believe that my beloved Tuck Shop was Security Reception when I attended the 40 years on reunion last year. Somebody said that the Tuck Shop had relocated to the Scout Hut I think it was but I didn't get there.

Thanks Andy. Now you mention her name the memories come flooding back. I need a tissue.

I am truly saddened at this news. Many a happy few minutes in the early afternoon were spent in the queue figuring out what to spend 50p on (usually a quarter of Kola Kubes or Bonbons and a Wham bar). They had all sorts of useful stuff there too - I bought my first shaving razor there!

Sadly it has now disappeared. I last went to OBD in 2011; that was my last visit to the Tuck Shop too. I am sure we could all argue against it going until we were blue in the face, but unfortunately the decision has been made. Just the memories remain - and happy ones they are too.

A quarter pound of Wine gums (please let them be mainly red and black) and a dark chocolate raisin and almond bar. To be consumed alternately while watching the film of the week.

Dd is very upset at tuck shop going. She says that grecians club (where tuck shop was moved to) is being turned into a cafe with a pick and mix run by chartwells. She's been telling me about the anticipation about what to get in the old building behind Coleridge, being squashed into the original building after a damp hockey match in the winter, and zig zagging backwards and forwards, squished together with friends. She's been talking about the homemade cakes, deliciously baked by the teachers wives, emergency purchases of toothpaste(!), and the froglets in Housey.

Dd is saddened that yet another tradition is going, and that it isn't being run by Mrs Holdsworth. She was a big part of it and very much loved by the students.