Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Share your memories and stories from your days at school, and find out the truth behind the rumours....Remember the teachers and pupils, tell us who you remember and why...

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
Otter
GE (Great Erasmus)
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2018 5:17 pm
Real Name: Stephen O'Rourke
Location: East Anglia

Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by Otter »

Anyone else remember the Horsham Pass? From the UF and above we could go to Horsham on a free afternoon once a week if we wanted, subject to obtaining a pass from your housemaster.

A confession 30 years later - on the Deps and Grecians on summer afternoons my group of friends would use a Horsham Pass to walk south on the Downs Link towards Southwater - West Grinstead - Partridge Green - etc. The Horsham Pass would explain our absence from the site so no questions asked. We were nervous of encountering a teacher out walking their dog, though this actually happened a couple of times and they said hello and showed no sign of surprise, irritation or wanting to turn us around. Maybe others did it and/or it was tacitly accepted by staff - better to go on a nice walk with good conversation weeks from leaving your friends of 7 years than being found drunk or high in a Horsham park, which happened to some of my peers.

On the best days we could Kemp about 10 miles each way. The Downs always appeared within tantalising grasp but never enough time to get there and back for evening roll call.

Care-free halcyon days of the cusp of adulthood.

Anyone else with similar memories?
pierre
3rd Former
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 10:01 pm
Real Name: Peter A Hollis
Location: Windsor

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by pierre »

No such thing as a Horsham pass in the sixties but there were ways round!! I did Duke of Edinburgh to avoid CCF and this enabled me to use a bike. ( Bike use then was only for monitors which I wasn't). Reason : my d of e activity was brass rubbing in country churches only accessible by bike!! I never had to tell anyone where I was going I just needed to produce some rubbings every now and again. Later on I did d of e voluntary service at the Springfield old people's home in Horsham again getting there by bike and again no controls!! Source of suitable bikes : Horsham council dump which was then just the other side of Ch station. The downs link was still a railway and a group of us managed to wangle a trip out on one of the last trains to steyning one saturday.
PrepA39/BA11/THA26
Richard
LE (Little Erasmus)
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:31 pm
Real Name: Richard Slingfield

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by Richard »

Some things changed after the 40s. Then we were encouraged to walk in the countryside and not to frequent Horsham; bikes or no bikes.
pierre
3rd Former
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 10:01 pm
Real Name: Peter A Hollis
Location: Windsor

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by pierre »

Interesting, in the era of hm CME Seaman old blue, CH was a closed community, no going to the outside world in termtime without written permission and for very good reason. Especially not to the fleshpots of Horsham although what he thought we could get up to in full housey dress God alone knows. Civvy clothes were expressly forbidden. My Duke of Edinburgh award scheme activities were like a get of jail free card although I got quite a few funny looks turning up at country parsonages on Thursday afternoons requesting access to church monumental brasses dressed in full housey uniform!!
Free time was also in short supply, outside of lessons compulsory sports every afternoon except thurs and Sunday and lockup after roll call in the evenings.
Still it sounds as if we had it good compared with the Ch lasses in Hertford. At least we had the countryside on our doorstep, no ring fence to the south so occasional forays out in that direction were permissable.
PrepA39/BA11/THA26
Katharine
Button Grecian
Posts: 3289
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2005 10:44 pm
Real Name: Katharine Dobson
Location: Gwynedd

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by Katharine »

pierre wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 10:25 am Still it sounds as if we had it good compared with the Ch lasses in Hertford. At least we had the countryside on our doorstep, no ring fence to the south so occasional forays out in that direction were permissable.
You certainly did have it much better than us! I too did brass-rubbing for my DofE, but did it all in the holidays. I wrote up about the brasses during term time.

Later my VSO placement was partially because of my DofE gold, but doing the scheme in Hertford was no preparation for leading it in Northern Ghana!
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
sejintenej
Button Grecian
Posts: 4105
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 12:19 pm
Real Name: David Brown ColA '52-'61
Location: Essex

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by sejintenej »

My early year (1950's) going outside the fence required a parent accompaniement. Early 60's I had a bike and ha two options; scout camp anywhere within reach by bike (which was always a rock climbing site or otherwise Sunday afternoons but back by 4.30 for letter writing. One Sunday, after seeing my girlfriend high on the Downs My foot slipped on the pedal and I went over the handlebars! Lost most of the skin on my face and hands! Fortunately in those days, even on A roads there was minimal traffic so I don't think anyone saw let alone hit me
Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 million dollars
but I'm just as happy as when I had 48 million.
(Arnold Schwarzenegger!)
Jabod2
LE (Little Erasmus)
Posts: 57
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:27 pm
Real Name: Keith S BaA MidB 68-74
Location: Beaconsfield

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by Jabod2 »

Certainly in the '70s I could cycle to Horsham library (I would start to read one book on my way back - cycling no handed...), and walk to Horsham via the tobacconists (served with Old Holborn or Golden Virginia in Housey uniform). I also hitched a lift to a girls school in Petworth following them visiting us at the Grecians Club for a party... All these were legal(!) exeats but not necessarily for the actual reason.
I remember refusing a lift back to school on OBs day (in a posh jag no less) in deference to the 'never accept lifts from strangers' rule (which obviously went out window later when hitching).
MrEd
GE (Great Erasmus)
Posts: 132
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:29 pm
Real Name: Ed McFarlane

Re: Horsham Pass - Downs Link path

Post by MrEd »

Early 1980s: From the UF we could go into Horsham, and buy such exotic food as Pot Noodles, beef and tomato a real treat with the ketchup far less sour than CH's offering that went with the fish fingers on Friday lunch. The main ruse at around 17 was to go in wearing cricket gear (which was permitted - Summer obviously) and then it was much easier to buy booze.

The main means of getting to Horsham was to walk out of the gate on the Horsham road, up the hill and then the road turned right and went downhill before reaching the Worthing Road at the Boar's Head, and into Horsham from there, first port of call, Tescos. Occasionally a passing Master or spouse would offer a lift if you were (un)lucky. I don't recall biking it that often. The train was an occasional means too.

I also recall, probably in GE, going south out on Sunday PM in a group and getting towards Storrington, probably in May. No permission sought IIRC nor any sense of doing anything that might be frowned upon. Fabulous scenery.
Post Reply