A mail from Marian Young née Hughes - July, 2010. (With her permission.) A reformed little raver and tinker.
Great fun finding this site and bringing back old memories from that time.
(I lived in Malvern Gdns. off Honeypot Lane.) I was at Chandos from 1960-65 in 'Brockley' … and a prefect for the last two years……… goodness knows why!
I remember Miss Grimley with fear! Mrs. Adcock was a great art teacher & Mrs. Tyrie a gentle soul.
Most of all I remember some of the girls… and the names are trickling back to me - Gay Ross, Brenda Higgins, Linda Clark, Audrey Pidgeon, Sylvia Tripp, Marsha Leboff, Elaine Hamilton, Joy Hale etc. I remember some of the boys too - Colin Turner, Eddie Seal, Graham Woodward (a hearthrob when I was about 12! or was he at Glebe Primary? Can't remember now.)
I got my 4 'O' Levels, but wasn't much interested in staying on to the 6th form.
I should have gone on to Harrow Art School, but I was enticed by the bright lights and money of London… and so got a job at Barclays Bank, Pall Mall, that paid a wonderful wage of £10 a week! I stayed there till '68. I spent my monies on clubbing in London & shopping at Biba & Wardour Street. Then I became a hippy for a while & went off to Toronto for a year… intending to travel round the US. However, working there, I didn't get much chance to… except hitchhiking with my boyfriend to Montreal & Buffalo in US … where we were picked up for 'vagrancy', as it was illegal to hitch in NYS at that time. So the police dumped us in a cafe & we were informed to get the next greyhound bus home. Unfortunately, the riots were happening at that time - so Buffalo wasn't a safe place to be… we got out pretty quick.
I returned, got married & had a daughter - then I did my 'A' Levels & got a 2:1 Hons. Degree.
Anyways… I now live in lovely Bridport, West Dorset… and the sea is 3/4 miles away & I love it here! I have no connections with London anymore and visit infrequently. I sometimes meet my daughter there for a day for lunch and a gallery. (She lives in Brighton and is quite a famous author …… I'm a very proud mum! :-). I am now 61, divorced and have been teaching Art & Creative Writing in prisons to 'Lifers' for the past 11 years.
So - thanks Chandos, as my background was there and I love teaching.
Would love to hear from 'girls' that were there during those years!
Best
Marian
You can contact Marian through her website 'marianyoungart.com' or 'Contact us'.