The Nature Club - Wilshere-Dacre School, Hitchin

Does anyone recall The Nature Club, in the quad at Wilshere-Dacre School? I remember it with great fondness. Although I can't quite believe I craddled a Chinese rat on my small knees.   They'd arrived in the mid-sixties, and were a creamy yellow colour, with very long tails.

The story of the club can be traced back to around 1960, when Mr T. Morris, (staff 1948-1987) started the club at Mr Moles' request.  The club was especially for 3rd and 4th year pupils to get them used to handling and caring for animals.  Originally the pets resided in the east quadrangle, the senior end of the school at that time, but when Mr H. Edwards (staff 1952-1967/1972-1977) gave the school some budgies, which subsequently bred, it was time for an aviary to be built.  The aviary was built in 1965 by Mr Morris from the wire frames which had previously covered the school windows during the war.  It was housed in the east quad, while some of the animals were then transferred to the west quad.  The birds remained in the east quad, and, in 1974, a new aviary replaced the hand-built one.  Apart from budgies other birds were kept, including, in the mid 1970s, two zebra finches.  In 1979 the aviary was the residence of some baby chicks, which the club had bred.

During the nature club's run, children had a fair amount of responsibility caring for the pets.  Feeding (the school canteen supplied peelings), cleaning and generally looking after the animals was all part of being a club member.  A rota system was used for children to care for the animals at weekends and during the holidays.  Children often took sick animals to the Grove Road vet.  Lindsay Taylor (pupil 1961-1965) remembers:  'I fed baby guinea pigs with an eye dropper when their mother was dropped and died.  I kept them in my airing  cupboard at home.'  Miranda Summers (pupil 1974-1978) remembers regularly taking home a tortoise named Speedy which ended up becoming a permanent resident at her house.  Such responsibility, however, could be hazardous as the late Pat Hewett recalled:

'My son, who was a pupil at the school in the 1970s, brought home a hamster; the creature was very noisy during the night so I covered the cage with my son's anorak.  The next morning there was nothing left of the inside of the anorak, the hamster had completely devoured it.  I worried the animal had eaten it and feared for its life - but it was fine.'

The Nature Club had some unusual animals over the years.  One pupil recalls some ferrets being kept and, of course, there were the Chinese rats.

Mr Morris ran the nature club for many years, with the assistance of other teachers, including Mr Parker. He handed over the reins to Mrs Maggie Bell  (staff 1974-1983) in 1974, continuing as the club's treasurer until its closure.

 The Nature Club organised its own activities and annual outings to Whipsnade and London Zoo.  

Pet shows took place over the years.  In the sixties children would receive certificates for their pets from the R.S.P.C.A.  The 1975 show was particularly memorable, with over 100 children of the Nature Club taking part and animals great and small were entered for the events.

    

The Nature Club closed its doors in 1981.  In 1993 the quads were completely re-furbished.

By the late 1990s the quads are quiet areas, quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Nature Club. The west quad had a fountain, a pond with fish and tables and chairs.  And by then the east quad had a small fountain, a statue of  St Christopher and four benches. 

Hats off to the Past, Coats off to the Future by Amanda Brittany.          

Hats off to the Past Coats off to the Future: The History of Wilshere-Dacre: A NEW SCHOOL

The date 1928 is clearly visible on the front of Wilshere-Dacre School (now Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy) in Hitchin, but this is rather deceptive as the pupils did not arrive at their new school until February 1929.  
      

Scholars lend a helping hand in moving furniture from the old British School into the new Wilshere-Dacre School during a day's holiday, 1929. (From The Hertfordshire Express, by permission of The British Library and Home Counties Newspapers)

Some of the scholars of the new Wilshere-Dacre School assembled outside the building on  11 February 1929. (From The Hertfordshire Express, by permission of The British Library and Home Counties Newspapers)

The opening of Wilshere-Dacre on 11 February 1929 was reported by the Hertfordshire Express:

 'The great change over from the old British School in Queen Street, Hitchin to the new Wilshere-Dacre School in Fishponds Road, Hitchin took place during last weekend.  On Friday when the scholars who were to be moved were given a whole day's holiday to facilitate matters, most of them lent a willing hand with the moving operations. Some of them loaded up trolleys with books at the old school. One boy, entirely on his own initiative, borrowed his father's horse and trolley, and drove it backwards and forwards between the two buildings.  Consequently when the scholars took their places in the new school on Monday, everything was as near in order as circumstances permitted. It was only fitting that the first words spoken to the scholars by the headmaster of the new Wilshere-Dacre school on Monday should be with reference to the delight they all felt at the knowledge that the King was on the right road to recovery, and that the first singing in the new building was the music of the National  Anthem.  The children had assembled in the big hall of the school. After the singing of  'All people that on earth do dwell', Mr W.H. Corbett said he wished to welcome everyone, every member of the staff, every boy and girl, and those parents present, into the new building. He wished to make it clear that it was a new building, and not a new school. "This is the same school as the old British," he said, "and I want to say straight away we are proud of the way you have come into something that is entirely new. You came in and took your places in an excellent manner.  I want you to learn to govern yourselves, and you will have noticed that I came in with no symbol of authority. I want you to see if we cannot bring the traditions of the old British School - and they are many and  honourable - with us here.  As you pass through the various classes and out into the world, I hope that you will never forget that you are British......This to you today," continued Mr Corbett,  "is history. In the future you will look back and say with pride, 'We were the first to enter the building.' Soon we shall have hanging on these walls our motto, and that will be 'Hats off to the Past, Coats off to the Future.' There could have been no Wilshere-Dacre School had there been no British School. The present and the future are built upon the foundation of the past, and if the foundations are strong at  present, they will be strong  in the future too."'

The colours of the new school were and still are royal blue and gold, the colours of the Wilshere family, and on the headmaster's desk Mr Frank Sharp had placed a deep blue    hyacinth and a bunch of daffodils.

'When it came to the close of the first day, the scholars were assembled again in the main hall. This was quickly accomplished when Mr Corbett pressed a bell in his room which rang a bell in the senior classroom.  One of the prefects soon responded, and was handed a whistle which he blew at three selected points in the building.  Books were quickly put away, and two abreast, from four directions, the scholars entered the hall, around which hung the portraits of people prominent in the life of the school. After the singing of the Lord's Prayer and a hymn, Mr Corbett thanked the 454 children for their co-operation in making the work of the first day so smooth, and the first day in the Wilshere-Dacre School ended as it began with the singing of the National Anthem.'

THE 1929-1932 SCHOOL SONG

(altered from the original 'British School' song)

        We're 'W.D.'s', and proud of the same

        Our school shall always maintain its fame,

        Outward and upward we mean to play the game,

        Our masters all have taught the same.

        Ever be British, be British is our cry;

        British live and British die.

        We still are British, though 'W.D's' are we,

        We are, we are and mean to be.

        The British School in 1810,

        Was founded and endowed by noble men,

        Wilshere and Dacre, whose  names we all revere,

        Are carved upon our scroll - they're with us here;

        With us in spirit, with us in our desire,

        Beauty, truth and love, our souls inspire,

        We still are British, though 'W.D's' are we,

        We are, we are, and mean to be.

****

The above blog post is from my book, 'Hats off to Past, Coats off to the Future.'   If you would like to copy the text or photograph to anywhere else on the internet, please acknowledgement the book and this blog, thank you:-  www.hitchinhertfordshire.blogspot.co.uk 

Old Hale Way School, Old Hale Way, Hitchin

The Bessemer School taken by Roy Allen in 1984

In June 1940 Old Hale Way School opened and Mr Ferrier and many of the senior teachers took the senior pupils from Wilshere-Dacre to their new school.  Mr Ferrier became head of the boys, Miss Dorothy Gunn MBE head of the girls.  Boys and girls were housed at separate ends of the new school. Some remember that the school itself was not quite complete when the children arrived in 1940.  Painting was still being carried out and the girls' cookery department had no cookers!

Mr H.V. Ferrier retired in 1952 and was succeeded by Mr George Hardwick.  In 1955 Old Hale Way School became known as The Bessemer School for Boys, named after Sir Henry  Bessemer (Inventor and engineer - born in Charlton).  The girls moved to a brand new building, Hitchin High School for Girls, on the Bedford Road, which was officially opened by the Queen Mother.  In 1974 Bessemer became Hitchin School and The High School became Bowes Lyon School, named after The Queen Mother. The 1976 intake saw both schools accepting pupils of both sexes.

In September 1988 Hitchin School and Bowes Lyon School amalgamated and became known as The Priory School.  Mr J. Legg became headteacher.  Both sites were used for some time including the Hitchin School's sports hall.  Over the next few years the Bedford Road site benefited from a £1.2 million  extension.  Eventually all the children moved to the Bedford Road site leaving the Old Hale Way site empty, never to be occupied by school children again.  Some time later the school in Old Hale Way, most lately known as Hitchin School, but to so many still called either Old Hale Way School or Bessemer, was demolished.  The land was bought by Westbury Homes and luxury modern houses were built there.  The road which runs through the estate is aptly named Bessemer Close.

The present (2015) head of the The Priory School is Mr G Edwards, and the school's website can be found HERE

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The above blog post is from my book, 'Hats off to Past, Coats off to the Future.' If you could acknowledgement the book and www.hitchinhertfordshire.blogspot.co.uk if you copy, that would be great. Thank you. Amanda.
***

My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.

Strathmore Infants' School, Old Hale Way, Hitchin

Strathmore Infant School - c.1950

In 1931 plans were made for an infant school to be built on the grounds of Wilshere-Dacre School in Fishponds Road, Hitchin. 

Although infant pupils arrived at Wilshere-Dacre in 1938, the extension to the school building never happened,  despite a petition in 1935 of around 500 residents in the Wilshere-Dacre neighbourhood, asking for a separate building for infants.  This left Wilshere-Dacre seriously overcrowded; even when the senior pupils departed to Old Hale Way School in 1940, there was still a real need for separate accommodation for infants. 

In 1949 Strathmore School opened.  Several names had been put forward for the new school, including the name of  'Balliol' which was suggested by the local historian, Reginald Hine.  Mr Hine wrote a letter to the local paper suggesting this name and reasons for his choice - he asked for other ideas.  Finally 'Strathmore' was chosen from the ideas put forward.

Miss Purser was at this time the head of the infants' department at Wilshere-Dacre.  In January 1949 she bade farewell to Wilshere-Dacre and took up the headship of Strathmore School taking with her her infant teachers and infant pupils.  Strathmore Infants'  School  was officially opened in October 1949 by Lady Allen of Hurtwood.

Miss Purser remained head of Strathmore until her retirement in 1959.  Miss Katherine Robinson succeeded her, followed by Mrs Du Mayne, (who later became Mrs Pope). The fourth head of Strathmore was Mrs Clare Gross who retired in 1993.  The  next head was Mrs Carol Arrowsmith, and the present head is Mrs Bernadette Holmes.

Strathmore Infant and Nursery School remain to this day closely linked with Wilshere-Dacre. The majority of infants who attend Strathmore continue their education at Wilshere-Dacre. 

The school website can be found HERE

***

The above blog post is from my book, 'Hats off to Past, Coats off to the Future.'   If you would like to copy the text or photograph on the internet, I'd be grateful if you could acknowledgement the book and www.hitchinhertfordshire.blogspot.co.uk. Many thanks.
***

My two novels can be read online for free, or by making a very small donation to Cancer Research.

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