Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Richard Ruck wrote: Getting changed, though - did people really have to do that?

I can't say I ever did that but then the only time I ever bought from this shop was on leave days so I would have been in civvies.

kerrensimmonds wrote:My sins extended to buying cream cakes ('milly fillies' - milles feuilles) in the bakers and creeping into the Castle grounds to devour them.

How Times Have Changed.....

Richard Ruck wrote:

Vonny wrote:

wurzel wrote: Vonnie i think you are thinking of the Needles estate shop, you could stop for a fag or get changed etc in the thick hedge half way down the hill to the railway bridge and the shop was i a little arcade under some flats with a hairdressers next door

That sounds familiar And yes I also remember the hill you mention as well - it was a short cut (was it really shorter?) that avoided walking past the Whores Bed. That's where I had mt first ever G & T!

Definitely shorter, and definitely muddier in winter.

Getting changed, though - did people really have to do that?

I remember being told that the local shops had been warned that any evidence of sales to pupils would be reported to the licencing commitee next time they applied for a renewal. Definately there was no chance of getting fags from Tower Hill post office even if you could prove you were 16 they were so scared

Chits, it's been a looong time since I could get hammered on £2.50!

I remember Dom Maguire showing the best way which involved snakebite made with still cider which was 29p.

Other memories....

drip trays sold for 10p a pint....(awful)

Cans of shandy with a hint of lime that O'Meara got a load of and was something like 3% and 20p a can. To this day even the smell of shandy makes me want to hurl.

King and Barnes IPA, great stuff

I can only repeat what I writ sum time ago !

The slightest HINT of alcohol in my day would almost definitely mean expulsion, and that would include Grecians.

adlop wrote: King and Barnes IPA, great stuff

don't remember IPA was it bottle only ? The cask beers were K&B Best and K&B Festive, I remember bottled K&B stout,Old Ale & Brown Ale but never an IPA. One thing I found when I moved to Reading was after K&B the only other bitter i could find that was bitter enough was brakspears. The hall bar sold Flowers and it just reminded me of palmer violets after K&B

J.R. wrote:I can only repeat what I writ sum time ago !

The slightest HINT of alcohol in my day would almost definitely mean expulsion, and that would include Grecians.

When did the Club open ?

I know my Great Grandad lived at the end of new road southwater (down the footpath opposite wapplegate track) and was known to look after Grecians coats to allow them to go into the Hen & Chick in the 60's

In my naievety, I once thought 'IPA' stood for 'I'm P*ss*d Already....'

wurzel wrote:

adlop wrote: King and Barnes IPA, great stuff

don't remember IPA was it bottle only ? The cask beers were K&B Best and K&B Festive, I remember bottled K&B stout,Old Ale & Brown Ale but never an IPA. One thing I found when I moved to Reading was after K&B the only other bitter i could find that was bitter enough was brakspears. The hall bar sold Flowers and it just reminded me of palmer violets after K&B

It was a bottled beer, i always knew it as Pale Ale though

kerrensimmonds wrote:My sins extended to buying cream cakes ('milly fillies' - milles feuilles) in the bakers and creeping into the Castle grounds to devour them.

[/quote]
That was pretty daring Kerren - I thought having alcohol or ciggies was instant dismissal - which meant that when I went out for a day visit with Ruth from 3's (pooh was her nickname) we visited her "sugar daddy" - well after about 3 G&T's He gave me the keys to his rather red and splendid Alfa Romero - which I then reversed through several tons of Blackcurrant bushes........... OMG I can't beleive I did that! Ouch my head(see other posts!) - we sucked a packet of polo mints each to try to hide the boozey smell - no idead if it worked or not!

The only other time I had alchohol was on DofE excursions - Peter White (Maths) used to drive us up to the Lake District or N Yorkshire Moor (Lyke Wake Walk - try saying that after some alcohol!), We were on a moor in the middle of no-where so ventured to the light of a distant tavern - where everyone (possibly one didn't) of the DofE'ers had alcohol - I rather liked G&T, but also loved beer - I can't remember now whether I had beer then G&T or t'other way round - it certainly helped the blisters on the way back to "camp" We mostly stayed in YHA's - drinking on premises not allowed - ok that's enough secrets out now! Can't believe I spilled that!

wurzel wrote:

J.R. wrote:I can only repeat what I writ sum time ago !

The slightest HINT of alcohol in my day would almost definitely mean expulsion, and that would include Grecians.

When did the Club open ?

I know my Great Grandad lived at the end of new road southwater (down the footpath opposite wapplegate track) and was known to look after Grecians coats to allow them to go into the Hen & Chick in the 60's

I think the Club opened in the last week of the summer term of 1973... Plum senior was indeed one of those who was on the founding committee... There is a picture of him (with long hair!) in the club in a Blue...

When I was at the club you bought books of chits (I think it was £3 which probably got you about 2.5 pints I guess...) A great place!

I think for a while the chits became electronic cards which were like a debit card system for a while but as Ian says, there's no alcohol there now... (and there is/was some pretty horrible mural thing inside above the main door!) i think when the licences changed, all the clubs like the Grecians' Club at boarding schools had to shut or change...

Great Plum wrote:

wurzel wrote:

J.R. wrote:I can only repeat what I writ sum time ago !

The slightest HINT of alcohol in my day would almost definitely mean expulsion, and that would include Grecians.

When did the Club open ?

I know my Great Grandad lived at the end of new road southwater (down the footpath opposite wapplegate track) and was known to look after Grecians coats to allow them to go into the Hen & Chick in the 60's

I think the Club opened in the last week of the summer term of 1973... Plum senior was indeed one of those who was on the founding committee... There is a picture of him (with long hair!) in the club in a Blue...

When I was at the club you bought books of chits (I think it was £3 which probably got you about 2.5 pints I guess...) A great place!

I think for a while the chits became electronic cards which were like a debit card system for a while but as Ian says, there's no alcohol there now... (and there is/was some pretty horrible mural thing inside above the main door!) i think when the licences changed, all the clubs like the Grecians' Club at boarding schools had to shut or change...

This proves completely that the boys had a far better and more rounded education at Horsham than the girls did at Hertford - chits for alcohol! We would have been expelled for babycham!

Great Plum wrote:

wurzel wrote:

J.R. wrote:I can only repeat what I writ sum time ago !

The slightest HINT of alcohol in my day would almost definitely mean expulsion, and that would include Grecians.

When did the Club open ?

I know my Great Grandad lived at the end of new road southwater (down the footpath opposite wapplegate track) and was known to look after Grecians coats to allow them to go into the Hen & Chick in the 60's

I think the Club opened in the last week of the summer term of 1973... Plum senior was indeed one of those who was on the founding committee... There is a picture of him (with long hair!) in the club in a Blue...
When I was at the club you bought books of chits (I think it was £3 which probably got you about 2.5 pints I guess...) A great place!

I think for a while the chits became electronic cards which were like a debit card system for a while but as Ian says, there's no alcohol there now... (and there is/was some pretty horrible mural thing inside above the main door!) i think when the licences changed, all the clubs like the Grecians' Club at boarding schools had to shut or change...

Oh please do find said photo and get it posted on here !!!

Ah the Grecians club, happy days!
My abiding memories of the Grecians clunbs are, in no particular order!

* Dressing up as baby Spice from the Spice Girls and doing kareoke, possibly 1999 - very messy!
* My 18th birthday which fell on a leave weekend, coming back very drunk from Horsham and continuing in the club, including a conversation with Mr Blewitt about life before going back to Lamb A and passiing out in the Grecians room.
* Diving between the club and the 5's court for fags, and trying to convince Dr Hobson (Lamb Legend) that I had only had 2 pints at the club when infact myself and several other had sunk gallons of cocktailks served by Nick Rumball!

Happy days!

Yes many hazy memories of the Grecians' Club. Remember the first time I went was actually about the 13th March rather than the 1st because I was stuck in Pleneuf on the French exchange trip. Seem to remember a pint of Carlsberg was about 80p but never knew there was a limit on what you could drink. I had 4+ pints on many occasions, all bought by me. It was usually Bod & Giles Drinkall behind the bar on my Deps and Charlie Smith (I think) on my Grecians. Nice N Spicy Nik Naks were an absolute must, and darts always got "interesting" after the 3rd pint.

I also remember hearing about how my brother got thrown out of the club by JMC who was having trouble with one of the pumps. My brother told him "to push it rather than pull it" and JMC took it the wrong way and "Boomed" him. Apparently he became a bit of a hero for about a week!