Out Of Bounds signs.

[Kit Bartlett]

How many of these are still in place at CH today? I recall that the Bird Sanctuary on Big Side had
one and the area behind the School Wardrobe was another. Was the Doctor's Lake also one?
Chris Bartlett

[eucsgmrc]

Was the Doctor's Lake also one?

I recall Doctor's Lake so well that I feel I must have visited it often. I was a bit risk-averse, so it probably wasn't out of bounds in my day. But I don't actually remember any "out of bounds" notices, which suggests either (a) there weren't any, or (b) there were so many that they just formed part of the background to be ignored.

[sejintenej]

I don't recall any notices either but one just knew that the fence along the avenue by the post office marked the OOB area unless you were going straight to the gym / swimming pool / armoury / station with actual or implied permission. Indeed I have dour memories of marching to the pool and back again with the whole house.

Someone mentioned the bird sanctuary and if that is where I guess it was then I had no call to go there. Wiuthin the house blocks the area to the centre from the double doors by the junior housemaster's study was OOB (except upon invitation to be given a hiding) which indicated that access to the Tube was illegal unless specifically authorised.There has also been recent mention of a book of school rules but that was my first inkling of the existence of any such thing.

[J.R.]

I remember the OOB notices.

The Doctors lake wasn't one of the restricted area during my day as far as I recall.

[Avon]

The Doctors lake wasn't one of the restricted area during my day as far as I recall.

I think it was in my time - at least the lake itself. Might have been due to leptospirosis. The Lag was also off limits for a while, can't remember why.

[Spoonbill]

How many of these are still in place at CH today? I recall that the Bird Sanctuary on Big Side had
one and the area behind the School Wardrobe was another. Was the Doctor's Lake also one?
Chris Bartlett

When I was a Junior (1971-), some friends and myself had a thing about hanging out in the Bird Sanctuary because no other boys ever seemed to go there, which somehow made it seem cool. Boys kept telling us that it was out of bounds, but there were never any Out Of Bounds signs to be seen and when I asked our housemaster about it he said it definitely wasn't off limits to pupils. I'm guessing it must've been out of bounds at some point in the past, though, and a strong folk-memory of this had helped preserve its seclusion. Or perhaps N T 'Bogey' Fryer went round telling everyone that it was out of bounds in a bid to protect the birds...though why he bothered, I have no idea, because the Bird Sanctuary was notable for the absence of birds as well as for the deadness of its trees.

I think I dimly remember an Out Of Bounds sign on the wall of the dustbin compound behind the Wardrobe, but no such signage at Doctor's Lake. Sadly, classrooms used for the teaching of mathematics were NOT out of bounds during class-hours.

But classroom blocks supposedly were out of bounds outside of teaching hours, and rather spooky they were too when deserted, especially the Maths and Classics blocks after dark and the top floor of the Prep Block at any time of day. I still occasionally find myself wandering around the Classics Block in my dreams at night - not sure why not the Maths Block, but there we are. As for the Prep Block, I'd swear that top floor was haunted.

[Requested Removal 18]

I don't specifically recall any OOB signs in the 80s. It was all stuff of legend and word of mouth. Unless specifically told, boys would go exploring. And when we were specifically told not to go there, it was like a red rag to a bull

[J.R.]

The Doctors lake wasn't one of the restricted area during my day as far as I recall.

I think it was in my time - at least the lake itself. Might have been due to leptospirosis. The Lag was also off limits for a while, can't remember why.

Surely, that's where the rifle-range was.

Sweet memories of firing a bren gun there many times !

[michael scuffil]

I can't honestly recall any out-of-bounds notices, but I have the School Rules of 1961 in front of me again, and Chapter C is entitled 'Bounds'.

Needless to say, it bears all the marks of Seaman's pedantry. Such as: "If in use, the playing fields beyond the 1st XV Pitch are in bounds." (i.e. in spite of being outside the Ring Fence)

The Doctor's Lake is dealt with in Section 3 (iii) b: The Lake enclosure and Duck Pond: only with written permission.

Places within the Ring Fence but nonetheless 'normally' out of bounds included:
Centre part of house blocks
All kitchen premises
Ground Staff and Estate buildings
The Bird Sanctuary
'The roads and field immediately to the West of the Infirmary, and the space and field behind the Manual School.'

and out of bounds 'except at proper times'
Big School
Classrooms and Laboratories and their corridors (entry only after First Bell)
Music School
Tube

The Chapel, incidentally. was explicitly 'open all hours'.

[Spoonbill]

I wonder how long it'll be before metal thieves nick the entire ring fence, bit by bit at the dead of night.

Or am I showing my ignorance here and has the original ring fence long since rusted into oblivion and been replaced with a plastic one?

[eucsgmrc]

... I have the School Rules of 1961 in front of me again, and Chapter C is entitled 'Bounds'. Needless to say, it bears all the marks of Seaman's pedantry. Such as: "If in use, the playing fields beyond the 1st XV Pitch are in bounds."

I've got that version of the Rules somewhere. When those formal and pedantic rules first appeared, to my rather literal way of thinking, they entitled us to do whatever was not expressly forbidden. Strange to relate, Kit Aitken did not see it my way. And he had control of the more comfortable end of the cane.

But I digress.

[Mrs C.]

the current school calendar contains a page with a map of the grounds , partly shaded and labelled " Dark evenings bounds" with the additional comment "the Catering and Grounds Yards are out of bounds at all times"

i could probably scan and post the picture .......

[J.R.]

the current school calendar contains a page with a map of the grounds , partly shaded and labelled " Dark evenings bounds" with the additional comment "the Catering and Grounds Yards are out of bounds at all times"

i could probably scan and post the picture .......

That would be good, Janet.

[John Saunders]

Until 1955,when I left, The Drs Lake was always in bounds. Quite a number of us used to fish for carp. It was difficult fishing so we moved to the duckpond ! Very much easier. The generator house at the lake was a popular smoking spot whilst air pistols were not unknown.

[Spoonbill]

Can't say I recall a 'generator house' at the lake. Had it been demolished by the '70s or have I simply forgotten it, due to being a stupid fat git?