Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I have just come across this in a small publication called Housey compiled in 1944 by members of the UFA. (Future MP, B Magee is a contributor)

Echoes.

An interesting Summer evening may be passed in finding the echoes for which Christ's Hospital and its buildings are responsible.
One of the best can be found by starting off from the Cricket Pavilion and walking straight towards Chelshams. You have a fine response to your whistle-sometimes as many as four repetitions.
If you walk parallel with the School buildings about 100 yards away south or north, you will find good echoes. especially if you arrange so that you make use of the big buildings round the Quadrangle.
The Estate Agent's office and the Gym group of buildings throws back a good echo. if you perform near the east goal-post on the Barnes B ground.
A shout raised at the north-west corner of Eastland's Copse is re­turned very clearly from Shelley Wood.

Obviously some echoes are no longer possible, but has anyone ever come across them and are there more?

Underneath the Octagon was pretty good if I remember rightly.

You can get a very good echo on Big Side if you shout towards the theatre...

Which is why they used to hold the end of year "rock" concert there when it first started. Accoustically it was great.

From a control of pupils point of view it was an unmitigated disaster with all the leavers openly smoking drinking which led to non-leavers joining in - that is why they moved it indoors after 2 years

wurzel wrote:that is why they moved it indoors after 2 years

Actually fairly sure it was the uncertainty of the British weather that forced it (or at least kept it) inside. The PA company wouldn't let us use their kit outside unless we could guarantee to keep it dry and we couldn't get any extra cash to pay for anything to cover it. In 1989 there were discussions about it being outside until quite late on as I remember. Being in one of the last couple of bands on the bill meant we didn't want to take any chances that we wouldn't get to play so it was inside!

Still had loads of pupils outside smoking and doing other things anyway.

wurzel wrote:Which is why they used to hold the end of year "rock" concert there when it first started. Accoustically it was great.

From a control of pupils point of view it was an unmitigated disaster with all the leavers openly smoking drinking which led to non-leavers joining in - that is why they moved it indoors after 2 years

iot waas outside in the 1990's - apart from 1997 (I think!) when it had rained so we had the delights of RDTS singing Living Doll from inside the theatre...

Great Plum wrote:we had the delights of RDTS singing Living Doll from inside the theatre...

Did he used to sing at the Rock concerts in the 80's and early 90's?

He certainly used to play his McCartneyesque violin bass in a small combo who shared the bill with the Dance Band at the annual May Ball.

Great Plum wrote:Did he used to sing at the Rock concerts in the 80's and early 90's?

I don't think I remember that pleasure

He normally headlined...

Great Plum wrote:He normally headlined...

adlop wrote:

wurzel wrote:that is why they moved it indoors after 2 years

Actually fairly sure it was the uncertainty of the British weather that forced it (or at least kept it) inside. The PA company wouldn't let us use their kit outside unless we could guarantee to keep it dry and we couldn't get any extra cash to pay for anything to cover it. In 1989 there were discussions about it being outside until quite late on as I remember. Being in one of the last couple of bands on the bill meant we didn't want to take any chances that we wouldn't get to play so it was inside!

Still had loads of pupils outside smoking and doing other things anyway.

Seems a pretty lame "excuse" to me. When I went to Uni I ended up working for a PA company ending up as a monitor engineer and it is trivial to cover the important bits from all but the worst.

I think it must have been our grecians when it moved inside (i think you left same year as me) and I am sure it was due to Chris Waite and the rest of the year above us being so "in your face" with their excesses the previous year.

By the way while hunting out some house photo's to scan in and I found some photo's from the mid 80's of the year the leavers took every rugby shirt and used them as bunting round the quad, put a hard hat on Queen Victoria's bust and laid out classrooms on the grass.

wurzel wrote:and I am sure it was due to Chris Waite and the rest of the year above us being so "in your face" with their excesses the previous year.

That'd be my year then!

wurzel wrote: Seems a pretty lame "excuse" to me. When I went to Uni I ended up working for a PA company ending up as a monitor engineer and it is trivial to cover the important bits from all but the worst.

I think it must have been our grecians when it moved inside (i think you left same year as me) and I am sure it was due to Chris Waite and the rest of the year above us being so "in your face" with their excesses the previous year.

yep Wurzel we were on the same year. It was inside on our Deps. I seem to remember singing Vegetable Man (the Jesus and Mary chain version) and being pulled off the stage by whichever Scanlon it was that was on the year above us, ...Damian?

You're right about the PA company, I've done some gig work over the years and it's amazing what you can do with a bit of old plastic sheeting....cue the double entendres....