BLUECOAT SCHOOL
Derrick Porter
In article <19970928092...@ladder02.news.aol.com>,
JANETHESKI <janet...@aol.com> wrote:
> Those who were interested in the Bluecoats School might like to read
> the following which appeared in this weeks copy of the Times Educational
> Supplement :
> City of London workers deserted their posts to watch the rare
> spectacle of the whole of CHRIST'S HOSPITAL SCHOOL, founded in 1552,
> marching from St Pauls's to lunch at Guildhall in full school uniform to
> mark the centenary of the school's move to Horsham, West Sussex. The
> 850 girls and boys wear ankle length Tudor "housie" coats , breeches or
> skirts and knee-high canary socks. this striking garb is no starnger to
> cricket buffs as the school's band regularly entertains them at Lord's
> during a Test match lunch break. Presumably the "housie" coats are blue.
I don't like to argue with the TES, but someone has got their facts
a bit wrong here. The school was founded in London in 1552 but didn't
move from London to Sussex until 1902, so there are a few years to go
before it is time to celebrate the centenary of the move.
What was observed was almost certainly the annual St Matthew's day
celebration, which is held a few days after returning to school in
September. In my time (about 50 years ago) somewhat more than half of
the school would go up to London by train and then march behind the
band from London Bridge station to St Sepulchre's for a church service
- a tradition dating back to the foundation of the school. The school
would then form up again and march to the Mansion House to be received
by the Lord Mayor where "other ranks" would be given a shilling by the
Lord Mayor (I still have some of mine), an event which was then
followed by a buffet lunch in the Egyptian Hall.
Returning to a genealogical theme ... if anyone has an ancestor who
went to Christ's Hospital - some recent archives are held at the
School, older ones at the Guildhall Library.
--
___________________________________________________________________________
Derrick G Porter dgpo...@argonet.co.uk
..... in deepest Sussex Tel: +44 1798 81 2383
Researching ..... Porter/BDF/C18th; Pluck/ESS/C18th; Pluck/LND/C19th
Henderson/DON(IRL)/C18th-C19th
___________________________________________________________________________
Sun,28 Sep 1997.17:00:43
JANETHESKI
Those who were interested in the Bluecoats School might like to read the
following which appeared in this weeks copy of the Times Educational
Supplement :
City of London workers deserted their posts to watch the rare
spectacle of the whole of CHRIST'S HOSPITAL SCHOOL, founded in 1552,
marching from St Pauls's to lunch at Guildhall in full school uniform to
mark the centenary of the school's move to Horsham, West Sussex. The 850
girls and boys wear ankle length Tudor "housie" coats , breeches or skirts
and knee-high canary socks. this striking garb is no starnger to cricket
buffs as the school's band regularly entertains them at Lord's during a
Test match lunch break.
Presumably the "housie" coats are blue.
Janet Heskins