New houseparents' accommodation on the back avenue

[hunta42]

I just left C.H but when I was there (only last yr) we still used the ashphalt for basketball, football, skating (not me personally but i went there to watch and socialise). Obviously its been harder this yr as there is a walled garden in the middle of bash ash...

[Great Plum]

Maybe they will use the wall as a football goal...

I went past these gardens in the summer, and there was nothing at all in them!!

[JackD]

In an effort to provide some history on this issue the houseparents housing project started due to Peter Southern's concern with the disparity between the accommodations of the 10 houses that had integral and good housing for the houseparents and their families and the 8 that did not. This was causing unwanted moves, or pressures to move, between houses interrupting desired continuity and gave him real concern and some issues with recruiting.

Some Middleton OBs thought that funds raised in earlier reunions might be used to help address part of this problem and the school authorities were approached and after a few years we have the result that is exercising this site. The funds raised were enough for this block and to obtain planning permission, design and architectural drawings and landscaping for any future work on the now last 6 houses with the problem. Had the funds been spread equally nothing would have been done.

OBs of course cannot decide on projects for the school but they can decide to help with projects that the school feels are important and strike a resonance with them. Why Middleton OBs seem to have the interest and wherewithal collectively to do this is not obvious.

In the original Ashton Webb design there were 6 houses with married houseparents quarters, Prep, Peele, Thorn A and MaineB and this seemed sufficient since the other houses were usually staffed by bachelors. The 4 elegant and recent additions at Grecians and Lamb illustrated the disparities more vividly.

[ben ashton]

ASTON Webb surely?

[Great Plum]

*snip*
The 4 elegant and recent additions at Grecians and Lamb illustrated the disparities more vividly.

Elegant... really? The Grecians' housparents' houses are certainly of their time and will age quickly... The houses on the back of Lamb are an architectural nightmare... (no garden either!)

[JackD]

Merely opinions. They are all much better than the 1960s flats; in my opinion.

[5h17shoveller]

My favorite bit of tarmac gone forever.
I was "gob smacked" (sorry) when i checked out google maps recently and noticed said additions.
I will forever remember playing "house cricket" with a tennis ball whilst in lamb B and Barnes A ,during warm summer evenings. I hope there is still enough room to play and smash a few windows.

[Foureyes]

'House' (or was it 'Housie'?) cricket. Now there was a game - almost certainly unique to C.H. Two dust-bins as wickets - 22 yards apart but no creases. Bowlers (who doubled as wicket-keepers) at either end, and whichever one had the ball, promptly bowled, whether or not the batsman was ready. Standard tennis ball. Sawn-off bats. No pads, gloves or any other 'cissy' protection. "Out" could be by the ball hitting the wicket, caught or run-out. No umpires - decisions generally being made, as I recall, by whichever team shouted loudest. Team size was the number of participants divided by two. Matches were never planned ahead - they happened spontaneously. The pace was fast and furious - modern one-day cricket is played at snails' pace by comparison.
David

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

It is, of no use, complaining.
As will be seen from prevous Posts on this, and other, sites, Old Blues -- whether "New" or "Old,old", have no influence on School Policy --- other than, of course, to be asked for further contributions to fund those decisions which have, already, been made.

I,also, regret the loss of "Asphalt Ice Hockey" on Roller Skates with walking sticks and a tennis ball, on the asphalt between the backs of Barnes A and B, which I believe, resulted in more injuries than the Rugby Pitches ! --- But was probably "Character Building" !!

Let us --- including myself -- stop moaning, and accept the fact, that CH is an entirely different School and Organisation, than it was in "Our Time " --- whenever that may have been.

[Foureyes]

Neill,
I don't think that either 5h17hoveller or I were either complaining or moaning, just reminiscing.

[AKAP]

'House' (or was it 'Housie'?) cricket. Now there was a game - almost certainly unique to C.H. Two dust-bins as wickets - 22 yards apart but no creases. Bowlers (who doubled as wicket-keepers) at either end, and whichever one had the ball, promptly bowled, whether or not the batsman was ready. Standard tennis ball. Sawn-off bats. No pads, gloves or any other 'cissy' protection. "Out" could be by the ball hitting the wicket, caught or run-out. No umpires - decisions generally being made, as I recall, by whichever team shouted loudest. Team size was the number of participants divided by two. Matches were never planned ahead - they happened spontaneously. The pace was fast and furious - modern one-day cricket is played at snails' pace by comparison.
David

and it must be added, the only game of cricket I know of where you can be bowled out before even getting to the wicket,change of batsman had to be quick.

[J.R.]

Surely, this what we called 'Tip-And-Run' ??

[5h17shoveller]

'House' (or was it 'Housie'?) cricket. Now there was a game - almost certainly unique to C.H. Two dust-bins as wickets - 22 yards apart but no creases. Bowlers (who doubled as wicket-keepers) at either end, and whichever one had the ball, promptly bowled, whether or not the batsman was ready. Standard tennis ball. Sawn-off bats. No pads, gloves or any other 'cissy' protection. "Out" could be by the ball hitting the wicket, caught or run-out. No umpires - decisions generally being made, as I recall, by whichever team shouted loudest. Team size was the number of participants divided by two. Matches were never planned ahead - they happened spontaneously. The pace was fast and furious - modern one-day cricket is played at snails' pace by comparison.
David

I am glad you replied to this as i could not remember what we used for stumps. Its obvious now as i can now drag up from my memory the sound of someone hitting their own wicket accidently, there being was no doubt when it had happened , as the metal sound was a give away. I seem to remember that's why it was so great being in Barnes A as being next to a senior house we had the side area to play tennis ball football and the back asphalt for cricket in summer .I can still smell that horrible putty smell when replacing a broken window,usually in the toilets.
Lamb B did not seem to get involved much in their own sports next to the houses in the early 70's ,although i think Ian Wood may have been the exception.
When I moved up to Lamb B because I knew alot of the lads who were still in Barnes A , I tried to change them and over the next few years Lamb B become very sporty and not so academic . I WAS A BAD INFLUENCE.

[jhopgood]

'House' (or was it 'Housie'?) cricket. Now there was a game - almost certainly unique to C.H. Two dust-bins as wickets - 22 yards apart but no creases. Bowlers (who doubled as wicket-keepers) at either end, and whichever one had the ball, promptly bowled, whether or not the batsman was ready. Standard tennis ball. Sawn-off bats. No pads, gloves or any other 'cissy' protection. "Out" could be by the ball hitting the wicket, caught or run-out. No umpires - decisions generally being made, as I recall, by whichever team shouted loudest. Team size was the number of participants divided by two. Matches were never planned ahead - they happened spontaneously. The pace was fast and furious - modern one-day cricket is played at snails' pace by comparison.
David

We (Barnes B), used old cricket bats with handles that were on the point of falling apart. They had split so that the rubber was almost loose, which meant that they had to be held carefully for fear of getting flesh caught in the handle. It did mean that if used correctly, the bat had a slingshot type action and the ball would go for miles.
My last "match" was on the back asphalt, batting from the dustbin nearest to the fives courts. My first, and subsequently last ball, was despatched high and long, descending near the back of the kitchens where it was caught, possibly by a passer by who had nothing to do with the game.
Good fun.
As was asphalt soccer played in between the houses, in our case Barnes B and Maine A, with two drain pipes as goal posts. Games were played before lunch and in uniform less the coat. For me, it was just a continuation of Junior school, where we also played soccer at lunch times, having hidden in the toilets to avoid the first sitting so that we had the playground to ourselves.
Which reminds me, on that asphalt we used to have PE after the first 2 classes, but that stopped in about 1961/2. I never asked why?

[LongGone]

Which reminds me, on that asphalt we used to have PE after the first 2 classes, but that stopped in about 1961/2. I never asked why?[/quote]

It might be that the smell of a classroom of boys after 15 minutes exercise with no chance to wash (let alone shower) eventually caused a revolt among the teachers.