Old boys revisit school days

Former pupils of the Minster Grammar School, Southwell, recalled their school days at a reunion on Friday.

Around 50 former pupils of the boys’ school met for lunch in The Refectory, Southwell Minster’s café and shop, which was once their science laboratory.

They toured the Minster Chambers that was the main school building and now houses a tourist information office, Trebeck Hall, which is now used as offices but was the school’s song school and then visited the new Minster School on Nottingham Road.

The reunion was organised by Mr John Watts of Station Road, Edingley, who was at the grammar school from 1940-48 and achieved his school certificate and higher education certificate while there.

Mr Watts said at that time there were around 140 boys, including 30 boarders, at the school.

“Everybody knew everybody else which is different compared to the present Minster School where there are 1,600 students,” he said.

“The school was run on very strict lines. No one, for example, was allowed to mention girls.”

School fees for the day boys were 13 guineas a year, the equivalent today of around £2,500.

“It wasn’t a school for the rich,” said Mr Watts. “It was local traders and farmers’ sons who attended it and I was always very grateful to be getting a secondary education.”

Mr Watts said during the second world war many of the teachers were called up to serve in the armed forces but the school coped well with temporary staff.

“I remember that we came out for break one day and saw a dogfight in the sky above the school between German and British planes.

“We were all stood staring at it before the master called us in because it wasn’t safe because of falling shrapnel.”

Mr Watts said the contrast with the new Minster School was amazing.

“It is enormous inside,” he said. “It was completely mind-boggling for an old gentleman.”

After he left school Mr Watts worked on his parents’ farm in Edingley before retiring ten years ago.

Mr Willis Brown (90) of New Hall Lane, Edingley, was at the grammar school from 1928-38 when there were just 59 pupils.

“We used to play other schools at sports like rugby and cricket and even though the school was so small we managed to hold our own,” he said.

He said a typical school day began at 9am with a service in Southwell Minster. There were four lessons before lunch with a 15-minute break at 11am. The school day finished at 4pm.

The boys studied English, maths, science, history, geography, French, Latin, Greek and music.

Mr David Doxey (79) of Main Road, Calverton, was a chorister who boarded at the school from 1938-47.

He said: “We lived a somewhat monastic life because it was an all boys’ school and we weren’t allowed out of the school grounds after 5pm unless we were going to music lessons in the town. The masters were very strict and they had Victorian values.”

Mr Doxey recalled taking part in a spring concert.

“My parents came to watch me and afterwards I was presented with a piece of music with an inscription from the music teacher saying how well I had done,” he said.

The Minster Grammar School amalgamated with the Edward Cludd Secondary School in 1976 to become the Minster Comprehensive School.