Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

"Christ's Hospital works as a co-ed school really beautifully, and I believe in co-ed with the zeal of a convert."

CH's former deputy head talks to the Spectator:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/03/tal ... e-the-sea/

Full marks to him for having turned down politics or journalism after having got a PPE degree at Oxford. Oxford's PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) is so useless as to be positively lethal. Look at who got one. David Cameron got a double first in the Economics bit and Nigel Lawson also passed. But look at the effect of these two on our economic scenario. Lawson colluded with Thatcher in giving us a massive boom and bust crisis (City deregulation, irresponsible private credit lending, merging the function of the banks, etc) while Cameron (and Osborne) did exactly what Keynes would have told them not to do in imposing draconian cuts on the economy before the economy had properly recovered. Shock therapy indeed. And the economics colleges are still teaching this Friedmanite garbage.
He's right about the desirability of co-ed schools. The attitude was somewhat different among the establishment when I was younger. In Col B we had a comedy LP by Peter Sellers called "Songs for Swinging Sellers". One sketch saw a couple interviewing the headmaster of a rather seedy co-ed boarding school before deciding to send their child there. "Tell me," said the father, "Do you segregate the sexes?" "Oh yes," replied the HM, "We prise them apart with a crowbar."

rockfreak wrote: ↑Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:23 pm In Col B we had a comedy LP by Peter Sellers called "Songs for Swinging Sellers". One sketch saw a couple interviewing the headmaster of a rather seedy co-ed boarding school before deciding to send their child there. "Tell me," said the father, "Do you segregate the sexes?" "Oh yes," replied the HM, "We prise them apart with a crowbar."

Barnes B couldn't afford the LP so we had the EP, with Balham - Gateway to the South, Auntie Rotter and Party Political Broadcast.

To be heretical, I'm amazed that anyone learns anything* at a co-ed school. Pretty boys were time-wasting enough, but (a) such liaisons were, shall we say, dangéreuses, and (b) they weren't in the same classroom.

*what you do learn, of course, is how to relate to the opposite sex, which many of us didn't (at least, not till later).

michael scuffil wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 11:45 am To be heretical, I'm amazed that anyone learns anything* at a co-ed school. Pretty boys were time-wasting enough, but (a) such liaisons were, shall we say, dangéreuses, and (b) they weren't in the same classroom.

*what you do learn, of course, is how to relate to the opposite sex, which many of us didn't (at least, not till later).

I don't wish to keep plugging psychotherapist and ex-boarder Nick Duffell and his books, Michael, but he does have quite a lot to say about these subjects. It's so sad that the girls have largely quit this site, with the exception of Katharine who is still gamely down there in the arena wielding the net and trident (or maybe the short sword and shield?) and defying the baying of the crowd and the verdict of the vestal virgins.

michael scuffil wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 11:45 am To be heretical, I'm amazed that anyone learns anything* at a co-ed school....
*what you do learn, of course, is how to relate to the opposite sex, which many of us didn't (at least, not till later).

We didn't learn anything about the opposite sex either! DR famously said that You should all live with boys for a week, before going to the university (note the word the in the quote) However this was said to just an elite group nearly finishing their DofE Gold Award, I don't think she did anything to facilitate it with other girls. Also, those of us with brothers reasonably close in age, were assumed to know enough. I'm sorry but its not the same thing at all!

rockfreak wrote: ↑Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:54 pm It's so sad that the girls have largely quit this site, with the exception of Katharine who is still gamely down there in the arena wielding the net and trident (or maybe the short sword and shield?) and defying the baying of the crowd and the verdict of the vestal virgins.

I'll think about my weapon of choice David, I think the net may have its uses!
There may be a few reasons I'm here still, sheer bl**dy minded desire to ensure Hertford is not forgotten, I'm not on Facebook and have no desire to join, and possibly the fact that I had both a father and brother who went to Horsham I understand some of your lingo! (Chrissie, who posts as seejayu (I think) posts occasionally)
Edited to add it was the software not me that inserted two ** rather than the correct letters!

You will be pleased to know Katharine that there is now a Hertford building at CH. So named in order that Hertford is not forgotten. It is a "social" building with coffee shop etc. Pretty well the antithesis of Hertford but I am sure that it is very welcome and will be well used. What I can't work out is what happened to the promised "Hertford Avenue". Do you remember that we were told that an avenue of lime was trees was to be planted? I haven't come across anyone who knows anything about it.

This should probably go in a Thread called, "Promises CH made but never completed."

The Hertford Avenue seems to have gone the way of the replacement for the CH Club Room.

David Miller and I are probably the only CHC committee members on this forum who remember the promise.

CHC had a club room at the back near an entrance to the Council House. It was a room allowed to CHC when they moved down from London, and apart from some comfortable chairs, a conference table and chairs, bookshelves with copies of all the Blues, and assorted other items, it was a place where OB visitors could sit, chat and have a cup of coffee.
When the problem of the kitchens came up, we were asked to vacate fora short while, because they need the space for the kitchens. Before that happened, it was used by the team organising the two OB's to go up Everest.

To cut a long story short, it was never returned, and when CHOBA took over from CHC, we were promised a replacement room and £8,000 was put aside to furnish this room.

Again, nothing has happened and the money seems to have been absorbed elsewhere.

I am sure there are good reasons for all f this, but one of the things we complained about in the past, was lack of information on things that could affect OB's.

This still appears to be the case.

seajayuu wrote: ↑Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:46 am You will be pleased to know Katharine that there is now a Hertford building at CH. So named in order that Hertford is not forgotten. It is a "social" building with coffee shop etc. Pretty well the antithesis of Hertford but I am sure that it is very welcome and will be well used. What I can't work out is what happened to the promised "Hertford Avenue". Do you remember that we were told that an avenue of lime was trees was to be planted? I haven't come across anyone who knows anything about it.

Yes I'd read about that, and thought that it would be almost as unlike our Hertford as possible!

I didn't know about the avenue, I was in Borneo at the time of the merger and missed some things.

seajayuu wrote: ↑Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:46 am You will be pleased to know Katharine that there is now a Hertford building at CH. So named in order that Hertford is not forgotten. It is a "social" building with coffee shop etc. Pretty well the antithesis of Hertford but I am sure that it is very welcome and will be well used. What I can't work out is what happened to the promised "Hertford Avenue". Do you remember that we were told that an avenue of lime was trees was to be planted? I haven't come across anyone who knows anything about it.

Yes I'd read about that, and thought that it would be almost as unlike our Hertford as possible!

I didn't know about the avenue, I was in Borneo at the time of the merger and missed some things.

Hey Rocky! - I was just looking for something and came across this thread from earlier this year.

I'm surprised you missed this ... the Deputy Head of CH until 2 yrs ago was a Bullingdon member; still as the son of a Chancellor you revere you probably decided not to mention it!



Seated middle: Tom Lawson
https://www.byline.com/project/30/article/700

Yes, nothing surprises me. Nigel Lawson himself has now become a professional climate change denier getting lots of lucre from vested fossil fuel interests. And he's also defected to France with some kind of non dom status which is going to allow him to stay there even after Brexit. He himself was a Brexiteer. Rats? Sinking ships?

Strange times.

John Hopgood wrote:

"David Miller and I are probably the only CHC committee members on this forum who remember the promise.
CHC had a club room at the back near an entrance to the Council House. It was a room allowed to CHC when they moved down from London, and apart from some comfortable chairs, a conference table and chairs, bookshelves with copies of all the Blues, and assorted other items, it was a place where OB visitors could sit, chat and have a cup of coffee. When the problem of the kitchens came up, we were asked to vacate fora short while, because they need the space for the kitchens. Before that happened, it was used by the team organising the two OB's to go up Everest. To cut a long story short, it was never returned, and when CHOBA took over from CHC, we were promised a replacement room and £8,000 was put aside to furnish this room"

I missed this because I have never heard of Tom Watson. John is absolutely correct except that by Council House I think he means Counting House and I would add 'snooze' to the uses of the room. It was greatly valued because it gave the older OBs a chance to sit quietly without getting in the way of the school or its many activities. It was purloined without discussion by the then Clerk for the mountaineers and then for the kitchens. It was firmly promised that it would be returned and that £8,000 of the Club's money - not the school's or foundation's money, by the way - would be ring-fenced to replace the furniture. The plan at one stage was to convert the main library to the museum and the Dominion's Library to a replacement for the Old Clues' club room.

What happened to the replacement club room, and where is the £8,000?

David Miller

I think with child protection issues, it would be difficult to allow old blues a space within the ring fence that they can just turn up in...