New Forum Section - Hertford Memories

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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Angela Woodford
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Nostalgia -

Post by Angela Woodford »

I'd like to go to Hertford sometime and wander around - also to look at how the town has developed.

Remember there was a square of shops, including that really good old-fashioned sweet shop? There was a very small "department store" - what was it called? It had grey carpets held together with sticky tape and a little dressmaking and fabrics department.

Was it something like "Graysons?" The name has just come to me, but may be wrong.

In early days there was a tea-shop called "Christine's" but nowhere else to eat if your parents were taking you out in Hertford.

Munch
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Christine's tea shop....

Post by kayinbaja »

..was the reason that my parents, on their rare journeys down from up North, chose to take me to St Alban's, Welwyn Garden City, even, heaven forbid, Stevenage, for Chinese food. The very thought of Long Sat makes my heart heavy. From the moment they arrived (always late, I think the M1 was barely finished) we tried to pack in as much "family normality" as we could, only to fail miserably, shop for tuck and trudge back to Hertford. Speaking of tuck, did we really "christen" new jars of jam and Marmite, was it just a 5s thing, or did I make it up?
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Re: Christine's tea shop....

Post by cj »

kayinbaja wrote:Speaking of tuck, did we really "christen" new jars of jam and Marmite, was it just a 5s thing, or did I make it up?
I still christen new jars of anything! I'd forgotten it was a Hertford thing. And now that jars have a little poppy thing on the lid, it makes the undoing extra-rewarding.

The perverse thing about Long Sats (or maybe just me?) was the excitement and anticipation, crossing off the days 'til it arrived, and then once out counting down the hours and minutes 'til it was going to be over. It makes my stomach lurch even now thinking about it and that separation from my parents.
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Re: Christine's tea shop....

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

My parents didn't have a car during the time I was at CH. but I do remember at least one trip to somewhere with Mum in order to buy a coat for me to wear to a cousin's wedding. It was the 60s, there wasn't much choice, and I ended up with a bright orange swing coat. I think I wore it once, and still feel guilty, as money was tight and I'm sure that the coat wasn't cheap.

On at least one other occasion I travelled to London with Diana Garnham and her father, not sure whether it was by train or their car, then met Dad at the Garnhams. I must only have managed a couple of hours at home, travelling for most of the day.

I do remember lunches/afternoon teas at Christine's, but otherwise actual events which took place on Long Sats are forgotten.
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Post by Alexandra Thrift »

Angela Woodford wrote:Was it something like "Graysons?" The name has just come to me, but may be wrong.

In early days there was a tea-shop called "Christine's" but nowhere else to eat if your parents were taking you out in Hertford.
I remember that "Are you being served ?" type department store in Hertford.It wasn't Graysons ( Larry Grayson....John Inman...Are you being served?...I see the unconscious connection !)....but I can't think of the name.

There was "Christine's" tea shop and The Salisbury Arms Hotel (or something similar ) which was a bit expensive.

I used to hang around in that wonderful,musty and rather dark bookshop on several floors (with the other wannabe intellectuals ! :lol: )...now what was it called ?
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The Book Shop

Post by Angela Woodford »

Now I remember there was a book shop!

Even now I still love dark musty bookshops!

But I just can't remember where it was, or what it was called. I'll just have to go back to Hertford and hunt for it. I can now see the Salisbury Arms in my mind's eye - thanks Alex!

On Long Sat, my father had a brilliant system of arriving an hour before we were officially allowed out - driving fast into the Square - I'd leap in and we'd be heading back to London. I never got into trouble for this :shock: in fact the rapid getaway was never noticed. It seems incredible now!

Oh... where was the book shop...???

Munch

Oh - and how did 5s "christen" their home jam? Mystified!
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Post by Alexandra Thrift »

btw Munch

I really enjoyed "Old Blues Day" last Sunday.It was lovely to spend time with you.Our rousing "Foundation Hymn" at Evensong must have awoken the ghost of Susannah....

The day was pleasantly relaxed and there was just the right amount of organisation ( ie. not too much) and it was nice to have the chance to chat
with the current students.

Really impressed by the present girl students seizing the opportunity to clean our cars in the car park and raise money for a "breast cancer" charity........ and even nicer was that they seemed to be having such a good time.

Dr Peter Southern ( Headmaster) accidently sat next to me at lunch time ( I wasn't sure who he was at first )....anyhow...he seemed very interested in true life stories of DR. I must have given the impression of being a very dizzy and rather dumb blonde because after we had conversed for 10 minutes ( and just as I was privately musing on what a charming and unpretentious man he was) he said:

" Tell me, Did Miss West encourage the girls to follow a challenging career .......or were you just educated to be good wives and mothers ?" :lol:

Slightly nonplussed ( and wondering if I should have been more boastful about all my wondrous lifetime achievements) ,I sent him off to the Court Room to purchase DR's book " Half To Remember " which are now suddenly in very plentiful supply ( although they had gone up in price from 50p to £3 ).....

A well-meaning Old Blue asked me what had brought me to Old Blues Day ?..........Puzzled,I simply replied while pointing to my CHOGA badge,....." I'm an Old Blue !"........He apologised, explaining that he had forgotten all about the girls ! :lol:

Moving swiftly on......

I felt that the "Hertford" section of the museum needed a few modern photos and wonder what happened to the charred wooden doll which was rescued from the ruins of the London school in 1666 ( and which was the chief exhibit of the museum we had in Hertford ) ?Apparently there are still crates of potential museum exhibits that need cataloguing...... if anyone lives close enough and could spare the time.......?

It was poignant and special to stand next to a senior Old Blue by the Housey War Memorial while,visibly emotional he pointed out ,amongst the list of the WW2 fallen ,the men he had been at school with.

We also had the pleasure of meeting MIDGET !! and hubby Joe :D

A fab day and many thanks to Zoe and all involved !
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Post by Great Plum »

It was good to meet some of you 'Old' Girlies as well! :)
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Post by J.R. »

Great Plum wrote:It was good to meet some of you 'Old' Girlies as well! :)
(I sense a Piccolo being cleaned and tuned up !!!) :oops:
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Oh - and how did 5s "christen" their home jam? Mys

Post by kayinbaja »

Open new jar, decide on a name for it, carve the first initial of this name in the surface of the jam/marmite with a knife, while speaking the name (or not, if you want to keep it secret). Use what remains on the knife to anoint your first slice of bread or toast with said condiment. Simple. And I STILL do it, too, every time I open a jar of marmalade, jam, marmite, peanut butter...
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Jar Christening

Post by Angela Woodford »

How fascinating , Kay. I had no idea of this 5s thing. What sort of name does one give a jar? Cecil, Winifred, Algernon? Clematis, Armchair, Railway?

The sort of thing Josh must record in his collection of interesting customs and rituals!

Now I've met Mr Plum, JR, I would have thought he played some sort of huge impressive shiny instrument -

Munch
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Re: Jar Christening

Post by J.R. »

Angela Woodford wrote:How fascinating , Kay. I had no idea of this 5s thing. What sort of name does one give a jar? Cecil, Winifred, Algernon? Clematis, Armchair, Railway?

The sort of thing Josh must record in his collection of interesting customs and rituals!

Now I've met Mr Plum, JR, I would have thought he played some sort of huge impressive shiny instrument -

Munch
I know an absolutely true and hilarious story about the word clematis, and I'm just wondering if I can relate it on here.

Plum ? A large shiny instrument ?

I couldn't possibly comment !
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Back to a Hertford Memory -

Post by Angela Woodford »

(But JR! I looked at Mr Plum, and well - I just couldn't imagine him playing a dear little tiny piccolo! :wink: )

However, back to a Hertford memory. :roll:

Does anyone remember Locker Birthdays? Usually, there were thirty seven girls in House, each with their 1-37 number. Locker Birthdays began when it was thirty-seven days to the end of term. That day, whoever was 37 (Mary Verge was 6:37) would be wished "Many Happs!!!" And the countdown to the end of term would begin! Whoopee!

I'm not sure if all the Houses did this -

I loved my Locker Birthday, as I was 6:7, and that meant only a week to go. Sticking and Licking would get into action, and with this general relaxation of the rigid timetable, the days began to feel a bit festive!

Love, Munch
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Post by cj »

I was 1:12 so within near but not hysterical reach of the end of term, but Col A 20 and I think by then the tradition had died out. Maybe we could do that with the countdown towards the end of the summer term now? Our schools break up on Friday the 22nd which makes anyone with the house number 18 "Many Happs" today.
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Post by midget »

We certainly had "locker" birthdays way back when. Incidentally, did anyoune else think that "locker" was a gross misnomer? anything less lockable I can't imagine. Miss Norris was forever ferretting about in them.

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