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Finsbury Road

Finsbury Road school:a window on the world

By Janis Ravenett

For the children of 1940s Hanover, Finsbury Road School was our window on the world. The entrance was two doors away from where we lived and I couldn't wait to be old enough to go there. Bert went a whole year ahead of me and I was green with envy...

The infants' department had a separate entrance in Southover Street and to this heaven on earth my Mum was going to take me the very next morning... Apart from the wonderful smell of chalk dust and warm milk, the only clear memory of my first day is playing in the sand table and watching fascinated as lots of tiny low tables were set up at the other end of the vast room. Only when the teacher said, "Come along now, it's time to lie down," did I realise that they were in fact canvas folding beds.

This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

I went to Finsbury Road Junior School from 1948 to 1951. The teachers in those days had returned from the War if they were men or women. We had a superb headmaster, Mr Brown, who lived by the famous 'Pepperpot' with a monkey tree in his garden. I was selected to read the Bible at morning assemblies (a duty which caused me trouble with my friends). The school is sadly now gone.

By Bob Munro (07/08/2006)

I attended Finsbury Road Infants and Juniors from 1933 to 1940 when I passed the 'scholarship' for Varndean. I was the School Bell monitor until 1940 when the ringing of bells came to be the signal of a German Airborne invasion. I have tried in vain to discover if the bells were ever rung again after the war or if I had the honour of being the last Bell Monitor. Old Daddy Brown was also the Juniors headmaster at that time. I have published my biography which of course covers this early wartime in Brighton. Anybody interested just do a Google on my name Alf Commons + 'From the Ground Up'.

By Alf Commons (30/08/2007)

I also attended this school and recall the laydown time, also the spoonful of cod liver oil and orange juice we were given. I have a photo of my classes harvest festival some time between 1950 -53.

By John Johnson (06/01/2008)

I also remember cod liver oil, but we were given it with a spoonful of malt in 1947 onwards and we all shared the same spoon. No wonder we all got colds so easily in those days.

By Pamela Carpenter now Mellish (15/04/2008)

I spent a wonderful time at FinsburyRoadSchool; I remember the sleep time. plus I was chosen to play Christopher Robin. The years were 1950 to 1960, by then it became St Lukes Secondary School.

By Colin Taylor (28/11/2008)