A glimpse of Haileybury as it once was. These photos capture the places, moments and memories that shaped generations of OHs and staff. What do you remember most from your time here?
‘The best! Many a happy summers evening in there. Blessed to have grown up in a time when we were allowed to use it whenever we wanted!’
‘As Captain of Swimming back in 1965 – crikey 60 years ago – I remember the useless piece of wood we would stretch across the pool at 25 yards (not metres) for swimming matches against other schools. When I questioned Ken Rimmer (the beak in charge of swimming) about it, he said with a grin; “well it’s the same for everyone. It’s just we get to practice with it!” Lovely man.’
‘My 1960s memories, … just a great place to have fun and let off steam with friends. We did also learn how to rescue someone in difficulty (Bronze Medallion) and watch the beauty of a well executed dive. …. I loved my time at Haileybury!’
‘Great photo.’
‘Tradition’
‘The Colvin bathroom was virtually identical in the early 1980’s. We used to do pull ups on the ceiling pipes and there was a course around the bathroom using the pipes, basins and baths that you had to complete without touching the floor. The bathroom was generally under 2 inches of water most evenings because it was customary to empty your bath by pushing back like a rower to slosh your water all over the floor in a large wave. Happy days!!’
‘No needs to turn off the taps’
‘I was in Trevelyan in the late 50s and early 60s and this photo looks exactly like our bathroom then. As a new governor we had to run down the dormitory naked and plunge into one of those baths! The door leads to the drying room.’
‘Same as in 71~76 just newer . I remember cleaning those baths!’
‘Yep, it was definitely very similar back in Tr. 1992.3 I showed my kids and their faces were a picture.’
‘I see so many of my friends in that pic (BF ’88)’
‘Albans and Mr R.E.T. Nicholl, with David Hunt as his deputy (I never knew that).’
‘I have that picture! And I am in it.’
‘David and Sandy Blakeway-Smith at the helm with Dennis Cruse as second in command.’
‘The Haileybury Society, please post more things like this, great idea’
‘It almost happened again in the summer of 1976 during the Son et Lumiere event. Fortunately we got it out in time. Don’t ask me how I know’
‘If anybody ever found a squash ball on the ledge surrounding the chapel dome, can I have it back please?’
‘My husband was there, RIP Ian Scott’
‘I was there and it was superb. Great to see the list of all the OHs who took part. A blast from the past’
‘Yes, I remember it very well! And later on that year we performed Mozart’s REQUIEM at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church…’
‘I was there. Still drink beers with a good few of them.’
‘I was there and it was superb. Great to see the list of all the OHs who took part. A blast from the past’
‘Presumably the first Sapte was a member of the East India Company and couldn’t have been a pupil, the second left the school in 1874.’
‘I look at those names most days as I go into the library!’
‘Thank you: had never seen them but what a lovely tradition!’
‘Almost certainly sat there but never noticed. Thank you for sharing. Amazing legacy lasting for generations.’
‘Love this’
‘Great pic’
‘Such memories of leaping up the steps to throw myself through the doors to avoid lines. Not always successful, sadly’
‘More of these sorts of posts would be great!’
‘Brilliant picture. Totally agree, more like this one please!’
‘I remember having drummed into us that at the time it was the largest unsupported dome in Europe.’
1964 Cross-Country
‘I pinged David. He confirmed it was him – a picture taken by Jack Thomas in the summer of 1964.’
‘Blimey – I might be in that!’
The Tie That Binds – We were delighted to hear from John Edwards (A 73) about his recent Haileybury-connected antique shop purchase.
‘What a superb find’
‘Some familiar faces’
‘Top tour!’
‘Saepe Jovis telo quercus adusta viret’
‘Iconic part of the school’
‘None of us wore caps in the early 60’s. Think it is pre WW2.’
‘If the chap in the middle at the back is my uncle John then before 1936’
‘They are all wearing Oxford Bags so I would suggest 1928-ish?’
‘Paddy Chamberlain, Richard Skelly, and Frankie Hamilton alongside some of the more obvious. Frankie H was killed in a motor accident during my time there. He was such a top bloke.’
‘So many familiar faces. Inspiration for music . . . Jack Hindmarsh and Eddie Harvey’
‘Some wonderful and inspirational people in that photograph. Thank you’
‘Oh my word, that takes me back…. People I though were so old when I was at school were actually very young!’
‘I remember going for drinks at masters lodge when mr summerscale left, remember jack ian Williams ken rimmer, lovely memories,’
‘I recall that as new arrivals at Haileybury Jack would organise a sort of singing test for everyone. It was to see if any of the newcomers were choir material. I remember I didn’t make the grade!’
‘Jack – a legend. Did my grade 5 theory in his sitting room with a chip butty and glass of sherry’
‘Incredible man and musician. As a music scholar I spent many hours learning from him in the 1980s. His Widor on organ or Zadok on piano was simply incredible!’
‘A great and kind man. Much to my astonishment he encouraged me to join the choir and it changed my life’
Batten House, 1979.
‘Great pic ! Look at those hair styles, mine included. Amazing to think we must have paid a barber to make us look that good !!’
‘I like the idea of old pictures being posted.’
‘WOW! This brings back a lot of memories. Even though I was not in Batten, there are some familiar faces, that I still recognise.
I also, still have mine in the original frame, which also mentions “Martin Coombs” on the mount board itself. The brown backing paper has never been removed.
EXCEPT, some insects, probably as a result of travel have managed to get under the glass! Not surprising, my house photo has been around the world twice with me.
(It is a reminder that I need to get my photo mount restored/cleaned. God knows how they managed to get under the glass! Other than that, the photo is still in perfect condition).’
‘And at the far end was a trap door in the ceiling for a “fire escape” rope that you would slide down from LeBas/Kipling!’
‘Yep. So called “Comparts”. Similar to Kipling in the 70s although we didn’t have the upright pillars giving it a slightly more open plan look. “New guvs” started at the far end and then each year everyone moved nearer to the entry door as the juniors came in and the seniors left the school.’
‘By the time I was in Lawrence (11-16) the long dorm had gone. We had 4 rooms of 4 with bunk beds and a desk each. I never worked out why they did it because the doors to the rooms were never allowed to be shut. In the attic some of the the metal comparts were still there with numbers attached.’
‘An awful lot isn’t there yet. Edmonstone, B’Frere, Melvill, Colvin not moved. No lower school, no sports centre, no CCF huts, no biology block or Tech. Several disappearances- old swimming pool, full bore rifle range, XX acre nets’
‘Nice photo. As it brings back memories, of my childhood living at Hertford Heath. Especially the summer months swimming in the out door pool, but it was so cold’
‘This is as I remember it as I joined in spring 1969.’
‘I remember having a class there with Mr Thomas (Middles?) – instead of teaching us what he was supposed to, he showed slides of Old Masters he’d collected from European Art Museums, discussing them. Life changing stuff!’
‘I spent many happy hours in the art room upstairs with guidance from the lovely Bob Butler (if I recall his name right).’
‘Those were the days…..loved working with charcoal.’
‘I am suddenly 50+ years younger’
‘Throwback 1974’
‘My shins remember that furniture well.’
‘I was there!’
‘Played with some of these guys when they joined Old Haileyburian RFC after leaving school. Greg Stitcher was a fine and tough player. We sadly lost him so young.’
‘Some of these guys probably gave me 5x dates back in the day’
‘Remember them all well. Still see Barnie Bazell . We were in the great Allenby House team of 1968 with John Cook and Colin Debenham from 1st XV. We were beaten by Hailey with Pete Warfield in the Cock House final 6 – 3 in a close fought match. Still see 8 of the team regularly.’
‘Amazing achievement. If my memory serves me right, our house rugby shirt was red and black strips (Melvill). Before my time but I remember the “dates” vividly.’
‘In this picture, the fourth cadet along is Guy Walker (K57?) who we sadly lost a couple of weeks ago. A lovely guy and a stalwart of the Old Haileyburian RFC in the 1960s. Very sad.’
‘I was on the photo: can I have a copy for the grandchildren?’
‘I’ve got the chair that was put out in case Her Majesty needed to sit’
‘I was just looking at that the other day- 1974 edition. Do they still print it ?’
‘Yes, I still have the 1975 red book, the smallest version, shown in this photo. I used to also have the 1976, which I appear to have lost or misplaced, not surprising considering, I have moved many times and country twice.’
‘For those who want to know more about the red book, (it simply lists ever student and their home address, role number and the year they came to Haileybury. There is other information in the red book, that includes who was head of each house at the time, plus, the names of all the masters. ( N.B. The details in the red book may have changed, I am referring to is the red book that is in the foreground). Amazing how the years how flashed by.’
Dates!! 5x or 10x?
‘Never did them fortunately. I was in Allenby under Jack Thomas, so we got hour/half hour of gardening!’
‘So this is what the original looked like. I think everyone just did series A1 and copied from an old version.
Tipex was a godsend, we also had a chemical ink remover(?). It must have helped my handwriting skills, I did so many.
(For those who are mystified by all this, I was there 1973-78 and then prefects could give ‘dates’ as a punishment. You had to then buy handwriting paper and write out 12 dates using the 3 ruled-lines on each line of the writing paper. The 10x, 5x and 3x is the number of times you did this.)’
‘Seems I might be the earliest commentator being in Kipling in the early 60s. My worst experience was having 10x dates, and then getting them rejected for ‘scruffy’ handwriting. PS: the prefect who gave me the dates (usually well deserved) I ended up playing rugby with for the Old Boys – and he is still a mate today.’
‘As a lot of “recycling” of dates was going on when I was in Colvin (79) I remember getting rainbow spiral x1, every letter a different colour (well a rotation of the bic 4 colour pen) in a spiral around the page.’
‘In 597 Pope Gregory the first of the Roman church sent the monk Augustine to England to preach Christianity… I must have written those words – clock house – a thousand times!!’
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Unless otherwise stated, all content and images on this website and blog © The Haileybury Society, 2024, all rights reserved
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Unless otherwise stated, all content and images on this website and blog © The Haileybury Society, 2024, all rights reserved