Author: Mike Chapman

Winbury School was situated on the corner of West Road and Hightown Road in Maidenhead just off Grenfell Hill. It was housed in a large Victorian house set in about an acre and a half of ground. It was run by Mr John Spicer in 1947after taking over its running from the two lady principals, the Misses Saunders and Theaker.He had been at school at Templecombe School in Sussex.We think he may have lived in North Devon with his father and mother, where we believe his father was a GP having been in earlier life a professor of Physics at Heidelberg University. He was not a qualified teacher by profession but had a passion for education and saw an opportunity to run a school for boys. He was not married but lived in the school with his mother . She was probably in her 80's and not in very good health. She was seen to shuffle around the first floor landing area from her bedroom to the living room in her slippers and brown overcoat!

Mr Spicer owned a beautiful setter dog called Shandy which added it's own aroma to the place and accompanied him everywhere. He was the eldest of Mrs Spicer's four offspring. Patrick Spicer was married and lived in Maidenhead. Dennis Spicer also lived in the school and acted as secretary.Pat and Dennis were twins. Whilst I was at the school Dennis married a nurse who was the matron . They lived in the flat on the second floor. They had a son Michael who later attended the school and was referred to as Noddy and a stepson Jeremy later known as Bill. Mrs Dennis Spicer had a sister who married Mr Leslie Dundas who taught in the school.The fourth member of the Spicer family was a married sister called Lorna. She lived somewhere in the Sonning area and I remember had a rather beautiful daughter! We saw the family rarely but once I remember we visited their home- for what reason I cannot imagine . Perhaps it was during a half-term break when only Nick Bourne and I were left in the school.

The school took both dayboys from the age of 6 to 13 as well as about 15 boarders most of whom went home at weekends.

The house was a three storey mansion. The front door led into a large hall with a chiffonier to the right used for storage. A large room to the right was used as a classroom and straight ahead was another large room which doubled as a classroom and dining room. Next to this was a smaller classroom. Leading from the hallway was an imposing staircase with solid banister rail and newell posts. A space to the right of the staircase housed a telephone and there was a small room adjacent to this which acted as an office. Leading from the hallway was a dimly lit passageway with a toilet to the left and at the end was the door which led into a spacious double kitchen. On the right the back stairs led up to the first floor and the passage way to the left led to the back door. Climbing the wide staircase out of the hall one arrived at a large room on the right which was Mr Spicer's living room in which resided one of the earlier TV sets with magnifying lens in front to enlarge the screen with black and white picture. Boarders were allowed to watch from time to time such exciting programmes as Muffin the Mule and we had a crush on one of the first presenters called Jennifer! Next to this room was a dormitory for 5 or 6 people. The iron frame beds and lumpy mattresses and pillows were not conducive to a comfortable night's sleep but we soon got used to it. Adjacent to this was a small study used by teachers. Here there was a radio and we were allowed to listen to such programmes as Dick Barton Special Agent and the adventures he had with his colleagues Jock and Snowy; Journey into Space with it's scary music and Dan Dare Pilot of the Future and that little green creature called The Mekon.

The next room was Mrs Spicer's bedroom. Opposite was another dormitory and at the end of the passage at the top of the back stairs a classroom and a bathroom and toilet. Stairs led off the landing opposite the small study room to the second floor where there were two dormitories and a room used by Matron as her bedsit.

Outside the back door was a small building used as a beginners classroom. Here Mr R G Saunders first impressed me with his beautiful handwriting and taught me the basics of writing.He married Maggie the cook.He was a fair haired man with freckles and well defined lips and he owned a silver Yard-o-lead pencil! Mrs Ivan-Smith also used this classroom presumably taking Mr Saunders place when he left.

The area to the left of the school building was a large playground at the top end of which was a pre-fabricated building used as classrooms. Behind the house was a large lawn and beyond that a wooded area. Between this and the lawn, at some stage in 1950/51 a long hut housing three classrooms was built. To the right of the house was a small narrow area given over to small garden plots which we were encouraged to develop and grow plants. One year thanks to my maternal grandfather's support who supplied me with an assortment of alyssum, lobelia and geraniums, I won the Gardening Prize on Sports Day.

The food, I remember, was acceptable if basic. One had to enjoy it or starve. It certainly did not match up to my mother's wonderful cooking at home. Favourite amongst the boarders was Macaroni Cheese which was served once a week at least, with regular monotony. Porridge was the order of the day for breakfast together with toast and marmalade. I do not remember having a cooked breakfast apart from the occasional boiled egg. We had tea to drink. At teatime it was our joy to eat bread and jam and we sometimes had a dessert of rice pudding and more tea. Clearing up after tea was a necessary chore and once I remember being last to finish my bread and jam . Someone had started to clear up before I finished. They had emptied all the tea slops into one cup and were in the process of taking the dirty plates to the kitchen when the master on duty came into the dining room . Seeing the cup full of slops sitting next to my place he forced me to drink it all up assuming I had not drunk any of my tea!!! Ugh!!

At some stage in the school's history a cub and scout pack was formed under the able leadership of Mr Dundas and Mrs Ingrams who was the mother of one of the boys. We learned all sorts of crafts and skills and gained many badges. It was a valuable learning experience and introduced me to camping, making a fire ,tying knots and putting up a tent as well as cooking on an open fire. Once we attended the Royal Berkshire Agricultural Show at their site near Hermitage, Newbury where my daughter Carolyn and son Jeremy now live with their families.The cubs acted as runners between the judges in the ring and the official table where results were collated and in due course announced. I treasured my woggle and scarf along with my pole and creased wide brimmed felt hat and shirt with badges sewn on the front and sleeves, for a long time.

There was no games field at the school so we had to walk the mile and a half to Stafferton Lodge, situated on the road to Bray. This was a large field used as both a cricket and football and rugby field as well as a running track. At the rear was a large house and in the corner of the field , a hut which was used as a changing facility and to display the cricket score. It was here that we enjoyed some amazing Sports Days. One year we had all made heraldic shields in our art classes and these were mounted on wooden stakes and placed in the ground around the 220yard running track. It was a very colourful sight. The high jump had no sand pit- we risked breaking an ankle by jumping over the bar onto hard grass or a bruised bottom if we sat down hard. I managed to win the 440yards and the 100yards in 1953 and have cups to prove it. I also remember Rory Nicholas, a big boy at 13, breaking the school 100yard record and Peter Harding, my contemporary winning the Cricket Ball Throwing competition with a huge throw over 70 yards. He and Richard Ratcliff vied for 1st place and once Richard threw the ball so far that it crashed into the side of a car at the far end of the throwing area. Mr Spicer was a generous man in many ways and he rewarded the winners of competitions with splendid prizes. For the Gardening Competition which I won ,I received a fork and trowel.

At break times the playground thronged with people. It was a great opportunity to socialise and get to know fellow pupils a little better. We played games of Hopscotch, Fivestones, Conkers as well as the usual ball games of football and cricket. Quite often the ball would go over the wall into the next garden. This house had a glass walled greenhouse at the side of the house and panes were broken on a few occasions much to the ire of the man who owned the property. Fortunately his daughter Justine, a curly haired tomboy was an ally and threw the balls back and sometimes ventured into the playground after school to play with us. We all used to swap various collectables such as cigarette cards depicting famous film stars such as Ava Gardner, Mitzi Gaynor Jayne Russell and the like of that era.

Mr Spicer had an old Wolseley car in which he would ferry boys up to Stafferton Lodge (the favoured few or the stragglers. This old car had an unfortunate accident on Grenfell Hill. It was a rule of the school that while in uniform boys should not eat in the street. One day JBS spotted a boy eating , took his eyes off the road and ran into a road sign. The sign suffered, the boy suffered but the car did not! Half way down the hill on the right was a sweet shop frequented by boys at the school especially boarders spending their pocket money. Favourites were Gobstoppers, Aniseed Balls and Sherbert Lemon sucked through a liquorice straw from a paper bag. Another shop at the bottom of the hill on the left past Grenfell Park sold Corona in stoppered bottles on which there was a deposit, as well as Vimto and Dandelion and Burdock.

The Wolseley made way in time to a magnificent open top Lagonda with supercharger mounted in front of the radiator. The door of this vehicle kept dropping off but it was an exciting car to ride in. The police today would have had a fit seeing a car full of 12 boys travelling on their way to a cricket match in Slough or Windsor all tucked into the rear of this "beast of the road". Our main rival was Long Close School.

I remember during my time at Winbury two plays being produced for parents , in a hall at the bottom of Castle Hill. "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" was the first in which I took part. My mother had made for me a wonderful bear costume. It must have taken her ages - padded ears included - all for her eldest son's inaugural stage performance which must have lasted all of 10 minutes! The other play was "Treasure Island". I was thrilled that she came all the way from the north of England to see me. Since this was at the end of term I would have returned home with her plus my trunk.

Although I was living a long way from home I never felt abandoned by the family but on the contrary felt very much part of it. Mother would write to me every week without fail and bring me up to date with all the news plus greetings from the grandparents in Skipton. Every few weeks the letter would be slightly more bulky than usual and I discovered wrapped up in cotton wool or a piece of corrugated paper, a half crown - my pocket money for 2 or 3 weeks.

I remember three outings that I went on. One was to the King's Theatre Hammersmith to see Shakespeare's Macbeth (or was it King Lear?!) The second was to Earl's Court for the Motor Show, a fascinating experience with vast crowds of people. Of course I got separated from the party and an appeal went up over the loudspeakers for JBS to come and collect me.The third occasion was a visit to Twickenham to watch England play Wales. The atmosphere was fantastic and both English and Welsh supporters mingled happily supporting their respective teams without animosity.I remember a drunk Welshman sitting on the terraces unable to stand, having a sort of conversation with us. England played a hooker called Hook. I think England won but my most memorable recollection was of being swept along by the crowd jammed between spectators both in front and behind with my feet off the ground. It was a hair-raising experience

Since boarders went home at half term for a long weekend there was quite a dilemma for 2 of us who lived in the North. Nicholas Bourne who was 3 years my senior lived in the Manchester area and I was living further north at Capernwray Hall in Carnforth, a Christian Holiday and Conference Centre where my father had gone from Maidenhead to be on the staff. On one occasion Nicholas and I went with Mr Spicer and his mother down to Eastbourne to stay with his aunt where we lived as family over the weekend.

I also remember at the end of one summer term Mr Spicer kindly arranged with Nicholas's father to escort me on the train back home. I probably got off at Crewe where I think I was collected by my father. Mr Bourne bought Nicholas and I a pork pie to eat for our lunch. He was to me, a small boy of perhaps 9 , a large and imposing figure and naturally I was somewhat in awe of him. As I bit into the pork pie , to my horror and revulsion I encountered an enormous piece of gristle which almost made me sick. What was I to do with this lump without appearing rude to my chaperone? I discreetly coughed it out into my handkerchief and stuffed it in my pocket whilst smiling sweetly with gratitude for the welcome lunch!

On Sundays I was able to visit the home of my friend John Dean . I joined them for morning Sunday School after which there was a morning service. We would then walk back across Kidwells Park to their home in The Crescent. They had a dog called Simon and kept a couple of hamsters. John had a brother called Anthony. His father Ewart was a teacher at Maidenhead Grammar School and his mother May was a good friend of my mother. After a roast dinner we would again walk back across Kidwells Park for afternoon Sunday School and then back for tea before I returned to School. It sounds as though the whole day was spent in church but that wasn't the case and I looked forward to my day out and doing things with John. One day as we crossed the park I was nearly at the exit gate when I turned round to spot a Scottie dog making a bee-line for me . He bit me on both ankles and I had to go to hospital for a Tetanus injection. I have disliked Scotties ever since and believe it or not the only other time I have been bitten by a dog was in Ilfracombe and yes- it was a Scottie!!

I had hoped to go on from Winbury to Monkton Combe School in Bath but because my father had been made redundant from the firm he worked for - William Wood in Taplow, which went into liquidation, he could not afford it and I took the 13 plus exam and was admitted to Yarm Grammar School on Teesside but in the North Riding of Yorkshire where I was to complete my secondary education.

In later life I returned to Maidenhead to show my children where their Dad spent 5 years of his early school days. As we turned the corner off Grenfell Hill and then left into West Road there to my horror and sadness were large blocks of flats. No longer did that imposing mansion exist, destroyed for the benefit of developers and those who chose to live there - a repository of memories and dreams and aspirations swept away in an act of nostalgic vandalism!

On other occasions I went back to track down JBS and found him a lost and lonely man, bereft of his school which he sold on to a lady who moved the school to a different site in Braywick. He lived for the remainder of his life with the daughter of one of the cooks who worked at the school and her family. I met them on two occasions at his house in Cookham Dean. He always spoke with great pride about "his boys" from the school and delighted to hear news of their successes.He must have died in his early 70's. He was a generous , kind hearted man, firm but fair with his exercise of discipline in the school but someone who held the respect of the great majority of his student family. Despite being away from home this was a very happy and formative time for me and helped me to stand on my feet in the battle of life.

Mike Chapman - 01/05/2012