I was tootling around my old home town the other day when I stumbled upon the building that grew to become my old school.
This is the beautiful 16th century house remodelled in 1631 as the grammar school that eventually spread along the road to become the educational quagmire that produced this lifelong Marxist and curmudgeon.
As you can see, the gable started to fall outwards in 1670 so they added the tie rods through the roofspace to keep it in one piece.That crest used to adorn my blazer and cap (and the cover of the satirical school magazine I co-authored there).
The old Sir John Leman Grammar remains in my opinion one of the world's most perfect and beautiful small buildings and I love it deeply. These days it houses the local museum and is well cared for. Yay!What's going on at your old school?
15 comments:
Great photos D. It is a wonderful building, and the museum has lots of your late uncle Eugene's work in from when he was the town's archivist. He as you know wrote so well for the local newspapers, maybe that is where you get some of your love of history books!
If you had gone round the back the view is wonderful, we must make a date to go view inside when you come over again..
Yes, the view out over the river valley is awesome. We shall have to go inside and poke around the museum one day soon.
Wow, that is a beautiful place and a far cry from the pitiful u-shaped buildings I schooled in.
I like that you actually have time to do some of these things with your Mum or.. whomever! Is your job still going well?
Hey, Shan! yes, things are still going well, thank you.
The guys at the office have finally bullied me into signing up for smegging Facebook so look out for a confused, middle-aged grumpy man stumbling around and bumping into things.
Hi, Dive. Those are beautiful buildings with great decorative brickwork. My old school is "only" 50 years old--a child compared to yours. The architecture....well, what architecture? Part of our 50th reunion activities is to visit the old school. I see no reason to do that.
Hi, Lupine Lady.
Yikes! Your school is younger than me!
I'm with you on old school reunions. I went to one a few years after I left school and everyone looked so OLD!
So now the only part of my old school I visit is this part as it is now a museum.
Yes, how is it that everyone else is so old and not me? Being old is better than being on the RIP list, tho.
Here's a link to a Swinton interview. Won't I Am Love be released soon to DVD?
http://screencrave.com/2010-06-18/interview-tilda-swinton-talks-i-am-love/
Thanks for the link, Lupine Lady. Yes, I Am Love is out on Monday over here and I've pre-ordered it from the Amazonians so I'm quivering in anticipation of it dropping onto my doormat pretty soon. Yay!
You NEVER fail to surprise me these days. Notify me ASAP when you join that- of-which- I-won't-speak (so I don't jinx anything). :D
Too late, Shan. Eek!
Fascinating to see your old school. Great building! And, it sounds like, fond memories.
My old school was a 3 story brick building that was torn down years ago to make way for a new school. Three generations of my family went to high school in the old building.
What a beautiful school. I don't remember much about my first school. The buildings were whitewashed and rather ugly. I do remember getting suspended in the first grade.
Ms.M: Ah, the curse of "progress." What a great shame about your school.
Neety: suspended? Woohoo! You rebel!
I wrote a personal narrative about the ordeal. I should dig it up and post it one day.
Oooooh, that would make a fun post.
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