Bewerley Street

Not his actual car

In the good old days, it was a three tier school system and from about 7 years old to 11 yrs old, I went to Bewerley Street Junior School until I left to go to 'Matthew Muck' and I thinking back these were the happier times of my school days. 

I do remember My Llewellyn, Mrs Rhodes (see the class pics) and Mr Blakeborough the Headmaster who had a love for the outdoors, and drove a Morris Minor Traveller, (a type of moggy 1000 estate car with wood trim around the windows). It was in this car that a few of us went to the school holiday in the Lake District. Staying at the Newlands Valley Holiday Fellowship (coincidentally, Newlands Valley Farm was where we camped with my parents each year (another blog entry later I think).


Other memories of this school was the 'Old Time Dancing', we used to have a lesson each week, and believe it or not, (and those who know me will not believe it)  I was in the 'demonstration team'. 


Of course (don't be shocked), I was also in the Cricket Team and we did quite well, in our first game in the Junior League, we beat Cottingley, we bowled them all out for a duck. 

We had a star bowler Gary Reynolds (I think), then later in the Cup, they beat us on their home ground. (I remember going for a catch and falling down the grass banking- base over apex.....missed the ball as well.


Sports Day at Colton Cricket Ground (more sports). We all looked forward to this, the only thing I ever won was the Sack Race, that's because everyone sat down in their sacks and on GO, you got up and hopped to the finish line...Well as I had done this before, I jumped up and got going, all the others started to shuffle along the ground...nobody had explained the rules......


Oh sports again.... we had a sort of Athletics competition with other schools (hosted at ours) could have been called the Schofield Trophy, all indoors, Cricket ball throwing, hop skip and jump, 2 strides and jump, long jump and high jump. It was practising the high jump where I sprained my arm (not broken), but I have cleared the target height of 3ft 6 inch. 


People I remember, Paul Thornton (re met up with Paul some years later), Gary Reynolds, John Barton, (all these are on the Cricket Pic)  We all thought John Barton's family was rich, as his mum brought him to school in the car.......


Good times....the best I think.......enough of learning here.....lets get to High School....ohh.....Comprehensive School for me, I did not pass the 11 plus...in fact I had no idea what the 11 plus was at the time...I might have done better....