A Caldecott Kaleidoscope
1960. First sight of “Hatch”. Overwhelming, but not intimidating. I am placed in Junior Study, a group of about 20 boys and girls. Memories: Long walks on Saturday afternoons down the hornbeam woods and along the country lanes. Miss Murdin, like a mother hen, leading a straggly band of 6 & 7 year olds behind her. Then our reward at the end, a visit to “Reeders” shop to stock up on sweets. Back to Junior Study playroom for leisure activities before tea. Early bed.
Meals in the huge dining room and wondering who the people were in those imposing portraits. Fascinated by massive picture of Rialto Bridge. Loads of food and very good on the whole, except thin muesli on Wednesday mornings and “Scrunch” – (bread past its peak and baked in the oven). What a triumph of marketing that was!!
Children in fits of temper flying out of dining room and slamming ornate Robert Adam doors behind them! Always hotly pursued by a member of staff to try and pacify aforesaid miscreant!!
On Saturdays eating in the hall and watching 16 year old boys filing into dining room looking distinctly uncomfortable in their grey knee-length shorts!
Being taken once to the dentist in Ashford by Simon R. Proudly bearing the little mirror we were given for being brave boys and girls as we had our teeth drilled with no anaesthetic! Being bought a “Caramel" chocolate bar by Simon and eating it in the old beige “Austin of England" car as he drove me back to Caldecott and then took me to the deer park to re-connect with the rest of the Junior Study playing there.
School: Mrs Robson reading “The Hobbit” and other books to us wonderfully well. Such drama and excitement as the story unfolded. Making butter with the cream from our milk bottles that each of us used to have in break time with our biscuits. Wood work with Mr Draper. Doing projects in the “Prep Room” connected with TV programmes. Still have the one that I did on how the human body works! Visiting local places of interest like Naccolt Brickworks, a bakery and others.
Break-times climbing the beech tree and playing on the log pile. Watching “Gwyn”, Miss Diana’s border collie going “barking mad” trying to bite the wheels of cars as they drove by! Girls sitting on the grass making daisy chains in summer and playing hopscotch and hula hoops by the garages.
Chapel on Sundays. Listening to the senior girls’ choir singing the Lord’s Prayer and Psalms beautifully (although I had no interest in Christianity at all at that stage). Assorted sermons or talks by Elizabeth Lloyd, Joy Blackaby, Joe Marshall and of course Leila herself, who did a whole series on building the “bricks” of the human character. Marching into “Meeting” in the historic library to the sound of “Jerusalem” or “Non Nobis Domine”, being played with great gusto on piano by Betty R. Housework reports – not always good ones! And of course the legendary “Charter” read by Miss Leila and the “Heralds”. And what incredibly wise words it contains.
“Eurhythmics” in aforementioned library. Basically dancing round to music, sliding along wooden floorboards and getting splinters in rather uncomfortable places!
Fancy dress and Talent Night. Miss Leila’s birthday party in October. Sports day in summer with slap up tea for all afterwards.
And Christmas: What a joy that was. The Christmas party, the carols in Chapel and most especially gathering round the huge Christmas tree in the Junior Senior girl’s playroom for yet more carols and present giving, as Miss Leila would point with her stick at each well thought out present for Miss Dave to hand out.
Finally, the Colt house. PU’s and PPU’s (a kind of privileged prefect system) if you made the grade – something I didn’t manage very often! “Froff Coff” after supper - an early version of Cappuccino! The inevitable “Runs and Showers” every morning for boys (15 minute run in just shorts and plimsolls - tops allowed in winter) and then a 10 second cold shower! This was followed by a short housework task before breakfast. Homework in the “Prep Room”. Sleeping in the dorm to start with, but then getting a single room aged 14 – going up in the world. More early bed – always early bed!
Building a motorised go-kart with John G and others. Riding it and my Lambretta Scooter round the magnificent grounds. Going to Ashford to spend our clothing allowance on flowery shirts, wrangler jackets, and anything else that we thought was cool – not so the staff! Also the simple joys of just wandering round those beautiful, peaceful grounds......time to think….. time to try and make sense of all the other stuff going on in my life at the time.
Then ultimately, time to leave. Such mixed feelings and so much has happened since, but oh, what a glorious store of memories!
© Tony Inwood.