Trying to explain

Share your memories and stories from the Hertford Christ's Hospital School, which closed in 1985, when the two schools integrated to the Horsham site....

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Katharine
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Trying to explain

Post by Katharine »

Have you ever had problems trying to explain CH?

Today I was at a ladies lunch and the topic of school punishments came up. I said that I, along with almost all the seniors, had been punished for being 'rotten to the core'. I was then asked what the punishment had been 'Oh I lost my black apron' well the looks of incredulity all around were a joy to behold. There was much hilarity as I tried to explain not only black aprons but also green ones and blue pinafores. It all sounded so ridiculous and yet at the time we were at school, it all seemed so normal.

One of the others present had been punished for a minor infringement, three of them had to stay at school for an extra day at the end of term. Some of the staff disagreed with the head so much that they brought the girls breakfast in bed!
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Post by cj »

I tried explaining a drill once. It wasn't easy.
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Re: Trying to explain

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

Katharine wrote:Have you ever had problems trying to explain CH?
Yes :) - and this is one of the reasons that I love the forum: being able to share memories and work through some residual angst with people who understand.

Thanks guys :)
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Post by Katharine »

cj wrote:I tried explaining a drill once. It wasn't easy.
I'm afraid you have me there, Cath. What was a drill?
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Post by Angela Woodford »

I found myself in exactly this situation on Friday at my Plant Centre job, Katharine. Somebody asked if I had enjoyed my School Reunion. Before I knew it I had said that first we'd had a tour of the School Museum. Tricky.

"Museum? Your old school has a Museum?"

Me: "Oh yes, I was so thrilled to see a dinky miniature version of our Chapel Cap - it was a sort of little skull cap without which you couldn't go into the Chapel or outside the School when you became a Black Apron.."

I was digging myself in deeper here. In fact I had gained a boggling audience. By the time I'd covered communally-supplied underwear, tea bowls, Bluebell and gravel-crunching, I was rather enjoying myself though...

Then the inevitable comment

"Was it some sort of weird RC convent?"

(I don't mind if this lot think I'm a strange eccentric though - only there two days a week.)

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cj
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Post by cj »

Katharine wrote:
cj wrote:I tried explaining a drill once. It wasn't easy.
I'm afraid you have me there, Cath. What was a drill?
Well, it was a running around punishment. But a school drill (dished out by a teacher) was different to a house drill (dished out by a monitor, housemaster/mistress etc) and each house had a different method of drilling. For example, my brother's house drills consisted of getting up by 7am, running around somewhere, returning to house to change into games kit, running around again, change in to uniform etc. and be done by 7.30am to be in time for breakfast or another drill would be dished out.

Trying to explain CH to anyone who doesn't know the place is almost impossible. "Why would you want to march into lunch with a band?" How do you answer that without getting sarcastic or rude? Also trying to get across the charitable nature of the place and the fact that it isn't a school for wealthy or 'posh' people, but conversely boarding doesn't then mean a Borstal - someone thought I was institutionally naughty when I said I went away to school. Plus explaining that I was at the girls school for 2 years which then merged with the boys sends most people into a head spin. A lot of people know the 'funny' school with the yellow socks so I tend to leave it at that! As icomefromalanddownunder says this forum is great for being able to share the idiosyncrasies of the place without having to do too much explaining. Explaining to old Hertfordites is always a pleasure though - it's your foundation too after all.
Last edited by cj on Tue Jul 03, 2007 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by englishangel »

I found this all so true. Even my daughter accuses me of having gone to a 'posh' school. Though I did have fun a few years ago telling her I had been to a 'wizard' school, easy to think when you look at the uniform.
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Post by J.R. »

englishangel wrote:I found this all so true. Even my daughter accuses me of having gone to a 'posh' school. Though I did have fun a few years ago telling her I had been to a 'wizard' school, easy to think when you look at the uniform.
... and now unfortunately, Grand-Daughter Amber is old enough to now know that when she visits, C.H., it ISN'T Hogwarts.

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Post by jhopgood »

Last Sunday, we were asked to play in a local village whilst they took the statue of the local saint, if that is the right description, on a tour of the village. Basically the villagers all form single file on either side of the road, behind the altar boys with the cross, women first, then the men, followed by men carrying the statue, the priest, and then us, the band. Small villages which is a relief.
The priest did not arrive, so after a 30 minute wait, we left without him.
During the wait there was much discussion about someone standing in for him and I said, that had I been in my school uniform, most would have accepted me as clergy.
No-one believed my description, so next day I dug out a photo and showed it to a band member, whose immediate reaction was, "Looks like something out of Harry Potter" Never having seen or read Harry Potter, I had to take his word for it, but without the photographic evidence, no-one would have believed me.
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Post by englishangel »

jhopgood wrote:Last Sunday, we were asked to play in a local village whilst they took the statue of the local saint, if that is the right description, on a tour of the village. Basically the villagers all form single file on either side of the road, behind the altar boys with the cross, women first, then the men, followed by men carrying the statue, the priest, and then us, the band. Small villages which is a relief.
The priest did not arrive, so after a 30 minute wait, we left without him.
During the wait there was much discussion about someone standing in for him and I said, that had I been in my school uniform, most would have accepted me as clergy.
No-one believed my description, so next day I dug out a photo and showed it to a band member, whose immediate reaction was, "Looks like something out of Harry Potter" Never having seen or read Harry Potter, I had to take his word for it, but without the photographic evidence, no-one would have believed me.
for your edification John

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Post by Mrs C. »

cj wrote:Trying to explain CH to anyone who doesn't know the place is almost impossible. "Why would you want to march into lunch with a band?" How do you answer that without getting sarcastic or rude? Also trying to get across the charitable nature of the place and the fact that it isn't a school for wealthy or 'posh' people, but conversely boarding doesn't then mean a Borstal - someone thought I was institutionally naughty when I said I went away to school. Plus explaining that I was at the girls school for 2 years which then merged with the boys sends most people into a head spin. A lot of people know the 'funny' school with the yellow socks so I tend to leave it at that! As icomefromalanddownunder says this forum is great for being able to share the idiosyncrasies of the place without having to do too much explaining. Explaining to old Hertfordites is always a pleasure though - it's your foundation too after all.
Only this morning at Horsham Hospital one of the nurses told a consultant, when he asked what CH was " it`s the posh school out that way" - I immediately said " it`s not POSH" to which she replied "well.......... the buildings are"
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Post by cj »

Mrs C. wrote:
cj wrote:Trying to explain CH to anyone who doesn't know the place is almost impossible. "Why would you want to march into lunch with a band?" How do you answer that without getting sarcastic or rude? Also trying to get across the charitable nature of the place and the fact that it isn't a school for wealthy or 'posh' people, but conversely boarding doesn't then mean a Borstal - someone thought I was institutionally naughty when I said I went away to school. Plus explaining that I was at the girls school for 2 years which then merged with the boys sends most people into a head spin. A lot of people know the 'funny' school with the yellow socks so I tend to leave it at that! As icomefromalanddownunder says this forum is great for being able to share the idiosyncrasies of the place without having to do too much explaining. Explaining to old Hertfordites is always a pleasure though - it's your foundation too after all.
Only this morning at Horsham Hospital one of the nurses told a consultant, when he asked what CH was " it`s the posh school out that way" - I immediately said " it`s not POSH" to which she replied "well.......... the buildings are"
The buildings are grand, but are also representative of their time and the purpose for which they were designed. What a shame that the local population don't understand the raison d'etre of the place. They only needed to experience the freezing draught in the lav ends to realise the domestic accommodation was not 'posh'. And as for some of the experimental cuisine churned out in my day .... Gordon R would have said *@!$&^%* off. Or something similar.
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Post by englishangel »

Gordonstoun is/was definitely 'posh' and it was well known that pupils there had to run x miles before breakfast and then have a cold shower to 'toughen them up'.
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Post by sejintenej »

Mrs C. wrote:Only this morning at Horsham Hospital one of the nurses told a consultant, when he asked what CH was " it`s the posh school out that way"
Or:

Perhaps, but do remember that your ward cleaners earn too much to send their children there.

OK a bit of an exaggeration but changes the mindset instantly and allows for rational understanding.
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Post by Richard Ruck »

Mrs C. wrote: Only this morning at Horsham Hospital one of the nurses told a consultant, when he asked what CH was " it`s the posh school out that way" - I immediately said " it`s not POSH" to which she replied "well.......... the buildings are"
Still quite a common misconception in Horsham, I'm afraid.
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