Reminices of my past
Sometimes I think about the past and how long ago it was. The first school I went to was at a scout hut called Dennis Marsh House, named after a scout master; there used to be only a wooden hut on the site. We used to have playgroup in the big hall with windows overlooking a carpark which had flint stones all over, now it's all covered by tarmack.
One of the ladie's in charge of the group had black hair and was German. I remember I had my first ever photo taken in one of the back rooms, I was 4 years old and had a pink wooly top on; can't remember the bottom half i think it was a tarten skirt. There was also a kitchen at the back and I remember sitting under the worktops (probably making a fool of myself as kids do)
The hall hasn't changed much, we had a wendy house and toys to play with, I have been back to look through the window a couple of times. I remember being dropped off and my parents going into town, I used to chew the playdo and spit it out when I thought I wasn't being watched.
I do remember the Christmas party's, I also remember an elder lady and her husband who used to sit by the door during the summer; I expect they are both gone now.
After my time was up i attended St Paul's school which was next door, I remember when those porches were built. There was also an outdoor swimming pool which has now gone due to health and safety, the dressing room was bone cold and we had to splash through a disinfecting bath before we could enter the pool. I had a rubber swimming hat which has long been lost.
The first class I was in was Mrs Fosters. She was very strick and didn't hestitate to shout a lot. My second class was Mrs Dalton, she had dark hair and was always getting gifts of biscuits or apples from people. Sometimes we had toy day where people could bring their own personal toys from home.
My mum used to make me paste sarnies, everytime I taste fish paste now, it brings it all back. We also had sports day during the summer where we had such activities such as the sackrace, egg and spoon race, running etc. Even then my autismn caused me problems and many of the teachers said I was backward, there was no help whats so ever if you had learning difficulties; only if you were deaf you had any help. So with another boy called Jason Bubb, we were excluded from Mrs Daltons class and we were placed with a support teacher called Mrs Rattue.
Jason Bubb was a character. I think his parents died in some accident, and he lived with his nan. He went to springfields childrens home in the end, when she couldn't cope.
I also remember the Christmas parties we had in the dining room. I knew a girl called Stacey who was very much into her sports, she had blond hair and was into running. She lived up Kingsland Road, dunno what happened to her; also another girl called Jane who was a very good irish dancer.
Mum used to meet me at the gate after school, she came with aunt Joan once. I've often walked that road as an adult and the tree's which were just started to grow in the grounds, are now fully grown now.
I went to Hibuary First school in Hibuary Avenue, but I will discuss that in another blog later. This page is deicated to St Paul's school.
This is part of the old school before the new one was built in 1973. My grandad used to go here, there's now a house on the old playground; it looked small the playground. It's suppossed to be haunted but I don't know what, or who by.
I wonder if grandad would have recognised this classroom? The school was built in 1868 in Wilton Road, there was 2 rooms for boys, 2 for girl's and 1 for infants. In 1870 students paid a penny or twopence a week. During WW1 the school closed and was occupied by the army, the girls moved to St Paul's road while the boys moved to Victoria Hall in Rollostone street.
I often pass this grade 2 listed building but I've never given it a second glance, until now. I think it dates from 1716 and has been devided up into private flats.
Anyway the arms departed St Paul's in Wilton road in 1920. The area would have looked totally different to what it's like today. My parents got married in 1968 at St Paul's church, and they may have seen it like this before the roundabout and subways were built.
You can see the little playground before a house was built over it, notice the double gates and black railings There was (in my time) a butchers called David Browns, I remember he had a string metal curtain over the door and sawdust on the floor. He had meat carcuse's hanging up, I wonder if like Pritchards he had a slaughter house at the back; most butchers did in those days.
This part of St Paul's school was taken in St Paul's Road in 1972, prior to moving. This is why photography is so important as we have a record of what's no longer there anymore. This school would have been here in the 1950's.
I did go to the old building to do some weekend club, but for some reason I had to leave halfway through. perhaps the teacher didn't like my autismn.
This is what the old St Paul's Road used to look like, sadly all the houses on the right have been cleared away to make room for the duel carriageway. Mum says the residents were treated badly and were shoved into smaller flats up Wilton Road; apparently I had a great aunt Elsie who lived in one of them houses. She lived in the flats opposite the Old manor which itself is undergoing renovation, or vandalism as some people put it.
I still remember the concrete Stanton streetlights with the swan necked head, they were like that during WW2; I wonder what the light glow looked like then?
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