Memories of Pitsmoor

[Kidorry 189]

Ponsonby, did the teacher, Mr Fearneough, you are referring to, teach metalwork at Burngreave Secondary Modern? I hope you appreciate I have given 'Burny' its full title.

 

Yes. He taught metalwork when I was there 1948-52.Mr.Cherry was the woodwork teacher.

[darra 10]

Yes, Hancocks was on the corner of Andover St and Rock Street and had a smell of parafin when you walked in.

Mr Hancock I remember him well being tall thin with grey hair and always wore a gray smock.

 

Remenber him well used to check batteries and bulbs before he sold them to you

[darra 10]

Hi Texas,

 

I think there were four classrooms with the stepped floor, two at each end of the school in sort of wings/extensions to the building.

 

Do your remember how high the windows were? So you couldn't look out unless you were standing on the desk.

 

Also how thick the walls were? One of those classrooms - maybe all of them - had caupboard built right into the wall with a sliding door.

 

A few things that you may also remember:

 

The floor in the (upstairs) hall was at two different levels: the Grey Street end of the hall was higher than the other end, only by a couple of inches. Both floors were level but where they came together in the middle, there was a sloping section about three feet long to correct for the difference.

 

Its possible the upstairs may have been run as two different schools (girls and boys) at sometime in the past. They may have only discovered the difference in floor levels when the took down a wall or divider to make it one school.

 

Another thing when I was there was the old piano with the big cast iron wheels in the middle so it could be moved around.

 

You will remember that because there was no music room as such, the boys in their last year used to have to move it from class rooms at one end of school to ones a the other end or into the hall for a special assembly. When the kids were moving it and there were no teachers around, some of them really got it going.

 

Also, do you remember the short corridor with sinks where the dinner ladies used do all the washing-up. It always smelt of gas around there. Suprised there was never an explosion.

 

Regards

 

Remember the stepped classrooms well I used one when I was in Miss Wheelers class. Imagine if you are stood on Gray Street looking at the front of the school ours was at the back right hand corner.

[Texas 10]

It was a Mr Needham who taught woodwork when I was there Kidorry . Mr Fearneough, man, I broke his heart.

[Kidorry 189]

I left in `52.Mr.Scawcroft was the headmaster & Miss King was his secretary.Do you remember a big Jamaican lad called King who was an expert with the catapult.He lived on Burngreave Rd. beside the catholic church.

[swervin 10]

i remember neddy bubble,he used to put a length of 3" by 2" across the first 2 woodwork benches,he was always leanning on it,when he was out of the room we partially saw'd through it he went arse over t-- not a very happy chapie. hee hee

[graystreet 10]

Remenber him well used to check batteries and bulbs before he sold them to you

 

Some more memories of Hancocks shop, remember the penny tray, covered with clear plastic, they would sell single jammy dodgers 1p, 4 black jacks/fruit salad chews 1p, gob stoppers, even lozenges, remember them? brown oblong tablets with the corners off.(too hot for me as a kid)

I also remember they would'nt sell you certain items on Sundays unless you had a shopping bag.

[Redfyre 10]

Re Burngreave School in the very early 1950s, has anyone any memories of the headmaster Scowcroft --a little balding man. Also Jasper Holdsworth --he was a good teacher, 4A. Can anyone remember the name of the teacher of 3B in 1951-53 period. He was a young guy with fair hair, always grinning, but lethal when you got the wrong side of him! I remember a lad called Parrott, well-built lad, having a right old ding dong with this teacher.

[Redfyre 10]

I now recall the name of the teacher in 3B at Burngreave in 1952. It was Keith or Ken Guyler. Anybody know what became of him?

[swervin 10]

was'nt he the caretaker from please sir ohhhh yessssss o no tha was derek hee hee

[pitsmoorboy 17]

was'nt he the caretaker from please sir ohhhh yessssss o no tha was derek hee hee

 

Showing your age now Mel.

 

You can't buy a box of chocolates for Sixpence.

[Falls 10]

I left in `52.Mr.Scawcroft was the headmaster & Miss King was his secretary.Do you remember a big Jamaican lad called King who was an expert with the catapult.He lived on Burngreave Rd. beside the catholic church.

 

Hi,

 

You must have been there when I was there. I left at Christmas 1951.

 

Scowcroft and Miss King I remember. Then there was Mr. Holdsworth - my last teacher in Room 52, Mr. Snell, the two Mr Thomas', Mr. Andrews, John Holden, Ken Rawlins and a whole bunch more.

 

Mr Fearneough taught metal work in the prefab out in the top school yard (first used in Sept.1948). Messers Needham and Holly taught woodwork in the shops on the bottom corridor.

 

Remember Fred Shaw, the art teacher. he left at the end of 1951 to teach at Carfield Intermediate (which then became Rowlinson). I used to see him quite often after I left Burny as his parents lived close to my aunt.

 

I know the school's correct title was "Burngreave Secondary Modern" but "Stalag Burngreave" was also popular in my day. It also had a bunch of other names which I won't repeat.

 

PS. I dont remember a kid called King. The biggest one I remember was Trevor Price in my class.

 

Regards