Memories of ex QC Julian Tromans [1955-1965]
My earliest memories of Queen's College was at 'The Mount' Red Hill. I remember being in a classroom with a huge bay window with wooden desks and seats. My sister and I travelled from Quinton every day on the Midland Red Bus 130 to the Vauxhall Bus Depot in Stourbridge. When we walked up Church Street from the Vauxhall Depot to the school we were told that Mr Johnson Ball could see all we were doing from his lookout window in the house - so I always wore my cap. Our playground was at the back in a paved courtyard area - the older boys played in a wide driveway at the side of the house.
From 1958 we travelled to Prescot House from Stourbridge - Every day we caught a special single decker Midland Red Bus at the Vauxhall Depot and travelled to Prescot House - sometimes [completely against the rules] we used to catch the train from Stourbridge Station to the junction at the bottom of Chawn Hiil and walk up the hill to school [It cost more than the bus but the train journey was great fun]. It cost 1d to catch the Midland Red bus. Sometimes we walked all the way from the bus depot across to fields and up Chawn Hill to school - we then had 1d to spend at the tuck shop that day.
My earliest memory of Queen's College at Prescot House is being in Miss Young's Class opposite the Kindergarten Class - she sat at the front on a high desk. I remember the cupboards in the room were full of small empty boxes - we used these for art & craft lessons.The door behind Miss Young's desk was [I learned later] the Butler's Pantry - a small room leading onto an outer room and into the Servant's Corridor. Around this time I remember being dressed in a robe, tea towel over head and burnt cork rubbed on my chin - a Christmas Play? - I had to follow an older boy and we had to stand in line, with four others, on the white marble staircase - the one and only time I was allowed on those stairs. I remember looking up and seeing a huge glass window [skylight] high up in the ceiling which let the sunshine cascade down over the white marble. Our playground was just outside the classroom - an oblong walled area of tarmac edged with a dirt border. I remember one day lobbing lumps of newly turned earth sods with my mates - they exploded like real hand grenades on the tarmac - it did make a mess - needless to say we got in to trouble - but nobody ever asked what we were playing! [I remembered this many years leter when I was Deputy Head in Primary Schools - I always asked children, brought to me for wrong doings, what exactly was the game they were playing - it solved many a mystery as to why they were perceived to be behaving so badly - one particular incident involved two 9 yr old boys being brought charged with 'trying to damage the field fence and trying to get out on to the public road'........... in their war game they had been captured and they were pretending to be 'prisoners escaping from prison camp'. Another incident involved three 5 yr olds who were marched to my office charged with throwing stones at the Staff cars in the car park.........one of them had been trying to demonstrate his scientific knowledge to the others that stones bounce off rubber [in this case Staff car tyres].
The next Teacher I remember at Prescot House is Miss Winbow [who always had a black stick tucked under her arm - to wrap your knuckles] - the classroom was next to the Staff Room in the old servant's quarters upstairs. The next teacher I remember is Mrs V. Partridge. Softly spoken and easy going - I enjoyed her class. Next was, I think, Mr H Beresford's class. During the latter years I remember Mr E Winkworth taking us for craft [design technology today]; Johnson Ball taking us for Technical Drawing [in the Drawing Room] and Miss Fletcher [Deputy] taking us for History and Penmanship. At some time I remember a footballer being on the Staff who took us for sport - but cannot remember his name or team. There were a number of Teachers who took us for music includung Mrs A Smith [with whom I later taught with at Oldswinford Primary School in the late 1970's] and a Mr Smith [no relation] and another music teacher who owned a shop nearby.
To get to the upstairs classrooms at Prescot House we had to climb a winding stone staircase at the base of which was the door to the cellars leading to the air raid shelters porported to be under the lawns - at the top of these stairs, illumiated by a huge glass skylight, to the left, were four classrooms and the Staff Room - opposite was a small staircase behind a half glazed door leading to the stock room - to the right a corridor led to green doors leading to the 'Library' and Dr. Johnson Balls' apartments - immediately right at the top of the stairs were the girls toilets [the boys toilets were outside and across the yard to an outside loo beyond the yard's large Green Doors]. There were large Green Doors at either end of the large yard which housed the original stables and coach houses.The yard was the boy's playground when we were not allowed on to the field - this is where the gym was located [a terribly dusty place with a low ceiling it had a classroom above [known as the Remove Class]. Memories of the gym are being lined up against the wall with fellow classmates while the 'teacher' kicked a ball at us - if you were hit you were 'out' of the game! - also here is where we were gloved up and encouraged to knock the block off a classmate - there were no rules to this game as I remember. Deep in the stables the floors sloped to drainage holes - these were the changing rooms for the boys - a very dark and cold place. Also in the yard was garaged Mr Ball's beautiful Bently. The yard was also the place where we lined up for register at the beginning of each day and following each break before filing into school. If you moved or spoke in line you were unceremoniously marched to the front, by a prefect, to stand against the wall - the punishment was often a detention.
When we filed into school by a side door we passed a small courtyard on the left which housed the original wash house [with original copper pots and ringers as I remember] - moving ahead into the old Servant's corridor - immediately right was an anti room leading to the original Butler's Pantry [at some time this was the tuck shop] - to the right of the corridor housed the kitchens - full of steam with rows of old gas cookers and smells of boiled cabbage as I remember. Passed the kitchens to the right was the stone staircase to the classrooms. To the left [and opposite the stairs] was the Drawing Room [a large, grand, half pannelled room which doubled as a classroom and dining hall] furnished with long wooden tables and benches. At the very end of this corridor were the Green Doors - to the right was a dark corridor leading to two classrooms one of which was the Kindergarten. From the dark gloom of the Servant's corridor you went through the Green Doors to the magnificent Main Hall with the grand white Italian marble staircase which led up to Dr. Johnson Ball's private apartments. The Hall, which had large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lawns and a vast Skylight way above the staircase always seemed to be flooded with sunlight. It was furnished with church pews as this is where we had Assembly and singing lessons. During Assembly Johnson Ball spoke to us from his raised pulpit - I remember one of the hymns where the older boys altered the word 'to be a Pilgrim' to 'to be a Grimpil' - as 'Pill' was the nickname given to Johnson 'Ball' by the pupils [pill being an alternative word for a ball]. Off the Hall was the Principal's Office, the Secretaries Office and a room which housed the Museum. The main entrance to the Building was also off the hall. I remember all around the school there were marble staues and paintings on the walls.
The grounds of Prescot House were extensive [10 acres] and mature from the grand, well manicured, three tiered lawns gracing the front of the property - northwards across the field alongside the 'walkway' vista to the folly Temple [the site of the School's Pageant] lined with broad flower beds - beyond which were the walled gardens and vast glasshouse complex. The northen end of the grounds were extensive orchards. Opposite the 'walkway' and bordering the orchards, field and lawns was the 'Dell' - a dense and vast cutting with a stream running through with an old walkway meandering through the trees. The Dell, The Orchards, The walled Gardens, The Glasshouses, the Lawns and the 'Walkway Vista' were all out of bounds for mere mortals i.e. boys - but I remember going on the occassional expedition with my mates. Ignoring the warnings and consequences we explored all these forbidden areas over the years - and never got caught once.
The field is where we were allowed - early days we ran along the public footpath, alongside the perimeter of the grounds, to and from the Field Gates, through part of an orchard [often with rotting fruit smells and burning wood fires] - I say ran because we had no idea of time and when the bell rang you were expected to be lined up in the yard! - later, because of road works and the opening up of the traffic island at the top of Chawn Hill we were allowed to access the field alongside the 'Vista Walkway' alongside the walled garden - here were the red buds growing up the walls which would itch down the back of your shirt for hours if you were the target of the day. In front of the Temple Folly is where, I remember, we had piggy back fights and hay fights to the death! [out of site of school buildings, staff and prefects]. Midday playtime seemed to last for hours [in fact they were one and half hour long]
I remember the times when the huge Green Doors were shut at both ends of the stable yard at midday playtime [often closed by the prefects] followed by a huge free for all 'football game' [boys only - as the girls played on the middle lawn] - you just chose a side and joined in - another of these gates shut, mass games was British Bulldog - if you were small and quick you lasted for a long time - but inevitably you were lifted high in the air and uncermoniously dropped however old or young you were. These games didn't happen often but when they did I'm sure the Staff turned a blind eye - I remember the 'games' as scary, exciting but most of all unbridled fun.
Looking back I thoroughly enjoyed my days at Queens College - although I knew no different at the time - I learned and played in a very exciting and historical environment; experienced no bullying from peers; had plenty of friends and good mates; kept out of the way of the scary teachers and 'strict' prefects and enjoyed the interaction with the wise and fair. I wouldn't say I learned extensively academically at Queens College but I have used many social and interactive experiences learnt there in my proffesional career which spanned 28 years as a Deputy Head in Dudley MBC Primary schools. I am now content, retired and enjoying living life where, every day, is a never ending week end or a holiday.
Queens College was unique.
School Motto - The end crowns the work
From 1958 we travelled to Prescot House from Stourbridge - Every day we caught a special single decker Midland Red Bus at the Vauxhall Depot and travelled to Prescot House - sometimes [completely against the rules] we used to catch the train from Stourbridge Station to the junction at the bottom of Chawn Hiil and walk up the hill to school [It cost more than the bus but the train journey was great fun]. It cost 1d to catch the Midland Red bus. Sometimes we walked all the way from the bus depot across to fields and up Chawn Hill to school - we then had 1d to spend at the tuck shop that day.
My earliest memory of Queen's College at Prescot House is being in Miss Young's Class opposite the Kindergarten Class - she sat at the front on a high desk. I remember the cupboards in the room were full of small empty boxes - we used these for art & craft lessons.The door behind Miss Young's desk was [I learned later] the Butler's Pantry - a small room leading onto an outer room and into the Servant's Corridor. Around this time I remember being dressed in a robe, tea towel over head and burnt cork rubbed on my chin - a Christmas Play? - I had to follow an older boy and we had to stand in line, with four others, on the white marble staircase - the one and only time I was allowed on those stairs. I remember looking up and seeing a huge glass window [skylight] high up in the ceiling which let the sunshine cascade down over the white marble. Our playground was just outside the classroom - an oblong walled area of tarmac edged with a dirt border. I remember one day lobbing lumps of newly turned earth sods with my mates - they exploded like real hand grenades on the tarmac - it did make a mess - needless to say we got in to trouble - but nobody ever asked what we were playing! [I remembered this many years leter when I was Deputy Head in Primary Schools - I always asked children, brought to me for wrong doings, what exactly was the game they were playing - it solved many a mystery as to why they were perceived to be behaving so badly - one particular incident involved two 9 yr old boys being brought charged with 'trying to damage the field fence and trying to get out on to the public road'........... in their war game they had been captured and they were pretending to be 'prisoners escaping from prison camp'. Another incident involved three 5 yr olds who were marched to my office charged with throwing stones at the Staff cars in the car park.........one of them had been trying to demonstrate his scientific knowledge to the others that stones bounce off rubber [in this case Staff car tyres].
The next Teacher I remember at Prescot House is Miss Winbow [who always had a black stick tucked under her arm - to wrap your knuckles] - the classroom was next to the Staff Room in the old servant's quarters upstairs. The next teacher I remember is Mrs V. Partridge. Softly spoken and easy going - I enjoyed her class. Next was, I think, Mr H Beresford's class. During the latter years I remember Mr E Winkworth taking us for craft [design technology today]; Johnson Ball taking us for Technical Drawing [in the Drawing Room] and Miss Fletcher [Deputy] taking us for History and Penmanship. At some time I remember a footballer being on the Staff who took us for sport - but cannot remember his name or team. There were a number of Teachers who took us for music includung Mrs A Smith [with whom I later taught with at Oldswinford Primary School in the late 1970's] and a Mr Smith [no relation] and another music teacher who owned a shop nearby.
To get to the upstairs classrooms at Prescot House we had to climb a winding stone staircase at the base of which was the door to the cellars leading to the air raid shelters porported to be under the lawns - at the top of these stairs, illumiated by a huge glass skylight, to the left, were four classrooms and the Staff Room - opposite was a small staircase behind a half glazed door leading to the stock room - to the right a corridor led to green doors leading to the 'Library' and Dr. Johnson Balls' apartments - immediately right at the top of the stairs were the girls toilets [the boys toilets were outside and across the yard to an outside loo beyond the yard's large Green Doors]. There were large Green Doors at either end of the large yard which housed the original stables and coach houses.The yard was the boy's playground when we were not allowed on to the field - this is where the gym was located [a terribly dusty place with a low ceiling it had a classroom above [known as the Remove Class]. Memories of the gym are being lined up against the wall with fellow classmates while the 'teacher' kicked a ball at us - if you were hit you were 'out' of the game! - also here is where we were gloved up and encouraged to knock the block off a classmate - there were no rules to this game as I remember. Deep in the stables the floors sloped to drainage holes - these were the changing rooms for the boys - a very dark and cold place. Also in the yard was garaged Mr Ball's beautiful Bently. The yard was also the place where we lined up for register at the beginning of each day and following each break before filing into school. If you moved or spoke in line you were unceremoniously marched to the front, by a prefect, to stand against the wall - the punishment was often a detention.
When we filed into school by a side door we passed a small courtyard on the left which housed the original wash house [with original copper pots and ringers as I remember] - moving ahead into the old Servant's corridor - immediately right was an anti room leading to the original Butler's Pantry [at some time this was the tuck shop] - to the right of the corridor housed the kitchens - full of steam with rows of old gas cookers and smells of boiled cabbage as I remember. Passed the kitchens to the right was the stone staircase to the classrooms. To the left [and opposite the stairs] was the Drawing Room [a large, grand, half pannelled room which doubled as a classroom and dining hall] furnished with long wooden tables and benches. At the very end of this corridor were the Green Doors - to the right was a dark corridor leading to two classrooms one of which was the Kindergarten. From the dark gloom of the Servant's corridor you went through the Green Doors to the magnificent Main Hall with the grand white Italian marble staircase which led up to Dr. Johnson Ball's private apartments. The Hall, which had large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lawns and a vast Skylight way above the staircase always seemed to be flooded with sunlight. It was furnished with church pews as this is where we had Assembly and singing lessons. During Assembly Johnson Ball spoke to us from his raised pulpit - I remember one of the hymns where the older boys altered the word 'to be a Pilgrim' to 'to be a Grimpil' - as 'Pill' was the nickname given to Johnson 'Ball' by the pupils [pill being an alternative word for a ball]. Off the Hall was the Principal's Office, the Secretaries Office and a room which housed the Museum. The main entrance to the Building was also off the hall. I remember all around the school there were marble staues and paintings on the walls.
The grounds of Prescot House were extensive [10 acres] and mature from the grand, well manicured, three tiered lawns gracing the front of the property - northwards across the field alongside the 'walkway' vista to the folly Temple [the site of the School's Pageant] lined with broad flower beds - beyond which were the walled gardens and vast glasshouse complex. The northen end of the grounds were extensive orchards. Opposite the 'walkway' and bordering the orchards, field and lawns was the 'Dell' - a dense and vast cutting with a stream running through with an old walkway meandering through the trees. The Dell, The Orchards, The walled Gardens, The Glasshouses, the Lawns and the 'Walkway Vista' were all out of bounds for mere mortals i.e. boys - but I remember going on the occassional expedition with my mates. Ignoring the warnings and consequences we explored all these forbidden areas over the years - and never got caught once.
The field is where we were allowed - early days we ran along the public footpath, alongside the perimeter of the grounds, to and from the Field Gates, through part of an orchard [often with rotting fruit smells and burning wood fires] - I say ran because we had no idea of time and when the bell rang you were expected to be lined up in the yard! - later, because of road works and the opening up of the traffic island at the top of Chawn Hill we were allowed to access the field alongside the 'Vista Walkway' alongside the walled garden - here were the red buds growing up the walls which would itch down the back of your shirt for hours if you were the target of the day. In front of the Temple Folly is where, I remember, we had piggy back fights and hay fights to the death! [out of site of school buildings, staff and prefects]. Midday playtime seemed to last for hours [in fact they were one and half hour long]
I remember the times when the huge Green Doors were shut at both ends of the stable yard at midday playtime [often closed by the prefects] followed by a huge free for all 'football game' [boys only - as the girls played on the middle lawn] - you just chose a side and joined in - another of these gates shut, mass games was British Bulldog - if you were small and quick you lasted for a long time - but inevitably you were lifted high in the air and uncermoniously dropped however old or young you were. These games didn't happen often but when they did I'm sure the Staff turned a blind eye - I remember the 'games' as scary, exciting but most of all unbridled fun.
Looking back I thoroughly enjoyed my days at Queens College - although I knew no different at the time - I learned and played in a very exciting and historical environment; experienced no bullying from peers; had plenty of friends and good mates; kept out of the way of the scary teachers and 'strict' prefects and enjoyed the interaction with the wise and fair. I wouldn't say I learned extensively academically at Queens College but I have used many social and interactive experiences learnt there in my proffesional career which spanned 28 years as a Deputy Head in Dudley MBC Primary schools. I am now content, retired and enjoying living life where, every day, is a never ending week end or a holiday.
Queens College was unique.
School Motto - The end crowns the work