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| Ancestor Gateway Forum - STAMFORD MEMORIES GATEWAY (Lincolnshire England) used as PRIDE and PREJUDICE FILM SET | New Topic | Search |
| anne |
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I remember starting junior school in 1944. Miss Boosey was the Headmistress. The schoolhouse was in the playground and Miss Boosey's mother lived in the house with her. Other teachers there were Mrs Barker, Miss Chapman and Mrs. Ireland. There was a rockinghorse in class I. At Christmas we all got a present and I remember I got plasticine. Before Christmas we made paper hats and crackers and decorations out of crepe paper to string across the room. Sometimes we had music and were allowed a "turn" at conducting. I remember the teacher wouldn't let me use the baton in my left hand - I was left handed. We had school dinners but after a few days I persuaded my mum to let me go home at lunch time as I preferred her cooking! Editor's note: Do you have a junior school memory? Your email need not appear unless you require an answer off-line. Kate June 5, 2005 Miss Mary Boosey Headmistress of St John's School, Stamford, Lincolnshire passed away peacefully at Westminister House Nursing Home, Bourne, Lincolnshire on 27th May 2005 aged 99. |
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| Roger |
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Was at St John's 1954-57 Miss Boosey and Mrs Ireland (and the rocking horse) were still there plus Mrs Lottie Bryant and Mrs Beaton. Miss Boosey must have been about ten years younger than I thought she was! Kate: I had to work out Miss Boosey's age for when I was at the school. She seemed a lot older than all the mums but must have been about the same age or just a bit older. |
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| John |
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I started St.Johns school about 1953 and the first thing I can remember is learning the national anthem.In the book the word King had been crossed out and Queen had been written in,in ink.There was also a teacher called Miss Beaton who we called beatroot we were all scared stiff of her.I loved to play in the sand pit and get on the rocking horse. Miss Boosey was headmistress then and she seemed old then. I think she only died about 3 years ago and was well into her 90,s.She in fact is buried in Stamford Cemetry next to my father.The last time I visited his grave I gave hers a bit of a weed and had few words as I don't surpose she gets many visitors. John Kate: Nice one John. I am not sure if her mother is buried anywhere in the cemetery. She also lived to a good age - seemed about 90 also |
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| Phil Rudkin |
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I took these photographs of the old school in January. I also went in the old playground at the back. I did not go to this school, but I know that many Stamford children did. In recent times, I remember my daughter Amanda starting her first day at this school, in 1971, at 5 years old. I left work in Wharf Road at dinnertime, and cycled to West Street, and luckily there was a knot hole in the wooden door outside the playground. I got down on my haunches and looked through it. There were the older children playing, and there was my daughter with her friend (who had also started that day). They were just standing there watching the rest play. I had a lump in my throat. Imagine anyone peeping through holes today, I would be lynched! Let us have your memories of your school days there. I have given talks on bird life to the All Saints Womens' Fellowship a few times in recent years. It is a good feeling to know that this was once a thriving school. It is very run down these days, so it is to be hoped that it will not be developed in the future for housing. Phil Rudkin 
Kate: Thanks very much for the photos and memories Phil. I am sure a few others will remember standing there in the playground. Anyone have a photo of Miss Boosey or other staff? Any St John's School photo of pupils welcome. A "maypole" one would be excellent. Don't forget that you can double click on the photo to get a larger image and go to our photo gallery where you will see about 140 photos of Stamford |
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| betty |
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I cannot believe the School Playground was so small. I loved that school,it had such happy memories. The top class had the Old fashioned coke boiler in the corner and the teacher always managed to stand in front of it in the winter. Miss Boosey was strict but a very fair teacher and I too can remember the Rocking Horse and the Band Instruments. Opposite the school was Mr Bone's Fish Shop and the two Gents Hairdressers were on the opposite corners. I can remember taking a garland of flowers on May Day and dancing round the Maypole. Our garlands in those days were made with wild flowers as we did not have a lot of flowers in the garden, our dads grew vegetables. Kate: Thanks for that Betty. |
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| Joan |
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I can still remember my first day at St.John's school. My friend started the same day and her mother asked my to look after her. I was petrified. One of the first things we learnt was to dive under the desk in case of an air-raid siren. As for the band - I always wanted to play the drums, but aways got the triangle. But I loved my infant school, and all the teachers. Kate: Great times Joan. Could still get a drumkit and "have-a-go"? |
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| John Tyers |
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Two momentous events occurred in 1939 WW2 broke out and yours truly started at St John's. My mother deposited me in Mrs Ireland's classroom and I was placed on a rocking horse from which I howled the place down and consequently I have been wary of the very much alive variety of those wall eyed creatures ever since! Along with the other boys I wanted to play with the plastercine but always seemed to get lumped in with the girls doing the odious raffia work! Miss Boosey was a great lady and in recent years my old friend and classmate the late Michael Chapple the Mercury correspondent wanted to write an article about her life in education but sadly she was evidently reluctant to be interviewed. Another teacher who I respected was Mrs Halford in Class Two. The Revd Molland of St John's was the visiting vicar at the time. I remember we looked forward to air raid warnings because then the class could scive in the brick built shelter wearing our "gassies" until the All Clear sounded. I never thought then that my own daughter would start one day in the future at St John's also under Miss Boosey! Kate: Thanks for those memories John. Who were those lucky ones who got the drums and the plastercine? |
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| Roger Partridge |
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Joan, I had the same wish to play the drum, but always ended up with the triangle. The noise of about 20 infants trying to play a variety of instruments must have been truly appalling. |
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| Roger Partridge |
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Betty, the playground was bigger, that stone wall on the right is a recent addition. It seems to have been built so that the former headmistress's house had off street parking. You can see the wall on the Google Maps satellite image. Kate: Thanks Roger - must look that up on google maps. |
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| John Tyers |
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Any neuroses from which you may suffer in later life are probably founded in the deprivations of childhood! Along with the eternal memory of the dreaded raffia work and the lack of opportunities with plasticene, I too never managed to get hold of a longed for drum in the band. The triangles were rather low down the scale but at rock bottom were the "clappers", two small strips of wood with a rudimentary handle, the effect of which may be imagined when banged together taking care not to trap your fingers between them. There used to be quite a little gang of us from the St Peter's Street and Austin Street areas who would meet up to go to school in the mornings but we would invariably have to run the hazardous gauntlet of a big lad who used to live in West Street and attended St Michaels and would delight in "sorting us out" if he got half a chance! |
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| betty |
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Thank you Roger I was looking for the toilets which were at the top of the yard. I too never got the drums, usually it was the triangle and on a good day the tambourine. I also remember when we were in the biottom class you got a red or blue pencil to write with. In the top class we had a lovely square pattern book. Does anyone else remember that. |
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| Joan |
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I remember the square pattern books, lovely. I also remember we were given a lump of plasticene and told to make a tank with it. It was some sort of competition, and I won. Some money was paid into my P.O. saving book. I always thought it was 2/6d, but surely not, that was a lot of money in those distant days, perhaps it was 1s. Also dancing round the maypole - the sun always shone on May 1st. Or did I imagine it? |
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| Joan |
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Anyway, who did get the drums???? |
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| Roger Partridge |
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John, I'd remembered the plasticine but forgotten the raffia, which I was useless at! I also remember that both the boys and girls did (very) basic "embroidery". |
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| Kate |
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Photo for Miss Boosey  |
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| Mike Laughton |
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I attended St John's School in the late 1940s and have four vivid memories of the place. The first was morning assembly when we all used to chant in singalong style "Good morning miss Boozey, Good morning teachers." The second was the maypole dancing in the playground where we were taught routines that were later repeated at garden fetes. The fourth was the teachers most of whom were middle aged spinsters. One in particular was very stern who always wore tweeds. She used to chain smoke heavily in class and seemed to hate little boys. If you did anything wrong she would thump you hard in the middle of the back. She was a dark-haired swarthy woman and it was a relief for me when I was seven and moved up to the Bluecoat School where we had male teachers. Christmas at St John's was always memorable. Santa was always played by Alfie Dexter who had a garage and taxi service in Scotgate just 200 yards from the school. Alfie, dressed as Santa, would appear at the school windows and try to climb in through the various windows without success. When the kids were worked up into a frenzy of laughter Miss Boozey would let him in through the front door. Alfie Dexter must have played Santa at St John's school throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s as I have relatives who were at the school at different times during the three decades and their memories are the same as mine. Incidentally, Alfie Dexter had a son called Colin - Colin Dexter. Now I wonder what became of him???? |
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| Mike |
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I've recently come across these two pictures taken of pupils gathered around the maypole at St john's School in the late forties. Both photos would have been taken between 1948 and 1950. Dancing around the maypole was one of the highlights at St John's School. We would always have maypole dancing for Mayday (May 1st) and later in the year we would do a demonstration of Maypole dancing at church garden fetes in the grounds of Torkington House (Dr Holt's home) in St Peter's Street. I can't identify all the children in the photos but I can name several of the boys. In PICTURE 1 which is the earlier of the two, two of the little boys seated at the front are Tony Wilcox and Anthony Hopkins (not the actor) who lived in Roman Bank. Derek Middleton is on the far left of the middle row and I am on the far right partially hidden by Stanley Alderman. The three little boys in the centre of the middle row are Freddie Fenton (who died a few years ago) Brian Dunn and Freddie Wade (who was steward at Newage Social Club for several years). Most of the boys on the back row have their faces hidden but I know that David Brader is in the middle of the row and the late Pete Troth is far right. PICTURE 2 would have been taken one or two years later and I can't understand why there are so many different faces in the photo. I am far left on the front row and next to me is Peter Gass. (His family lived in Kesteven Road before emigrating to Australia. Their dad was a scotsman - Jock Gass - who used to march through the town playing his bagpipes on special occasions). I think Roger Morrison and Martin Grimes are also on the front row. I can spot Derek Chiverton (almost hidden by the girls) and Jean Morris (twin sister of John "Moggy" Morris) in the middle row. And Colin Bradshaw is on the end of the back row. Colin's son became and actor and featured in television sitcom the Grimleys. Perhaps readers will be able to identify other people in the pictures. 
Hi Mike. Two great photos - hope loads of people will recognise themselves round the Maypole! |
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| David Farman |
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I attended St Johns school in 1957, does anyone remember the elderly lady that used to work at Casseloids that travelled to work in a hand propelled invalid carriage. She had to stop at the cross roads that were there at that time. We used to wait for her in the morning and when she got level with the school we used to push her up the hill to help her |
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| Syd |
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I lived near to her in Essex Road, and often pushed her up, anywhere from around the police station, Cross Roads area, so I must have taken over from you doing the first shift, her name I think was Mrs Benns, at least she was Vic Benns gran. I was at St. Augustines school at the time. |
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| Dianne Matthews |
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I was in the the top photo and I was , sitting down cross legged and Jean Hayes was standing behind me, I think her father worked in the butchers. In the second photo, I was standing on the back row, plenty of ribbons in my hair and on the front row with dark coloured hair and pigtails was my cousin Jean Oliver. I remember the man next door to us (( thin his name was Mr Richardson) he made my garland every May, the flowers were mainly wallflowers and every time I smell them I think of him. We lived up Empingham Road. |
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