Norfolk School, Arbourthorne

[Guest wapntake]

How did the headmasters get to find these things out?. It wasnt as if they had CCTV or anything!!!. I suspect an inside informant!!.

I think it was an inside job, never found out who bubbled us. i don't think we thought about the consequences of our actions at the timedidn't, also we didn't think it would steam like that either. we were also lucky we didn't electrocute ourselves. didn't tell my mum because my dad would have had something to say as well.

[DaveH]

Didn't Paul and mac come up from Manor Lane school. It was mac that started me drinking and smoking, we once went on a trip to london with school when we were 15 and in our free time we went to a pub and he introduced me to a thing called beer. i spent my 16th birthday with him in Faces nightclub where i got really drunk and he gave me a cigar which started me moking, only gave up about 14 years ago, we used to have parties at mac's girlfriend Karen's house at Herdings when her parents went away, we got Party fours and party eights cans from the Cutlers Pub beer off. mac got them as he looked the oldest.

No, we lived on the Arbourthorne and Norfolk was our local school so Paul, like me and wayneybabes, went all the way through Norfolk from nursery to secondary school.

Dave Mac lived on Mordaunt Road, just off East Bank Road right next to Hurlfield school. I don't know which Junior school he went to but he went to Norfolk secondary, - had a lucky escape there didn't he? He should have gone to Hurlfield.

Neither me or my brother have ever smoked, and to be honest my brother has never really been much of a drinker either, certainly not as much as I drink, he is more into health and fitness.

[DaveH]

How did the headmasters get to find these things out?. It wasnt as if they had CCTV or anything!!!. I suspect an inside informant!!.

As a teacher I like to have a "spy in every class", a sort of "kid supergrass" working undercover for you.

It's amazing what you can find out and what kids will tell you "in confidence" (so as not to blow their cover and become a victim of bullying)

Most kids actually have a good sense of fairness, justice and the difference between right and wrong and will usually pass on information about kids they think are doing something wrong or unacceptable.

[Guest wapntake]

No, we lived on the Arbourthorne and Norfolk was our local school so Paul, like me and wayneybabes, went all the way through Norfolk from nursery to secondary school.

Dave Mac lived on Mordaunt Road, just off East Bank Road right next to Hurlfield school. I don't know which Junior school he went to but he went to Norfolk secondary, - had a lucky escape there didn't he? He should have gone to Hurlfield.

Neither me or my brother have ever smoked, and to be honest my brother has never really been much of a drinker either, certainly not as much as I drink, he is more into health and fitness.

i lived opposite Dave on East Bank Rd about 500 yards from Hurlfield School, i think Norfolk infants was the nearest to us at that time so i went there, as i've said all my family went all way through norfolk, I had a choice to go to hurlfield school after junior school if i wanted but i chose Norfolk as i had been there all my school life and all my friends went there as well and i'm glad i made that choice. I don't remember Paul in junior school we must have been in different classes, I know Dave came from manor lane junior school, before he lived on mordaunt road i think he lived in the old Montgomery pub which was on the Granville square roundabout where the car sales place is now which might explain why he went to manor lane. he also lived in the Ferwood Cottage at walkley, i think he moved up to arbourthorne when his dad died or his dad died shortly after moving up there, i never met his dad but his mum was a fantastic woman, she was the first woman i heard swear, she used to work behind the bar at faces nightclub on charles st which Dave and i frequented quite a lot as we didin't pay to get in or buy a drink all night. I think she died in 1979 (what a sad day that was) when we were both 18. she had been on holiday abroad (can't remember where) and she came back a bit poorly, she got quickly worse and died a short time after i think it was double pneumonia or something like that, legionaires disease was also mentioned as well. he got married shortly after and i was best man at his wedding. his wife and daughter still live in the same house.

[DaveH]

i lived opposite Dave on East Bank Rd about 500 yards from Hurlfield School, i think Norfolk infants was the nearest to us at that time so i went there, as i've said all my family went all way through norfolk, I had a choice to go to hurlfield school after junior school if i wanted but i chose Norfolk as i had been there all my school life and all my friends went there as well and i'm glad i made that choice. I don't remember Paul in junior school we must have been in different classes, I know Dave came from manor lane junior school, before he lived on mordaunt road i think he lived in the old Montgomery pub which was on the Granville square roundabout where the car sales place is now which might explain why he went to manor lane. he also lived in the Ferwood Cottage at walkley, i think he moved up to arbourthorne when his dad died or his dad died shortly after moving up there, i never met his dad but his mum was a fantastic woman, she was the first woman i heard swear, she used to work behind the bar at faces nightclub on charles st which Dave and i frequented quite a lot as we didin't pay to get in or buy a drink all night. I think she died in 1979 (what a sad day that was) when we were both 18. she had been on holiday abroad (can't remember where) and she came back a bit poorly, she got quickly worse and died a short time after i think it was double pneumonia or something like that, legionaires disease was also mentioned as well. he got married shortly after and i was best man at his wedding. his wife and daughter still live in the same house.

Thanks for the info there on Dave Mac Wapentake,

I didn't know most of that about him but I am sure that Paul would have done.

I frequntly met Dave Mac when he was with my brother and always thought he was a great kid.

We did after all get him to star in "Dr. Dave & Mr. Big" and it has been shown on TV since.

[Guest wapntake]

Thanks for the info there on Dave Mac Wapentake,

I didn't know most of that about him but I am sure that Paul would have done.

I frequntly met Dave Mac when he was with my brother and always thought he was a great kid.

We did after all get him to star in "Dr. Dave & Mr. Big" and it has been shown on TV since.

What was the Dr Dave and Mr Big, didn't know about that, when was it made is there any links where i can see it.

[DaveH]

What was the Dr Dave and Mr Big, didn't know about that, when was it made is there any links where i can see it.

I have mentioned it and other films previously and I thought I had put in links as well.

"Dr. Dave & Mr. Big" is an 8mm home movie made by me and my brother starring my brother Paul, Dave Mac and a kid he called "Wigger". It was filmed in September 1976 at my grandads house on the Herdings.

It was filmed silent but we added a soundtrack in 1981. It sat in my loft for years and Paul wanted me to try and copy it to video by filming from the screen, which I did in 2009. He put a copy of it on YouTube and within weeks was contacted by a film unit that made programmes for the BBC and they were making a series called "THE HOME MOVIE ROAD SHOW" and they wanted our film to be in it. It was shown on TV in a late night spot in August 2010.

I did do an entire topic about this on Sheffield History last year which includes links to the film, photos, related stories and another of our films "Joy Rider"

You can find all of that on this link

HOME MOVIE ROAD SHOW

But if you just want to watch the film with Paul and Dave Mac you can use this link instead

Dr. Dave and Mr. Big

[Guest wapntake]

I have mentioned it and other films previously and I thought I had put in links as well.

"Dr. Dave & Mr. Big" is an 8mm home movie made by me and my brother starring my brother Paul, Dave Mac and a kid he called "******". It was filmed in September 1976 at my grandads house on the Herdings.

It was filmed silent but we added a soundtrack in 1981. It sat in my loft for years and Paul wanted me to try and copy it to video by filming from the screen, which I did in 2009. He put a copy of it on YouTube and within weeks was contacted by a film unit that made programmes for the BBC and they were making a series called "THE HOME MOVIE ROAD SHOW" and they wanted our film to be in it. It was shown on TV in a late night spot in August 2010.

I did do an entire topic about this on Sheffield History last year which includes links to the film, photos, related stories and another of our films "Joy Rider"

You can find all of that on this link

HOME MOVIE ROAD SHOW

But if you just want to watch the film with Paul and Dave Mac you can use this link instead

Dr. Dave and Mr. Big

Thanks for that, i have never seen that before, was the other kid in it Phil Weston and where was it shot. i don.t remember Dave or Paul mentioning this before, this must have been our last year of school.

[DaveH]

Thanks for that, i have never seen that before, was the other kid in it Phil Weston and where was it shot. i don.t remember Dave or Paul mentioning this before, this must have been our last year of school.

Not sure who "Wigger" was, he was a friend of theirs that just happened to be available when we did the filming which had to be done quickly as it was late September and I was due back at university in early October. Whats more I had to develop and process the film myself before I went back.

"Wigger" lived down City Road on the Park Hill side of Granville Road in the Fitzwalter Road / Stafford Road / Ingram Road sort of area so he would definately have been a Manor Lane Junior School lad and that would probably make him a big mate of Dave Mac then.

If that fits the description of Phil Weston then it could well be him.

It was filmed at my grandfathers house at Morland Road, Herdings in September 1976.

Obviously based on "Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde" it was a part of Dave and Pauls "MacPiggy" humour. We had made a short test film, in colour, earlier in August during the 6 weeks holiday to try out various tricks and effects. This was just a set of unrelated short scenes using a range of camera effects but from this the 2 of them got the idea to make the film and wrote the storyline themselves using props from my grandads house which included his cloth cap and an empty bottle which had contained his heart tablets.

[Guest wapntake]

Not sure who "******" was, he was a friend of theirs that just happened to be available when we did the filming which had to be done quickly as it was late September and I was due back at university in early October. Whats more I had to develop and process the film myself before I went back.

"******" lived down City Road on the Park Hill side of Granville Road in the Fitzwalter Road / Stafford Road / Ingram Road sort of area so he would definately have been a Manor Lane Junior School lad and that would probably make him a big mate of Dave Mac then.

If that fits the description of Phil Weston then it could well be him.

It was filmed at my grandfathers house at Morland Road, Herdings in September 1976.

Obviously based on "Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde" it was a part of Dave and Pauls "MacPiggy" humour. We had made a short test film, in colour, earlier in August during the 6 weeks holiday to try out various tricks and effects. This was just a set of unrelated short scenes using a range of camera effects but from this the 2 of them got the idea to make the film and wrote the storyline themselves using props from my grandads house which included his cloth cap and an empty bottle which had contained his heart tablets.

I'm sure it was Phil Weston, he was a good friend of Daves and came with him from Manor Lane, i think you are right that he lived somewhere down the City Rd/Norfolk park area not entirely sure where, i remember Dave and him used to dodge the cross country runs around Norfolk Park now and then (and got away with it every time) and go to his house, they would then splash themselves with water to make it look like they were sweating and rejoin the run later, the teacher was only watching for kids taking short cuts accross the park not avoiding it completely, so he must have lived somewhere round there, I watched the Dr Dave and Mr Big also the ones from Paul's You Tube Channel, it was strange to see what they were like then after all this time, i don't think Paul's changed all that much. I have a photo of Dave and i from Butlins, Filey in 1977 in one of the little photo keychains somewhere, my first holiday without my mum and dad, we went with Dave's Girlfriend Karen and her parents, i was absolutely plastered every night, think i just went mad being let loose for the first time.

[DaveH]

I'm sure it was Phil Weston, he was a good friend of Daves and came with him from Manor Lane, i think you are right that he lived somewhere down the City Rd/Norfolk park area not entirely sure where, i remember Dave and him used to dodge the cross country runs around Norfolk Park now and then (and got away with it every time) and go to his house, they would then splash themselves with water to make it look like they were sweating and rejoin the run later, the teacher was only watching for kids taking short cuts accross the park not avoiding it completely, so he must have lived somewhere round there, I watched the Dr Dave and Mr Big also the ones from Paul's You Tube Channel, it was strange to see what they were like then after all this time, i don't think Paul's changed all that much. I have a photo of Dave and i from Butlins, Filey in 1977 in one of the little photo keychains somewhere, my first holiday without my mum and dad, we went with Dave's Girlfriend Karen and her parents, i was absolutely plastered every night, think i just went mad being let loose for the first time.

I think Dave's girlfriend Karen lived on Leighton Road, Herdings on the same row as my grandads only about 4 doors away (I would have to show you a map of street perpendicular terrace housing to explain how 5 addresses on Leighton Road can be on the same row (pavement) as 5 unrelated addresses on Morland Road) If so she would not have been a Norfolk girl, more likely to have gone to either Ashleigh, Newfield, Gleadless Valley or Rowlingstone secondary schools and Herdings Junior school.

[Guest wapntake]

I think Dave's girlfriend Karen lived on Leighton Road, Herdings on the same row as my grandads only about 4 doors away (I would have to show you a map of street perpendicular terrace housing to explain how 5 addresses on Leighton Road can be on the same row (pavement) as 5 unrelated addresses on Morland Road) If so she would not have been a Norfolk girl, more likely to have gone to either Ashleigh, Newfield, Gleadless Valley or Rowlingstone secondary schools and Herdings Junior school.

I think you're right, i remember getting off the 51 bus outside the Cutlers Pub and karens house wasn't far from there, i would think Dave met her from visiting your Grandads house, i know he was going out with her before we left school. Her parents were great as well a good laugh i think, her dad was a Policeman ( or used to be) he only died about 5 weeks ago he was in his 80's, her mum died i think in 1982 after a short illness (another sad day), i remember it was not long after i passed my driving test which was 1982. we had some good parties in that house and at one of them i met my very first girlfriend, After her mum died they moved to the Flats on Guilford View on the norfolk Park, I;m beginning to doubt my memory now and am unsure whether they moved before she died. we also had some good parties at their flat (after a session in the Vulcan first) as well, i once passed out in the bathroom after quite a large amount of alchohol and occupied the bathroom for a quite a while until i came round, never heard all the shouting and knocking on the door, it was a standing joke after that about making me a bed up in the bath.

[DaveH]

I think you're right, i remember getting off the 51 bus outside the Cutlers Pub and karens house wasn't far from there, i would think Dave met her from visiting your Grandads house, i know he was going out with her before we left school. Her parents were great as well a good laugh i think, her dad was a Policeman ( or used to be) he only died about 5 weeks ago he was in his 80's, her mum died i think in 1982 after a short illness (another sad day), i remember it was not long after i passed my driving test which was 1982. we had some good parties in that house and at one of them i met my very first girlfriend, After her mum died they moved to the Flats on Guilford View on the norfolk Park, I;m beginning to doubt my memory now and am unsure whether they moved before she died. we also had some good parties at their flat (after a session in the Vulcan first) as well, i once passed out in the bathroom after quite a large amount of alchohol and occupied the bathroom for a quite a while until i came round, never heard all the shouting and knocking on the door, it was a standing joke after that about making me a bed up in the bath.

Bad moving going into the Vulcan around 1982 (if you search my posts in other topics on here you will find out why. If you were on the Guildfords you should have gone to the Felbrigg instead, - it was my regular boozer at that time and any of my friends from the Guildfords went in there.

[Guest wapntake]

Bad moving going into the Vulcan around 1982 (if you search my posts in other topics on here you will find out why. If you were on the Guildfords you should have gone to the Felbrigg instead, - it was my regular boozer at that time and any of my friends from the Guildfords went in there.

We (dave and I) started going in the Vulcan when we were 16, it was a time when if you weren't in for before 7:30 you couldn't get a seat, we only went in the Fellbrigg on rare occasions, I classed the Vulcan as my local we also always went out in a suit and tie as well, i had some good nights in there, i even played Darts and Pool for them as well. we sometimes had afterbird as well some Saturday nights. i got donr in there one Saturday night two weeks after i was 18, drinking after time, i got done at 10:44 (the time on my charge sheet) how times change, i got fined seven pounds, a lot of money to me then. my only criminal conviction and believe it or not stops me doind Jury Duty,

[Guest wayneybabes]

We (dave and I) started going in the Vulcan when we were 16, it was a time when if you weren't in for before 7:30 you couldn't get a seat, we only went in the Fellbrigg on rare occasions, I classed the Vulcan as my local we also always went out in a suit and tie as well, i had some good nights in there, i even played Darts and Pool for them as well. we sometimes had afterbird as well some Saturday nights. i got donr in there one Saturday night two weeks after i was 18, drinking after time, i got done at 10:44 (the time on my charge sheet) how times change, i got fined seven pounds, a lot of money to me then. my only criminal conviction and believe it or not stops me doind Jury Duty,

Did you know Stan who used to run the footie team and played in the pool team?. He had longish hair, big belly and glasses?

[DaveH]

We (dave and I) started going in the Vulcan when we were 16, it was a time when if you weren't in for before 7:30 you couldn't get a seat, we only went in the Fellbrigg on rare occasions, I classed the Vulcan as my local we also always went out in a suit and tie as well, i had some good nights in there, i even played Darts and Pool for them as well. we sometimes had afterbird as well some Saturday nights. i got donr in there one Saturday night two weeks after i was 18, drinking after time, i got done at 10:44 (the time on my charge sheet) how times change, i got fined seven pounds, a lot of money to me then. my only criminal conviction and believe it or not stops me doind Jury Duty,

UNDERAGE DRINKING!!!!

If you search this forum for some of my earlier posts you will find that I was BARRED from the Vulcan for merely telling a barmaid that I was 21 when she asked my age. I was in fact 21 at the time but the landlord thought I was trying to be clever or trying to pull a fast one and deceided he didn't want me in his pub anyway.

[DaveH]

Did you know Stan who used to run the footie team and played in the pool team?. He had longish hair, big belly and glasses?

Of course when it comes to football The Vulcan and The Fellbrigg shared the common playing field which seperated them. These fields were also where Arbourthorne EA (stands for "Eastern Avenue") played in a Sunday league.

There are lots more details about Arbourthorne Playing Field in this link

Arbourthorne Playing Fields

[Guest wapntake]

Did you know Stan who used to run the footie team and played in the pool team?. He had longish hair, big belly and glasses?

You mean Stan (the man) Unwin as we used to call him, straggly blondish hair and glasses, wasn't he a ref for the Sunday football at some time i remember him telling some rather amusing stories about Sunday football and stories in general, he had quite a dry sense of humour, yes i knew him pretty well, i first met him when i was about 16 when i started going in the Vulcan Saturday nights, i remember my first impression of him, ordering a pint and a coke and the surprise was the pint went to his wife Mary (i think that was her name) and he had the coke, they had a daughter who's name escapes me at the moment. he used to take a lot of football tickets around all the time, there were quite a few characters in that pub, i think Mick and Maxine ran it at that time followed by Colin and Elaine i think (who later ran the Royal Oak at intake), i think it was Mick and Maxine who had it when i got done. there were also quite a few ex Norfolk Pupils who frequented it as well, The pub was always packed to the rafters at the weekend. and not to forget Vinnie the cockles and mussels seller who was very popular, i think he travelled all over at that time. I was once sat up top with my back to the bar and Vinnie turned and knocked 3 pints off a tray all down my back with his basket, never sat there again. I can't remember if Stan played for the Pool team when i did it was the mid eighties (approx 83-87) also i played in the darts team as well,(I played for the Carlton Club as well at that time.) The John Smiths League at Pool and the Park League at Darts. I later played pool for the Wyvern on Leighton Rd.

[Guest wapntake]

Of course when it comes to football The Vulcan and The Fellbrigg shared the common playing field which seperated them. These fields were also where Arbourthorne EA (stands for "Eastern Avenue") played in a Sunday league.

There are lots more details about Arbourthorne Playing Field in this link

Arbourthorne Playing Fields

When we were at school My younger brother and i were always on the playing fields Saturday afternoon playing football (along with loads of other kids), we once got that muddy my mum made us strip off in the porch before we could go in the house, there doesn't seem to be as many kids playing these days, maybe it's a sign of the times. Football was sometimes very difficult to me as i am as blind as a bat without my glasses. i just used to love playing it even though i was not very good. come to think of it i wasn't very good at most sports, probably due to the glasses factor.

[DaveH]

When we were at school My younger brother and i were always on the playing fields Saturday afternoon playing football (along with loads of other kids), we once got that muddy my mum made us strip off in the porch before we could go in the house, there doesn't seem to be as many kids playing these days, maybe it's a sign of the times. Football was sometimes very difficult to me as i am as blind as a bat without my glasses. i just used to love playing it even though i was not very good. come to think of it i wasn't very good at most sports, probably due to the glasses factor.

If wearing glasses makes you not very good at football, how does it affect your ability in darts, pool and model making?

Surely it would have a similarly adverse effect on these skills as well.

[DaveH]

Just been lent the official opening booklet from the school to scan in and put on here

enjoy peeps!!!

apologies for the image sizes

Just been having another look at this official opening ceremony booklet again wayneybabes.

What a brilliant little find that was, a real piece of school history.

It says the official opening was on Tuesday 6th July at 3pm.

As this was the "official opening" where members of the council come and have a nosey around and give themselves a pat on the back for spending public money so wisely on a new school, and as it was at the end of the school day we can assume that the school was already open to students and that teaching and learning was already taking place in the buildings by this date (after all there are photos of domestic science and woodwork classes).

Having been through an "official opening" at my own school after a "new rebuild" on the same site this is fairly common practice,-our school also opened "officially" in July (2003) and no one in their right mind would open a school up for the first time a few weeks before the 6 weeks holidays.

As school years are divided into 3 terms it would have opened at to students and staff at one of these points, so the most likely opening days would have been either

SEPTEMBER 1936, - the start of the new 1936 - 37 school year straight after a 6 week holiday.

JANUARY 1937, - start of the new year (1937) and start of the second term

MARCH - APRIL 1937 (EASTER), start of the final term just after Easter, we moved into our new school in Easter 2003 and the official opening was in July so this date would give the same timescale.

[DaveH]

Just been having another look at this official opening ceremony booklet again wayneybabes.

What a brilliant little find that was, a real piece of school history.

It says the official opening was on Tuesday 6th July at 3pm.

As this was the "official opening" where members of the council come and have a nosey around and give themselves a pat on the back for spending public money so wisely on a new school, and as it was at the end of the school day we can assume that the school was already open to students and that teaching and learning was already taking place in the buildings by this date (after all there are photos of domestic science and woodwork classes).

Having been through an "official opening" at my own school after a "new rebuild" on the same site this is fairly common practice,-our school also opened "officially" in July (2003) and no one in their right mind would open a school up for the first time a few weeks before the 6 weeks holidays.

As school years are divided into 3 terms it would have opened at to students and staff at one of these points, so the most likely opening days would have been either

SEPTEMBER 1936, - the start of the new 1936 - 37 school year straight after a 6 week holiday.

JANUARY 1937, - start of the new year (1937) and start of the second term

MARCH - APRIL 1937 (EASTER), start of the final term just after Easter, we moved into our new school in Easter 2003 and the official opening was in July so this date would give the same timescale.

We now also know from this document that the Headmasters / mistresses at the school at the time it opened were Man Ingell,Lass Marples and Lass Crozier (to use our later day form of address, - I'm sure at the time they were Mr. and Miss. or even "Sir")

I do know people who went to Norfolk that can remember a headmaster before Man Thompson and I am sure he was called Ingell.

[Guest wapntake]

If wearing glasses makes you not very good at football, how does it affect your ability in darts, pool and model making?

Surely it would have a similarly adverse effect on these skills as well.

The problem with me, sports and glasses was that i had to take them off to play, in football, cricket etc. i couldn't see the ball until it was right on top of me which put me at a great disadvantage, the cricket i was lucky if i lasted more than 3 balls (depending how good the bowler was), in football i couldn't see who i was passing to half the time, the sports where it didn't matter e.g running and other athletic events, due to my size and shape meant i was no good at those either, hence the reason why i was the last person to be picked when it came to picking sides for anything. i excelled at pub sports because i could actually see what i was doing as i could leave my glasses on. i must admit my vision has been impaired even with my glasses after a good session in the Vulcan,

[DaveH]

We now also know from this document that the Headmasters / mistresses at the school at the time it opened were Man Ingell,Lass Marples and Lass Crozier (to use our later day form of address, - I'm sure at the time they were Mr. and Miss. or even "Sir")

I do know people who went to Norfolk that can remember a headmaster before Man Thompson and I am sure he was called Ingell.

2 other interesting bits from that old document, -

FIRSTLY it refers to the "Disabled Unit" as a "Centre for the partially sighted", implying that originally that corridor was just a blind school.

That's not how I remember it, -it was for kids with all sorts of disabilities.

There were kids with legs in calipers that had cleary fallen victim to the 1950's polio epidemic to get in that state because the timing of the epidemic with their age compared to mine would be about right.

My friend Elaine wasn't blind but she was deaf and dumb and she went to the unit.

My other friends Gary and Peter had physical disabilities caused by, in one case hydrocephalis and in the other by meningitus at a very young age, and they both went there as well.

SECONDLY it mentions "a seperate block with a dining hall and kitchen suite" for the use of these partially sighted students.

Now when I was there the disabled kids did eat seperately in their own corridor in one of those big rooms. They would have to pass through the junior school to get to the seperate dining block and we as Juniors never saw them pass through. I am also sure that some of those poor unfortunate disabled kids were so severely handicapped that they would not be capable of feeding themselves.

Now I always, from starting the Juniors upwards, used the school kitchens where my aunties worked and the seperate dining room building. I know ex students older than myself who seem to remember a time before there was a seperate kitchen / dining room, when meals were brought in a van from a central kitchen service and served (often cold by the time they arrived) in the normal classrooms to be eaten there.

According to this opening booklet the kitchen / dining room has always been there from day 1 of the school opening, and it has always struck me that it is in fact built in the same red brick and 1930's style of the rest of the school.

So just how long has the dining block been there? ..and how has it's use changed?

Has it been there from day 1 but initially it was only for the use of disabled (blind and partially sighted) kids?

The nursery school occupies the equivalent corridor to the disabled corridor on the other block (referred to as A and B in the booklet, but either as Infant and Junior or as Cradock Road and Brimmesfield Road by us) and this had its own kitchen to provide seperate meals for the nursery as it was required to give nursery age children a breakfast, a dinner and for them to have an afternoon nap on a folding camp bed straight after dinner. I am sure the disabled unit probably had some matching kitchen set up. The infant school had its own little kitchen and dining room too, which took the place of the 2 classrooms which looked out into their top yard alongside the nursery.

[Guest wayneybabes]

You mean Stan (the man) Unwin as we used to call him, straggly blondish hair and glasses, wasn't he a ref for the Sunday football at some time i remember him telling some rather amusing stories about Sunday football and stories in general, he had quite a dry sense of humour, yes i knew him pretty well, i first met him when i was about 16 when i started going in the Vulcan Saturday nights, i remember my first impression of him, ordering a pint and a coke and the surprise was the pint went to his wife Mary (i think that was her name) and he had the coke, they had a daughter who's name escapes me at the moment. he used to take a lot of football tickets around all the time, there were quite a few characters in that pub, i think Mick and Maxine ran it at that time followed by Colin and Elaine i think (who later ran the Royal Oak at intake), i think it was Mick and Maxine who had it when i got done. there were also quite a few ex Norfolk Pupils who frequented it as well, The pub was always packed to the rafters at the weekend. and not to forget Vinnie the cockles and mussels seller who was very popular, i think he travelled all over at that time. I was once sat up top with my back to the bar and Vinnie turned and knocked 3 pints off a tray all down my back with his basket, never sat there again. I can't remember if Stan played for the Pool team when i did it was the mid eighties (approx 83-87) also i played in the darts team as well,(I played for the Carlton Club as well at that time.) The John Smiths League at Pool and the Park League at Darts. I later played pool for the Wyvern on Leighton Rd.

Thats the man. Stan and Mary are my mum and Dad!!. Stan (Pat is his proper name, the vulcan players named him Stan after the comedian Stan Unwin) hardly drinks alcohol so the story you told amused me ). He still has the same sense of humour though his jokes do get boring after about the thousandth time youve heard them!!. The daughter you spoke of i presume was our Tracy. Did she have dark hair?. Stan has been a director at the Sheffield F.A. now for over 20 years.

The landlords colin and elaine's surname was clover and you are quite correct, they did move to the Royal Oak at Intake. They had a daughter called Tracy and two sons, Martin and Matthew.

Our Tracy played for the Vulcan ladies darts team in the mid eighties and my Aunt Ann also played for them. My Aunt had a strange throwing style so if you ever saw her you would remember.