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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: corinne on Tuesday 23 November 04 09:12 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone remember this school? My Dad taught there at the time I was born. I visited the area a couple of years ago but it seemed to have reverted back to a private house. I'd really like a few stories about the school as it was in about 1956 - how big, how many masters and staff, what age kids, etc.
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Dear Corinne
Yes, I was a pupil at that school from 1960 to '64. What is your maiden name ? Charlesxx
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Great to hear from you. My dad's name was Warwick Curtis. He would have been about 25 years old when he taught there in 1956. He was from New Zealand and doing the big overseas working holiday - then met mum, got married, had me, returned to NZ etc. You were there just a few years too late for my father. Do you have any pictures of the school at that time?
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No, I don't recall mention of your father's name ...as you say, we missed eachother by a few years. I do recall quite a high turnover of teachers at the school. My time there was not good... a bit of an ordeal, actually. The food was poor, the buildings were cold in the winter and we were very isolated up there on the hill. The only contact we had with the outside world was a transistor radio in the dormitory at night (strictly forbidden, of course). Dave Clark 5's Glad all Over still takes me back to those times. They were formative years, though, and looking back on it now, I do have some fond memories. The headmaster was a Mr.Parsons. He continued the school up to about 1971, I think by which time pupil numbers were dwindling ... there were about 85 when I was there. They came from all over the country, too. I used to live in nearby Banbury but am now in Perth, W.Australia. Pictures ? well I do have some old black & whites which I'll have to scan sometime for you to see.
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Thanks for that info. I suspect my Mum found the place a bit of an ordeal too, as I believe she took me back to my grandparents for a couple of months soon after I was born, while she waited for Dad to finish out the term there.
Corinne
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I was at the school from August '67 to summer '70. I remember Mr Parsons (we used to call him LAMP as I think they were his initials) falling asleep in Latin! And 'Jag's Fowler?! And a very strange man called Mr iseman who taught French - and tried to grope us during lessons. Yikes - he'd be rightly buried alive these days. My name is Nick Green. Anyone remember me?
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I attended Idlicote House from 1959 to 1961. We called Mr. Parsons the headmaster "Barney" because his first name was Barnabus. Mr. Geoff Fowler taught maths and acted as assistant head. There was a Miss Blenkinsop who had a classroom above the library, adjacent to the changing rooms and gym, and taught the first-formers. As Charlesxx said, the rooms were cold. The dormitories in the main house were gaunt, bare floorboards in most cases and it was a lucky winter night if the Victorian radiators worked. Apart from the first form classroom and the Hall, the two pre-fab classrooms had no heating. I seem to remember Mr. Fowler telling me on a later visit that they had to install heating after the (1964?) ferocious winter when the ink froze in the ink wells. I also found it something of an ordeal, but my last two years were much better and I even looked back fondly at Idlicote once I was at Highgate School in north London (though Highgate's food was brilliant after Idlicote's!).
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I attended the prep school back in 1967 for a couple years. I was the only American attending the school at that time. I live in Germany and was sent to boarding school there when my Dad served in Vietnam. I have a lot of memories there with Mr. parsons. I believed he was blind in one eye because he would always look sideways at us when he was selling us candy in the Tuck store. Being the only Yank there got me in a lot of trouble there at the school. Remember Mr. fowler as my Math teacher. Learn to play Cricket, rugby and football there, never heard of those sports before, but became quite good at football and rugby and continued on with my Education at Winslade Boarding school in Exeter, then on to St. boniface College in Dumfries, Scotland.
Returned to the United States and served in the US Air Force for the next 20 years.....
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I was at idlicote between 1964 and1967. I certainly remember jags Fowler and mob Blenkinsop. Jags was probably one of the better teachers. Also mr Macdonald who could hit you with a piece of chalk if caught not paying attention. I can also remember the French teacher, Mr Clark who hit me over the head with a shovel for jumping in the long jump sand before it had been made ready. I also remember getting slapped around the face seven times by Parsons for being caught reading a war book in his Latin class. Also remember going into the church and playing the church organ, climbing the slate ledges inside the dovecote, playing rugby on a ridge and furrow field when all the furrows were full of water, playing Bulldogs in the quad, watching Chuchills funeral on TV at school, crap school meals. I've still got a 4 inch scar on my leg from sliding through a barbed wire fence. Also remember wearing boiler suits at break times, you could tell the new boys because their suits were not as faded as the older boys.I and some others left when a whiff of misconduct surfaced regarding Parsons and the school closed a few years later. Some memorable times, but not a very good school. I popped in a couple of years ago for the first time in over 40 years and I noticed the outdoor swimming pool is being used as a dump for garden rubbish
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I think you are all being rather kind on the place,the headmaster's morals were extremely suspect,which i think was why the school ultimately closed down.However I suppose it was vaguely character-building.Was Mr Macdonald the one who bent you over his lap and beat you with a hair brush?I remember he threatened this if we failed to achieve a pass mark in a test and i was one of 2 who achieved this,the rest he hairbrushed one by one.When the cricket pavilion was opened in the summer there was a film of bird droppings.The swimming pool was full of newts.On hobbies day,the "day bugs" did orienteering,which in Pascoe's dictionary meant grass cutting.He used to mark latin homework with a magnifying glass,but still couldn't see what you had written.He hated day bugs and anyone with an accent.I could go on forever however does anyone remember Desmond Lloyd a history and english master,he was a lovely man and an inspiring teacher?When he left Idlicote he left some personal effects with my family,which he never reclaimed.I am anxious to return these to his family.His wife died and his 4 children Robert,Stephen,Peter and Phillipa were put in care with Lincolnshire council.I have an address in Bourne where i think they had family, to which i have written and received no reply.If anyone has any information on their whereabouts i would be extremely grateful as i would like to return these personal items.I was at Idlicote from 64-68 and live about 4 miles from the school.
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I know someone who went, now in his 60s
He claimed that the school was rife with abuse and pedophilia and that the headmaster was the ringleader: the abuse was systematic and involved about 8 teachers.
Contact with the outside world was strictly controlled as a way to prevent the reporting of abuse, he described the whole thing as set up for the pedophiles.
He recounted a story of when about a dozen 11 year-olds assaulted one of the abusers with hockey sticks and never did it again.
The previous post is the ONLY indication on the entire internet that anything was wrong there; something tells me no justice was achieved and these men all got away with it (probably dead now).
If any survivors could post or message me, I'd be interested in pursuing justice on behalf of my friend... its never too late....
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I am in my mid 60’s & I was there for 6 years & it was very spartan. I also had 2 siblings there named minor & tertius.
I remember Parsons, who was nicknamed Lampy, Barney & finally Pasco in my time & he had 2 scabby dogs that absolutely stank called Spot & Jet. Pasco was as blind as a bat & during Latin used to fall asleep with his feet up on the desk. His mouth was open so wide that his top dentures used to drop on to his lower set waking him up with a start. His favourite saying was “Read the next sagger in a loud clear wagger” He had a sister called Babs who was equally as blind. The maths teacher was Jags & Miss Blenkinsop, nicknamed Blobese had a classroom off the quad above the library.
I remember the rookery where we were allowed to play on Saturdays & Wednesday afternoons, the tuck shop in which we were allowed to spend up to 1 & a penny & I remember the Tuesday afternoon trips to Broad Camden, laughingly called a treat, to the freezing swimming pool fed from springs in the surrounding hills.
I remember the school bully Baines & his henchmen, who initiated me into Bay dorm on my first night by “showing me the goldfish” & stuffing me upside down in to the loo. They probably ended up on the Tory front bench!
I remember teachers Des Lloyd, Macdonald & one other whose name escapes me who taught French & kindly taught me how to fly fish.
I remember Mrs Jefferson, the matron who was very kind
I remember crying with pain on the rugger pitch as the cold was so unbearable & cross country runs to Idlicote ford & back.
I remember the disappointment when my father told me I was going to be a daybug rather than board as there had been rumours about staff conduct at school.
I remember being caned on numerous occasions with a large hairbrush, for what I have no idea, & fagging was still a practice.
I remember writing obligatory letters home on Sunday mornings which always ended with Please send more tuck.
I remember compulsory listening to Churchill’s speeches on an old gramophone, watching his funeral on television & being allowed to see Doctor Who on Saturday evenings.
I remember the maids, who were all mentally deranged, frequently fighting amongst themselves in the staff room screaming like banshees & frightening the life out of us.
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I also remember going to church on Sundays & being given a 3d for the collection plate
I remember the school dances when we had to dance around the buckets that were catching the water pouring through the roof of school hall
I remember feasts on the last night of term in dorm after lights out when we would retrieve food we had secreted under the floor boards for months.
I remember the dreadful school meals & the fact that we were not allowed to get down until we had finished everything on our plates
I remember hiding the dreadful food in the case of the grandfather clock in the dining room
I remember being caught after the pendulum of said clock finally failed to swing due to obstruction & I remember being punished for it
I remember the cod liver oil forced down our throats before breakfast every morning by matron
I remember Pascos mother, the only stable influence in his life, & her death
I remember playing cricket in the courtyard with the petrol pump as stumps
I remember making slides from compacted snow in the courtyard in the winter & I remember Mr Allan, the gardener, putting salt on them after Blobese took a tumble & how it ruined our fun
I remember the tuck rooms & racing corgi cars down the slope outside
I remember that although I boarded I could walk home in 40 minutes
But most of all I remember school being so big
I’ve been back there since & it isn’t, its tiny
I don’t want to remember any of the unpleasant stuff that did or did not occur regarding staff behaviour
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For Information: Attempts have been made to report historical allegations of abuse at the school to Warwickshire Police, without any serious attempts being made to verify the allegations. Two crime reports at least, have been made within the last 10 years. Allegations of abuse were also, it has been suggested, made before 1963, to Warwickshire Police but no records appear to have been kept of the original report and no actions were apparently taken. Also the Church of England has also been informed because of the role B P had in taking services at Idlicote and previousy at Greshams.
Previously there were allegations were made on the now defunct FriendsRe-United website. Please can anyone wishing to report any allegations do so with supporting evidence or allow this thread to cease.
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Does anyone remember this school? My Dad taught there at the time I was born. I visited the area a couple of years ago but it seemed to have reverted back to a private house. I'd really like a few stories about the school as it was in about 1956 - how big, how many masters and staff, what age kids, etc.
I was at the schooltwo years after it started. as a day boy. There were about 47 boys day and boarding. I was there for two tears before going toBilton Grange Prep School near Rugby. Rember a lot of what already on this site including Mrs.Parsons a lovely woman Lamp;s mother. His sister taught music. Miss Blenkinsop wore a blue gown and gave the boys in her class toy soldiers! Remember the plunge baths in the gym after soccer/rugby. Table tennis with curved back screen. Lamp was good player himself. After two years the school numbers had increased to over 100. He was progressively blind as was his sister. Remember playing soccer on the farmers field below the school and crying cos it so cold. I was goal keeper! Remember Peebles family - local farmers - Brian executive for Barclays Bank. Two brothers ran farm and butchers shop in Shipston. Seymour whose family farmed at Honnington. Rick Argyle who was in Rhodesia, farmed near Banbury and soon moving back to Stratford-upon-Avon. Edmunds from same. John Cook whose family farmed south of Shipston then Eynsham, Oxford. Bought land in Canada and now with large arable acreage there. Among others ! Spencers in Shipston were official outfitters. Hair cuts at school by hairdresser from Shipston ….. Hope this might stir some memories !
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I attended Idlicote House School from 1958 until 1963 as a boarder. I only lived in Banbury but my father was adamant that I boarded. I was very homesick for the first couple of terms but eventually settled down and for the most part enjoyed my time there. Barney was a strange man whose eyesight was very suspect and I wondered how much he could actually see. He used to drive us down to the playing fields sometimes in an old Hillman estate. The staff consisted of his mother who used to play the organ at the local church, his sister Barbara, who tried to teach us ballroom dancing. We reckoned she had the hots for Mr. Fowler, deputy head and maths teacher. There were A and B houses whose headquarters were in the courtyard and you stored your tuckboxes there. Mr. Allen was the handyman who kept the playing fields cut and filled the paraffin heaters during the winter to heat the outside classrooms. His wife used to work in the kitchen and serve up typical school food. I read in another comment where a lot of the food used to go in the grandfather clock - how it ever kept going is a mystery. Remember the dormitories with the loose floorboards where we would stash food for midnight feasts. I had a transistor radio which I used to listen to 208 Radio Luxembourg. Occasionally Barney would try and catch us out but we had a good Kay Vee system! Barney would fall asleep during lessons and you had his two smelly dogs wandering around the hall and we would feed them aniseed balls. He would then walk to the back of the class and knock on the door. He would then say "Come in" just to catch you turning round! Mrs Blenkinsop took art classes and unfortunately suffered with body odour. A lady called Mrs. Palmer used to visit once a week and tried to teach us to sing! On some nights before lights out, Barney would tell his Yellow Button stories which were always popular and he would dish out Huntley & Palmer biscuits. Each term Barbara Parsons would put on a play. My father was not keen that I should take part in any acting and wrote to Barney who took no notice.
Hence I've never tried any since. Webbs coaches used to take us to the outdoors baths weekly at Chipping Camden. I am somewhat perturbed to read about sexual abuse and certainly didn't witness any whilst I was there. All in all I enjoyed my time there which set me up for later life.