HERTFORD ART SCHOOL 1953

[UserRemovedAccount]

I have stumbled across a picture of the CH Hertford Art School ca 1953. Unfortunately, I am not sufficiently computer literate to be able to transfer it to the CHForum, but those who want to see it:
Go to website corbis.com
In search box type HU016787 (note that third digit is a zero NOT a letter "O")
et voila!

[Katharine]

I remember it well. By the time I was at school we didn't wear our pinnies there but the discarded calico nighties which had been cut up the back to make overalls! The looms were still there in the 60s. It looks as if the girl standing at the back is wearing a Monitress's badge - which would also explain the lack of a pinny. She would have had a black apron (green ones came in during my time at the place) - or she is not even wearing that.

I couldn't find any description other than Art School so how did you recognise it?

[englishangel]

I remember it well. By the time I was at school we didn't wear our pinnies there but the discarded calico nighties which had been cut up the back to make overalls! The looms were still there in the 60s. It looks as if the girl standing at the back is wearing a Monitress's badge - which would also explain the lack of a pinny. She would have had a black apron (green ones came in during my time at the place) - or she is not even wearing that.

I couldn't find any description other than Art School so how did you recognise it?

http://pro.corbis.com/search/searchFrame.aspx

You can click on it to enlarge.

It does say it was photographed March 3 1953 at Christ's Hospital School.

There is also a search feature which will bring up another dozen or so photos, of various eras.

I didn't realise GAs were so recent.

[UserRemovedAccount]

I couldn't find any description other than Art School so how did you recognise it?

I was doing some picture research on the Corbis site for my latest book and just out of interest typed "Christ's Hospital" into their search engine. As englishangel says, there are about twelve Housie pics there, but quite how Corbis acquired such a random collection is a mystery. The pic of the boys in a dormitory in Newgate Street is one of the best and clearest shots I have ever seen of the London site.

Anyhow, having followed the discussions on the forum about Hertford I thought that some of you might find the pic of interest and it appears that I was correct. One of the fascinatting aspects of those discussions from the male point-of-view is how the girls' uniform seems to have changed so frequently and is such a talking point among those who used to wear it. At Horsham the uniform was just there and that was that!

[englishangel]

When I left in 1972 the juniors were still wearing something very similar to that pic, in the winter. It was mainly the 'sunday best' which seemed to change so frequently, each change worse than the last.

However men never have as much trouble anyway, collars on shirts may change slightly, and lapels on jackets but that is only of interest to about 0.1% of the male population.

As long as they are decent and warm most men don't seem to care what they are wearing.

[Katharine]

You can click on it to enlarge.

It does say it was photographed March 3 1953 at Christ's Hospital School.

I didn't realise GAs were so recent.

Thanks Mary. Can't quite remember when the GA came in. When I went to the school there was a strictly limited number of Mons Badges (2 for each house, 2 for Head mistress' Mons and 2 for Head Girl & Deputy I think). If there was someone else worthy they were awarded a Senior Black Apron - very rare. It had CH embroidered in yellow on the strap I think. I only remember seeing one of them. After the new Mons Badges appeared, it was possible to make more than 2 Mons in a house if there were deserving candidates. The old badges were solid silver and had a design of the head of Edward VI, wearing a large hat. These had been polished so frequently that they looked more like an oak tree than our Founder King! The design had a circlular rim around the edge and then the head inside - don't know the correct term to describe it but it wasn't a solid circle. That is why I think the girl is wearing one. (At one stage I was cleaning these badges weekly, never wore one like that though!) Don't know when VI form skirts and cardigans came in, that was before my time.

[midget]

The Art room (assuming that was taken on the 1st floor) looks much more crowded than in 1952,but that may have been just for the photo.
I don't remember the loom at the back of the room either.
Worse still I don't recognise anyone, except that the girl standing at the loom MAY be Elizabeth Llewellyn-Smith. She had a Senior BA, and I can remember all of us in the study "helping" to embroider the CH on the top hem. Her twin sister Cath was Head Girl in 1952/3

[Katharine]

So glad you could confirm the embroidered CH - I'm not really sure that I remember seeing it, I think I remember someone complaining at its passing rather than ever seeing one.

The looms were there in my day at the back of the room, never used them myself so can't remember much about them.

[helen]

The girl front left is Pat someone or other i think and on the right is Thelma Cleaver. Judy Pavey may be at the back and, yes, probably one of the Llewellyn Smiths.

[FrogBoxed]

I've put the photo up on the Old Blues Gallery for posterity/extra coverage!

[amdprince]

My mother, Moyna Campbell, is in this photo. She's interested in connecting with other girls from her era. Any suggestions?
Thanks

[englishangel]

over to you midget.

[sejintenej]

You can click on it to enlarge.

It does say it was photographed March 3 1953 at Christ's Hospital School.

I didn't realise GAs were so recent.

Thanks Mary. Can't quite remember when the GA came in. When I went to the school there was a strictly limited number of Mons Badges (2 for each house, 2 for Head mistress' Mons and 2 for Head Girl & Deputy I think). If there was someone else worthy they were awarded a Senior Black Apron - very rare. It had CH embroidered in yellow on the strap I think. I only remember seeing one of them. After the new Mons Badges appeared, it was possible to make more than 2 Mons in a house if there were deserving candidates. The old badges were solid silver and had a design of the head of Edward VI, wearing a large hat. These had been polished so frequently that they looked more like an oak tree than our Founder King! The design had a circlular rim around the edge and then the head inside - don't know the correct term to describe it but it wasn't a solid circle. That is why I think the girl is wearing one. (At one stage I was cleaning these badges weekly, never wore one like that though!) Don't know when VI form skirts and cardigans came in, that was before my time.

If I can but in, that description of your Mon badges would fit the buttons on the boy's uniforms except the buttons were made of steel or similar. I wonder it it was taken from some painting of Edward VI.
In our houses (50 or so boys) we had I think 6 monitors per house plus a Trades Monitor (who didn't usually have monitor priveleges). They were simply known to be monitors but there was no distinguishing mark at any time. I think one privelege they had was to ride cycles in the school - the tails of coats were rolled upand tucked inside girdles. I'm sure that in many years I didn't even know who the Senior Grecian was.

From memory we has aprons in the foundry and metal waorking area of the Manual School but that was the only addition / change to ,the uniform which was worn almost all the time.