The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

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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sejintenej
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The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by sejintenej »

"We know where she's going" was my comment as my companion and I passed some lady of a certain age* photographing a couple of younger girls outside a large imposing door. I did not look to see if her look was dirty, black or thunderous but she had the decency to say now't.
(* certain as in between 18 and 81)

To get there was a right pig; some idiot had decided to block the entire southbound M11 so a 40 minute journey took an hour extra - I won't comment on the return journey; my companion was not amused and when she is not amused - well, you women know what it is like.

My daughter used to work at the Hertford museum and had had early admittance to the exhibition; she was not too impressed but then that is her job and she's not going to praise the opposition. I was actually pleasantly surprised - the Hertford Museum seemed to have researched the subject back to 1553, even mentioned the sub-school in Harpenden or wherever in the early early days. It seemed a good effort but we must wait for the feedback from those who suffered there.[

Of course the place was awash with women talking 19 to the dozen over, under and between between the ooohs and aaaahs. I met a couple of OBs including the lady (no names mentioned) who regaled us with stories about how she couldn't keep her undergarments up - I'm glad certain parties were not there to hear it. Apart from those three I allowed the majority to concentrate on getting the latest gossip from their opposite numbers
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by Jo »

David......you were there and didn't make yourself known to us girls??? Shame on you :!:

What a brilliant day, though. It was just as I expected - busy, fun, interesting, enlightening, and there were no slack times - we were on the go from 12.30 onwards.

I was meeting some of my year for lunch at 1.00 but decided to pop to the musem earlier to find out what the plan was for the afternoon. It was already heaving with people, so immediately I had fun meeting lots of old faces (no offence!), and then realising with a shock that it was already 1pm and I'd better get round to the restaurant sharpish.

We sat nattering over lunch for two hours, catching up on - in some cases - 30 years worth of news. At 3pm we decided it was time to leave before they threw us out. Some people went on to school, but I went back to the museum as I hadn't really found out before what (if any) plans there were for the afternoon. Another hour and a half and lots more nattering later, a couple of us decided to pop back to school to have a look round the flats in the school hall. They've made a really nice job of them, and it was good to see the lovely spiral staircase and the crest in the floor were still there. The lovely warden had given up her day off to march round and round with small straggling groups of old girls, with infinite patience. What a star. I gather most people met Mrs Humphries, but she'd gone back to her flat by the time we got there.

Then on to the White Hart for an hour or so before adjourning to Cafe Rouge for dinner. This time it was nice to sit with another different group and catch up on different news, different lives. I think I just about found out who everyone was, and I remembered most names from my time, even if I didn't always recognise the faces. Some people didn't look a day older :mrgreen:

Well, that's probably enough as I'm sure others will want to post their impressions of the day. The only thing that could have been better was the weather, but otherwise it was a perfect day. Many thanks again to Caroline and Kerren for their work in arranging it.
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by englishangel »

Some pics from me and I'm sure many more from others.

We spotted a couple of typos, but on the whole we were quite happy. May take the family back sometime.

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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by sejintenej »

Jo wrote:David......you were there and didn't make yourself known to us girls??? Shame on you :!:

What a brilliant day, though. It was just as I expected - busy, fun, interesting, enlightening, and there were no slack times - we were on the go from 12.30 onwards.
Another hour and a half and lots more nattering later,
Isn't that a good excuse - all the wittering? I tried to compare the photos of Kerren et al with the bodies in the garden and decided that the photos were taken in 2018 - I didn't recognise a single one. If you had bothered to have name badges ...........One person had the sense to ask what in tarnation a lone male was doing in a place like that. The couple of females I did approach denied any connection with CH; I don't think they thought I was trying to pick them up (but one never knows)

Far better to sit back, have a beer and let you get on with it. As I have indicated elsewhere that is far from being my sort of scene.
There are several teabowls in the exhibition and a photo of someone demonstrating the way to hold one.
IMHO Hertford bowls - ours were slightly bigger and had no crest. I did disagree with the text describing how to hold them; not the index finger but the thumb laid along the rim (otherwise where would you have put the thumb?)

I also noticed that your bible was smaller than the boy's one - I would guess a bit over an inch in length and nearly an inch wide.
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by gma »

Oh my God, the photos!!! Thanks so much for them - cherry coloured blazer, along with bottle green (two's house colour) both colours I've never worn again! That staircase was still as imposing but I remember the school hall frontage being enormous - weird! I remember having to sit in there for what seemed like hours when Princess Anne got married, first time around - and the television room under the staircase where those in the 'in-crowd' used to go to watch M*A*S*H at night and drool over Hawkeye and Trapper! First memory trigger of the houses next to the hall was wasn't there someone living there who was the Aunt of the guitarist in Mud or am I losing my mind???? :rock:
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by Jo »

gma wrote:First memory trigger of the houses next to the hall was wasn't there someone living there who was the Aunt of the guitarist in Mud or am I losing my mind???? :rock:
No, you're not at all. Miss Davis, the Steward when we were there, and always a very distant (though not unpleasant seeming) woman, was revealed at the height of Mud's fame to be Rob Davis's aunt. He was the cute young guitarist with the big hair and the big flares, and I fancied him like mad :oops:

A couple of us, emboldened by stories of others who had done likewise, plucked up the courage to knock at Miss Davis's door and ask if it would be possible to get an autograph. She turned out to be absolutely lovely, perfectly happy to talk about "Robert" and his group, and IIRC she had a stock of autographed photos at the ready.

Happy days :lol:
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by J.R. »

Lovely photo's Mary.

Thanks a million !!!!
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J.R. wrote:Lovely photo's Mary.

Thanks a million !!!!
Thanks from me too!
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Post by Vonny »

Mid A 15 wrote:
J.R. wrote:Lovely photo's Mary.

Thanks a million !!!!
Thanks from me too!
And me!
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by kerrensimmonds »

And we did have name badges....as well as little navy/gold lapel ribbons to identify us. People picked them up when they 'checked in'. David must have been there rather early...? I am sorry you did not identify yourself, though - we could have had a little Forum-fest or a photograph.....

Nice photos, Mary! Sadly my camera spent the whole day in the car (along with a dog or two....)
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Post by sejintenej »

kerrensimmonds wrote:And we did have name badges....as well as little navy/gold lapel ribbons to identify us. People picked them up when they 'checked in'. David must have been there rather early...? I am sorry you did not identify yourself, though - we could have had a little Forum-fest or a photograph.....

Nice photos, Mary! Sadly my camera spent the whole day in the car (along with a dog or two....)
Maybe I was a bit early - you had suggested 12.30 and I was there just minutes before. I just stood there and watched as you all stood in a group for what I guess was a press photographer. You then all trooped outside for more photos and seemed to stay there. Got into conversation with one OG and two more arrived!
SWMBO had gone to look round the town so when she arrived it was not her thing so we left you to it.
I was actually looking round for someone with some form of disability - obviously it was well hidden and the photos on display didn't do people justice.
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Post by kerrensimmonds »

No-one with a disability then, David.?... you obviously didn't spot Yours Truly (the arch-hobbler), then....
I didn't think I was going to make it up the steps into the garden when the photographer wanted to take our pictures outside.
And I don't know that we are ever going to see them anyway.. the Hertfordshire Mercury does not have a terribly interesting or full website.
And yes although I got there around 11.30 there was a panic as there were only three of us around when the photographer turned up at 12.00 (at the Curator's invitation) and they had to give him a cup of tea while we rushed round with mobile phones etc. trying to find Caroline, who was The Most Important Person to be photographed! Fortunately she (as part of the contingent from the Baldock Travelodge the night before) was not far away and it was that group plus some others they had met in the town who 'rolled in' as you watched from the sidelines. I wish you had said you were there!
The badges etc. came out when all the photos had been taken and we had calmed down again....
If you had declared yourself we might have given you a navy and gold lapel ribbon.........(?!)
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Re: The charge of the oooooh and aaaaah brigade

Post by gma »

P'raps Dvid should put 2nd Aug in his diary and then can collect his ribbon and have snaps! - During my day the only Housey boys we ever came into contact with were the ones from the Latin Club who visited! Endless letters address with West SusSEX written on the envelope - how sad!!!!
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