Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Reference has been made that restriction of use of the Grecians' Path was removed in 2001. How I wonder did such things suddenly occur? Was there a general edict issued that from a certain date this would be permitted ?.Lawns in front of the Houses were also
"out of bounds".
The grass in the Quadrangle was likewise a forbidden area. To walk across such a hallowed precinct would have been considered almost a hanging offence. I remember that one boy in Coleridge A for some reason accompanied one of the Masters across this space whilst chatting about some aspect of his work after school. Is this now permitted does anyone know?
Chris Bartlett

I remember when in conversation with Tim Law he just walked diagonally across the quad and I had no option but to follow. But I must admit it felt odd.

As for the Grecians' Path, I imagine this was an attempt to keep up the London tradition of the Grecs' Cloi. In my day it was widely known as Snobs' Alley.

On the first day of the Lent Term 1963, Clive Perdue and I, both newly raised to House Captain status, took a very circuitous route across numerous front-of-house lawns just for the hell of it. A few days later came the big freeze, and we were all asked to keep off the lawn for the sake of the grass.

My DS - just about to go into UF - thinks the rule stands.

Deps and Grecians only is how he understands the rule.

I know when I go down there he tells me off if I walk on the Grecians Path.

My DS has always said that he cannot walk down the Grecians path (he has just finished 3rd form). Maybe the rule has changed but the tradition continues ?

As far as I can remember it was only button grecians who were allowed to walk on the path in the 1980's and the only people I ever remember cutting across the quad on the grass were masters!

As far as I can remember it was only button grecians who were allowed to walk on the path in the 1980's...


And in the 60s. For reasons which I cannot quite understand, I got my buttons only after Christmas when most of my contemporaries got them in September. Quite apart from missing out on the Lord Mayor's extra money (I got 2/6 as a monitor instead of 10/6 as a 2nd P), the indignity of having to walk along the Avenue with the plebs was traumatic.

michael scuffil wrote: And in the 60s. For reasons which I cannot quite understand, I got my buttons only after Christmas when most of my contemporaries got them in September. Quite apart from missing out on the Lord Mayor's extra money (I got 2/6 as a monitor instead of 10/6 as a 2nd P), the indignity of having to walk along the Avenue with the plebs was traumatic.

You seem to have got over it!

It's the wonders of 'snobbery' !

CHDad wrote:My DS has always said that he cannot walk down the Grecians path (he has just finished 3rd form). Maybe the rule has changed but the tradition continues ?

Nope, Deps, Grecians and staff only on Grecians path. The grass in Quad is a no-no to everyone - except the band at Beating Retreat of course!

Help us poor Hertfordites! What/where is the grecians path?

seajayuu wrote:Help us poor Hertfordites! What/where is the grecians path?

It's a small path, about a yard wide, which runs literally alongside the Horsham Boarding Houses. It shortens the distance between the houses and Dining Hall in particular quite considerably as there is no need to walk from the houses to The Avenue or The Avenue to Dining Hall.

As others have said in our time only Button Grecians and Masters were allowed to use it.

As I said above, I think it was a continuation of the tradition of the London 'Grecs' cloi', the arch of which was split in two and now forms the entrance to the quad from each end of the avenue.

In 1960 or thereabouts, Barnes Wallis, an engineer, noticed (on a visit) that the west cloister arch was on the point of collapse. A firm called Szerelmy was called in, and they subsequently got a contract to renew all the school stone and brickwork. They were still at it 20 years later.

michael scuffil wrote:As I said above, I think it was a continuation of the tradition of the London 'Grecs' cloi', the arch of which was split in two and now forms the entrance to the quad from each end of the avenue.

In 1960 or thereabouts, Barnes Wallis, an engineer, noticed (on a visit) that the west cloister arch was on the point of collapse. A firm called Szerelmy was called in, and they subsequently got a contract to renew all the school stone and brickwork. They were still at it 20 years later.

I remember it well, Michael.

Pretty sure it started in the year I left which was Summer 1963, and as you say, it went on and on and on and on.........

I think the water-tower was encased in scaffolding for months as I went back to CH about a year after I left to meet up with some friends and it was STILL engulfed !

Barnes Mum wrote:The grass in Quad is a no-no to everyone - except the band at Beating Retreat of course!

Staff can and do use the grass in Quad all the time to cut the distance between e.g. the Common Room and the Maths Block (at least when I was there up to 2005 anyway). I did know one teacher (who is still there) who refused on principle to cross the grass as he said it was hypocritical and his opinion the school is for children after all, so if they can't cross the grass, then neither should staff be able to.

I used the quad grass on two sorts of occasions.

At Beating the Retreat, it was open to everyone.

At General Inspection, it was the CCF parade ground.