Neil-001 Waiting, January sale like, for the doors to open after a 40 year closure.
Neil-002 The caretaker opens the doors and the experience
begins.
Neil-003 Searching for a memento of Harold in the Headmasters office some, unnamed, instinctively held their backsides.
Neil-004 It was a delight to see that the outside toilet block
and the wooden bike sheds still survive virtually unchanged. They are now
probably a site of Special Scientific Interest or even a World Heritage
Site. Unfortunately we could not gain entrance for a nostalgic pee. The
lower bike sheds are probably preserved in cigarette smoke tar similar to
creosote but far more effective.
Neil-005 Talk, talk, talk continues down in the dining room how did we all get in here!
Neil-006 .....and how did 600 boys get in here every weekday along with their battered hymnbooks.
Neil-007 Where are the wall bars although the windows themselves are unchanged.
Neil-008 Geoff Neville, Norman Keech, Adrian Lord and Nick Steiner share a memory or two.
Neil-009 Brian Tanner blesses the computers (as a physicist should) whilst his wife Ruth looks on.
Neil-010 Across the bridge into the New Block. Well it was in 1964! Brian Tanner learns about his new fangled digital camera from Ruth. Geoff Neville stares across the broad playing field of time into the past of cold wet rugby balls. Behind, Huw Williams, John Hoddle and Brian (Flash) Bellamy are deep in conversation.
Neil-011 On the right, Peter Layton and John Wheeler in one of the new classrooms with Graham Walden and his wife behind.
Neil-012 David Bayes and Steven Bird in the foreground with Paul Coleman and Geoff Neville behind. On the left, at the back, Huw Williams, Randal Lancaster and Peter Thompson whilst in the middle behind Paul are Ian Gillett and Paul Cross.
Neil-013 No loitering on the staircase please. The miscreants, scheduled for detention are, from left to right, David Walden, Steven Bird, Geoff Neville, Malcolm Mann, Paul Cross (back to camera), Ian Gillett, Michael Owen, Peter Curtis (back to camera) John Wheeler and Paul Coleman. We were amazed that the tiles and the handrails were the originals.
Neil-014 This voltage regulator was on the wall of room 13 (old
chemistry lab). It was clearly still being used and Neil (thinks he) can
remember this being installed and used by Chunky and Ernie when we were
there, probably about 1961 so it is at least 40 years old.
Neil-015 Neil was amazed that the top corridor was
unchanged:
Neil-016 The Biology lab now, alas, without the drunken tadpoles. The names Gus and Fred could be heard often and with fondness.
Neil-17 A last look at the frontage (in need of a lick of paint) as we leave the premises. The end of a pilgrimage to say a silent thank you and offer our respects to the building that was Wellingborough Grammar School, the institution that was Wellingborough Grammar School and the masters that were Wellingborough Grammar School..........from some of the pupils that were proud to be, for a few years, Wellingborough Grammar School.