Bilborough Grammar School

[physicalperfection 5]

Richard Bossart. Year above us. Great bloke. I used to go to basketball matches with him and John Hickman - fantastic double act. They had many tales to tell of a certain lady in their year, who was very accommodating.

 Being somewhat larger and faster than the average, I had to play in various teams for year above ours and got to know several of them quite well.

Some great characters in that year - some dickheads too, of course.

 

 

[annswabey 599]

I remember him, although not John Hickman.  You have me wondering who the lady was!  I was friendly with Ruth's brother, Stephen Draper and his friend John Levers and Jonny Hallett, all in the year above us.  Some others in that year were very appealing to us younger girls!

[physicalperfection 5]

Older women have less appeal these days!

 

 

[annswabey 599]

Men more so!

[FLY2 10,106]

Now then ladies, I'm sure pp was only joking !

[physicalperfection 5]

It's OK, Ann is my age and so not an 'older woman.

As to whether either of us is a lady is open to question, though.

 

 

[Lindaok 1]

some things are best just forgotten!

It couldn't have been that traumatic though - I repeated the Kinder Scout trip at uni!

Bo was Richard Bo........ - surname escapes me. 

And to think we are all 60 in this academic year - it all seems the recent past. 

[Lindaok 1]

Is anyone still in Nottm?

I came to London in '75 & never managed to leave - so much for my dreams of a small holding in Notts/Derbs & " il faut cultiver le  jardin" ( Candide - French A level)

Remember John Charnock ( history A level teacher) - used to hold parties for students in his flat in Mapperley &, I think it was him, managed to persuade a group of us that being volunteer guides for the Arkwright society would look good on our CVs. Gullible!

[annswabey 599]

I loved Candide!  Yes, remember Mr Charnock, but not his parties, although I remember him being at a 6th Form/Leavers Disco at Sandpipers or some such.  Also remember taking younger children on a walk by Cromford Canal, churning out the history of the place - in fact I was telling someone about it just the other day.  Perhaps that was an Arkwright Society duty?!

[physicalperfection 5]

I did French A level but don't remember Candide, but then I was not a literature person.

Didn't do History, but I remember going to a party in Mapperley and sitting on the floor speaking to Alison Ward. Could that have been a Charnock do?

[benjamin1945 15,496]

I did.nt do French 'A' level..........or even 'O' level...........but went to a couple of parties in Mapperley, first time i saw 'Pill-Popping' mid 60s,..........could'nt understand what the UNI types were on about...........so got pie-eyed on Jack Daniels peed on a plant (probably an Aspidestra} and went home,...........woke up next morning and my best American three piece suit was stiff around the crutch area,i think were i had spilt the JD on it       had it cleaned made no difference stayed stiff...........it was brown with nice pattern really miss it......................lol

[Lindaok 1]

Cromford canal certainly sounds like Arkwright society - I had zero confidence, thought younger kids were an alien species & hated every minute of it. Must have used it on my CV after all that suffering!

i loved the French lit especially Voltaire, Corneille & Anouilh but hated Pagnol. 

The parties were in Mapperley - strange I don't remember other teachers being there. 

We had a brilliant English trainee teacher who was really into Tennyson - he organised trips into Lincolnshire & read poems to us in the cathedral - a really inspiring teacher just sorry I didn't tell him. 

[Jill Sparrow 9,574]

#161

 

C'est la vie!

 

As long as you didn't get your liberty bodice wet, Ben!  

[annswabey 599]

Exactly the same as me Linda.  Couldn't stand Pagnol, but loved the other 3

[read, R.E.A.D. 19]

just before Christmas my wife went to the G.P. with a dry cough that just wouldn't go away, 7 weeks later we were told she has terminal cancer and between 3 and 6 months to live. 

She is having chemo at the moment with a hope it will give us a few extra months but the treatment is certainly palliative rather than curative. The idea not being more than 30 minutes away from home is in case her temperature goes up, she needs to go to hospital.

 

 After 40 years together it's a bit of blow but we are trying to make the most. So my advice to "Physicalperfection" is CRUISE / HOLIDAY / Just do it, no knowing what is round the corner.

 

 

This subject (read, R.E.A.D. 's wife) has been continued in another more relevant thread. See post #745 onwards  https://nottstalgia.com/forums/topic/14920-ailments-aches-pains-lets-hear-them-here/?page=30

 

 

[Happily retired 34]

I am very new to the board, my first post, and noticed a reference to Richard Bossart and John Hickman.

Richard and I were in the same class at Portland Junior. He left in what would now be year 3 or 4.

We had a collection and I went to the Co - Op on Bracebridge Drive to buy some lego. ( Upstairs was non food if you remember! )  We all carried him up the drive singing for he's a jolly good fellow on his last day.

It was therefore a huge shock when he reappeared at Bilborough.

If I remember right he was very close to Valerie Barson.

John joined us in the sixth form. He was a great guy and a bucket full of laughs.

He was head boy at Glaisdale before moving to Bilborough.

Lots of memories of Bilborough, some good and some not so good. 

Some of you may remeber this;

There was a Physics teacher called Mr Littlewood who organised a play over 3 days about Lot from the bible. My class were asked to perform in the play. ( that was brave). It was performed during assembly.

There was always a gentle piece of music during assembly and he said I could choose the music.

No problem!

Day 1 Blowing free by Wishbone ash.

Day 2 An extract from Deep Purple in concert with the Royal Philharmonic

Day 3 Stairway to heaven by Led Zep

Got to be honest I did expect a detention but all I got was a word from Mr Williams who said of the Deep Purple extract " hum I've not heard that one before"

Never saw so many happy faces leaving assembly ever!

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

Welcome to Nottstalgia, Happily retired.  

 

You've already made your mark in at least one way; first time anyone has mentioned this album on here.

45 minutes ago, Happily retired said:

 An extract from Deep Purple in concert with the Royal Philharmonic

 

I bought that when it first came out in 1969.

[TheHuts 5]

This has brought back memories..... Was at Bilborough from 1962-67, starting out in !R. The teachers mentioned around that time are in the most case still filed away in my memory even after 50 + years ! The famous/infamous Mr Kirton, who seemed to enjoy the female shape rather more than shapes made of metal. Dr Peake, an old-fashioned, but excellent Head Teacher. 'Fruit Gum' Robinson, the name was given during the Lake District walks, for his love of 'borrowing' pupils sweets. Had completely forgotten about the Camms coach copulation with the petrol pump, I was on that coach. Was also, unfortunately, playing in the rugby match when Tony ? the Head Boy got the injury that unfortunately led to his death and i do remember that PE Robinson was distraught.  Two of my children went to Bilborough College in later years, I used to live overlooking both Bilborough and William Sharp playing fields.

[BilboroughShirley 1,119]

I remember the Head Boy you mention. Everyone was devastated. He was always the life and soul of any event and was the main organiser of country dancing social events. A tragic loss.

When I started at BGS I was in 1M, Miss Mcfarlane. She was nice and I remember the long hikes she organised.  Good fun!

[loppylugs 8,336]

So that's where Mr. Kirton went.   Didn't know his love of the feminine form.  We didn't have any in the all boys school I was in when he taught metalwork there in the fifties.  He was a good teacher and took time to help me with the math I struggled with.  Unlike some of the other sarcastic clowns.  Probably why he didn't stay there.

[10eV bandgap 1]

Just getting back into bgs mode 

[WollatonArmyBrat 0]

Came across this site yesterday. So many names!! I was a "passing through" student at BGS as my father was in the army and we'd been posted to Nottingham Exact dates are a bit hazy, but I guess I started at  BGS mid 4th year in 71 and left early 73. Willy - he of the Yellow Doctor (which I had direct experience of on more than one occasion) was the Head. Crutch hated me and the feeling was mutual. I read some negative comments here about Mike Higginbottom, I thought he was a great teacher ( he also got me out of a few scrapes), his passion for local authors and history was inspiring. In my 6th year most of my friends were in the 7th year, Roger Frost, Steve Mayes, Bob Dargeville, Clive Smith aka Myph, Phil Pemberton to mention but a few.

I believe Clive Smith's band "Gaffa" still gig in the local area. Roger Frost, Steve Mayes (and masterbrewer Rich Nettleton) have a micropub called "A Room With A Brew" 78 Derby Road.

 

End of term at The Broad Oak, Strelly. Younger teaching staff outside, 6th/7th formers inside. Teachers had cars so we could wait till they'd gone.

 

[Tallulah 52 1]

I went to BGS from 1963-69 & hated every single second I was there. All Dr. Peak cared about was academic results, you could count the teachers who were kind to you on one hand & Miss Thompson, the headmistress was a nasty bully who made my life a misery for 5 years. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I do not have one happy memory of my time at this institution!                                                                  On the plus side I did have some nice friends- Linda Jacobs, Vanessa Ford, Lynne Fletcher, Diane Sanders

[Stavertongirl 1,681]

I have just joined today and have read with interest this forum. I have only just moved back to Bilborough after more years than I care to remember. I was at BGS during the 60’s and this has brought back many memories, both good and bad. I can remember Mr Downing, very accurate when throwing blackboard rubber or chalk at someone. I can also remember him punching one of the boys in my class in the stomach, I think it was Darryl Barker or Baker. Dr Peake was a pompous little man I disliked him intensely. I can remember Miss Louden she took us for maths. There was an English teacher whose name I can’t remember who was very easily sidetracked from what he was supposed to be teaching us. Miss Rattray was our PE teacher, she played hockey for England. Mr Carlson took us for geography, his lessons were so boring. I can remember the woodwork teacher, we used to hang around the clock room near the stairs to his classroom to see who his latest conquest was. Also Miss Rose who married Mr Henry and had to tell some 6th form girls to leave her husband alone.

[Cliff Ton 9,955]

7 hours ago, Stavertongirl said:

 Also Miss Rose who married Mr Henry and had to tell some 6th form girls to leave her husband alone.

 

Imagine the tabloid frenzy if that had gone any further !