Last updated at 16:37, Friday, 03 August 2012

CAROL Lamb’s look at life at the Green School Dalton, (Memories Page, July 20), prompted Ulverston’s Graham Postlethwaite to get in touch about his time at the school from 1948.

He writes: “I remember well Mrs Thomlinson, who lived on Skelgate, opposite the end of Buccleuch Street.

“There were lots of little cottages then but they were demolished in the early 1950s and the occupants were all re-housed on the ‘new estate’ near the cemetery.

“Now they would be considered a delight and all have preservation orders slapped on them, then they were considered as substandard and only fit for demolition.

“I can recall in the summer months lots of the occupants sitting on their steps, drinking tea and talking to one another up and down and across the street. There were no traffic problems then!

“The teacher of the infants was Mrs Ray (or Rae) and she had the classroom at the back, under the cliff face in the building on the left of the school (now the bedrooms of Chequers).

“There were three classrooms in that building.

“I cannot remember the teacher who had the middle one but do remember vividly the big stove, surrounded by a metal fence (for safety) that heated the classroom.

“It was lit by the caretaker who also tended the boiler for the main building which had a proper heating system.

“The end classroom, nearest the road was Mrs Collinson’s. She lived on Romney Park and amongst other things tutored the school’s percussion band which played in a concert at Ulverston Victoria School.

“I started on the drums and was steadily demoted through the instruments until I had something which did not have too much of an impact on the repertoire.

“Carol talked about Miss Hayes’ Party. It was not at Christmas but was in addition to Christmas and was, I think, on her birthday.

“She was then very old (perhaps in her 90s) and had been the school’s headmistress for many years.

“She paid for the treat. All we had to do was to take our own cup, plate and spoon. The spoon had to have a piece of coloured thread around it so that we would know which was ours.

“In the big building there was the dining room and the hall for morning assembly and it was where Mr Aitken had his desk.

“There was also a Rediffusion radio on the window sill by his desk and from time to time we listened to it as a class.

“Again there were three classrooms in the building. The front classroom – which is now the wedding chapel – was run by Mrs Brocklebank.

“She loved Kathleen Ferrier and took great delight in playing her records for us.

“In her room on one wall was a picture of Furness Abbey which had been painted by Mr Turner who lived in Ann Street. I thought it was ever so good and wonder whatever happened to it?

“The senior class was run by Mr Pierpoint he and his wife liked to caravan and for some time it was stored in the school playground.

“He came to the Green School during my time there from Urswick School. He took us for games lessons.

“If we were in the school yard we would get to use the school’s collection of gym shoes (we called them galoshes).

“They were black or brown with string for laces and all stored in a cupboard behind his desk. You were very lucky if you found two the same size and colour.

“If we were playing football, we walked in a long line to Railway Meadow in our football boots and school clothes. I don’t remember us ever having a strip.

“Mr Pierpoint encouraged us to read and introduced me to Arthur Ransom’s Swallows and Amazons and Richard Jefferies’ Bevis. Happy days!”

First published at 16:13, Friday, 03 August 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk