Gleadless County School / Manor Library

[JohnJay]

Does anyone remember Miss Varney at Gleadless County School. She was my firts teacher in 1959/60. A lively lady who must be in her 70s now... depressing thought! Also Mr Spurr the school's headmaster who was tragically killed in a road accident during my time at the school. Kids I remember include Graham Firth, Melvin Stirr, Elizabeth Fail, Janet Brown, Della Freeston, Elizabeth Saxton, Alan Thorpe, Philip Bell, Terry Gibbon, Valerie Marsh, Andrea Lancaster, Karen South, Andrew and David Spencer, Steven Turner, Shaun Thwaites, Steve Coates, Stephen Green, Jill Nettleship, Yvonne Davy, Gary Wells, Robert Ives. In summer the lads used to build a dam in the stream in Hollinsend Rec that ran outside the school, behind the prefabs and create a flood on Hollisnend Road... if we were lucky!!

 

Also, does anyone remember Beryl the librarian in the Childrens Library at Manor Top. She married a spaniard and her new name was Mrs Bonet I think. She was a smashing lady.

[Andy the dj]

I went to Gleadless infant school and Gleadless middle school,

it was a little later than you, i started in in 1970 aged 5.

Mr Barratt was the head master then,miss varney seemed to do everything and run everything even the assemblies.

The new pe/assembly block had just been built in the corner of the play ground.

Miss Thompson was my first teacher I was there about two weeks when i caugh chickin pox and had to have about three weeks off school.

other teachers i remember are

 

Mr. Higgins (Pottery/maths)

 

Mr Scholey (he was over 7ft) and shouted very loud he also took us for pe. and played the guitar.

 

Mrs Hyde-who retired and her daughter took over (Mrs Marsh)

she took us for music lessions and played the piano in the christmas concerts.

 

Mr and Mrs. Newsome

Mr Greenwood

Mr Ellerby

Miss Movley

Madam West (the french teacher)

Mrs Giddings.

Mrs Lea

 

 

I had just started there when the school had their first TV. a small Black and white set. we watched in one of the class rooms one a week (we watched a prog. called Sam on Boffs island.(words and Pictures) There was w book to go with the prog.

the school also had two mobile class rooms in Gleadless park you had to walk over a little bridge from the play ground to get in to the park. the teacher was Mrs clark.

 

my favourit teacher was Mr greenwood.

but i had my first crush on Miss North ,(aged about 7.)(cried when she left to get married.)

[Andy the dj]

Kids i remember at Gleadless are:(From the 70'S)

Gary Oxley,Gary Middleton,John Roy,Ashley Charlsworth,David Maw,Andrew Speight,Jeff and Tony Dawes,Mark Broomhead,Ronnie Singleton,John Woodhead,Richard Birks,Christopher Hawley,Graham Knight,Conal Noble,Stewart Smith,Steven Osbourne,Julie Yates,Sarah Roath,Alison Tottie,Rebeca Goodinson, Fay Wild,Susan Atkinson,Youlanda Shumsky,Mirriam Gunthorpe,Gillian Scott,karen Pinkney,Julie Jackson

[gary in NZ]

I saw on a post somewhere recently that Mr Iosson, who I had in my last year at GCS in 1970/71was still around a couple of years ago, 5 years off his century, that teacher was one of the best.

[zakes]

Gleadless County School / Manor Library.

 

My sister went to this school about 10 years after yourselves. We lived at the time in Crossland Drive but that's enough about her.

Reading through the posts on this thread I noticed two names I recognised.

 

1. Gary Wells.

Gary lived at nr.1, Crossland Place in the Vic Hallam houses, and he played at times football with us lot in Hollinsend Park on Sundays. He was also on the odd occasion my pal of the day which must have pleased him no end. I think he was an only child.

 

2. Della Freeston.

Della who's real name was Doris (I think) lived at 924 Gleadless Road opposite but just past the long row of shops. Elam's, Lewis's, George's, National Westminster Bank, Pauline's Hairdressers etc. Della had long black hair and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She'll be about 58 now and I last saw her about 1972 and she looked fab in her tight black jeans. Yes I fancied her!

 

3. The only connection I ever had with Manor Library was the time I haif inched a couple of spanners out of someone's spanner pouch (bag) on their bicycle. Huh!

[paris_tgirl]

Gleadless Infants & Juniors was my first school too.

[mikep57]

went to Hollinsend school way way way back in 1937 Strict dicipline but some good teachers. We used to look forwards to friday afternoons when we were taken on nature walks down Jaunty Lane. Very rural, no Welwyn Road, no Basegreen, just a derilict house halfway down at the bottom of the long drive to Furniss farm. Then down to the bottom to the 'cat and dog pond' to collect frogspawn to keep in the classroom. Happy days!

[athy]

I was at Gleadless County in 1960 but I don't remember Miss varney. Mr. Iosson was my class teacher for my last two years - as noted above, one of the best. When I first joied the school Mrs. Bell was my teacher, then Mr. Slater (nice chap, bald, wore horn-rimmed glasses, smoked a pipe). I may have missed somebody out. Other teachers I remember were Mr. Spir the headmaster, Miss Wild (who seemed to live up to her name, as small children we were afraid of her) and a young lady whose maiden name I can't remember but who got married and became Mrs. Shanahan. I vividly remember building dams in the stream which ran behind the school - my classroom was right next to it when I was in Mr. Iosson's class.

 

Classmates I can remember (in no particular order, as they say on the telly) were my friend John Hall; "Blob" Gregory; Nigel Needham; Margaret Auger and her inseparable friend (Rosalind?); Leonard Goodair; Malcolm Jermy; Terry Shinn; Andrew Dorling; Bonita Hodgson; Stephen Taylor (?); Rodney Ellis; Billy Harling; and a girl I had a right crush on when I was about eight, Barbara Douthwaite. I can see other faces but can't put names to them. I also remember a Roger Freeston, perhaps the brother of somebody mantioned in an earlier post?

If any of those are on this forum I would enjoy hearing from them. You may remember me as "Mouse" (because my name is Michael, which became Micky, which became Mouse).

 

---------- Post added 27-11-2013 at 13:38 ----------

 

I've remembered a few more: a round-faced, brown-haired girl called Susan Briers; a boy called Dennis Cadman; a big lad called Tony Roy; and the blonde bombshell of the class, Catherine Clark. Oh, and David Froggatt who was the best footballer in the school. I wonder if he was related to Redfern Froggatt who was a star of the Sheffield Wednesday team about that time. That's about half the class accounted for; surely some of them look in here from time to time? Paul Maine I remember because he was a neighbour (we lived in Gleadless Avenue, he was round the corner in Gleadless Drive) but he was in the year above me.

It's a pity that, as far as I remember, we never had class or school photos taken. I have form photos from both the grammar schools which I attended afterwards (King Ted's, then Ashby-de-la-Zouch Boys' Grammar after my dad, a teacher at Woodhouse Grammar, got a new job and we moved house), but not of Gleadless.

I also remember the caretaker Mr. Lancaster. There was usually a big pile of coke in the yard with which he stoked the boilers; we used to love running up and down it, and he used to chase us off. We also loved making slides in the front school yard in the winter, and the miserable so-and-so would come along with salt and melt them all. I suppose he was only following orders.

[Mrich]

Definately remember Miss Varney. She used to walk around the playground at lunchtime singing to herself. I don't know why that has stuck so strongly in my mind but it has. Mr Ellerby - didn't he get married to Miss Crofts? Oh and Mr Thraves, looked like Ralph Coates of Tottenham Hotspurs with his comb-over. Mr Iosson, top man, so quiet in a way, flew for the RAF in WW2 and still going I think. Good school.

[athy]

I think you must have been there a bit later than me, as I remember only Mr. Iosson of all those names. I left in 1960.

I've remembered yet more names from my old class: David Crapper - not a name which is easily forgotten, but I did until now. Also a lad called Trevor Anderson who was so thin that he looked as if his arms and legs were made of matcksticks. He and I were quite friendly for a while.

Then there was David Bower who had a passion for insects - each day he seemed to have a new specimen of beetle of whatever which he brought to school in a matchbox. I wonder if he is a leading entomologist nowadays. He once brought in a colorado beetle which he said that he was taking to the police station after school, as they would give him a reward for it. I have no idea if that is true, but apparently these beetles were threatening Britain's potato harvest at that time.

 

Surely some of these people are out there? Michael "Mouse" Atherton would love to hear from you!

 

Some people may also remember my late Dad, who taught English at Woodhouse Grammar School from about 1950 until he left to take a deputy headship in 1962. he finished up as headmaster of a school in Burton on Trent until he retired about 1979.