TITLE: The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary

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The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
Co- authors Alice Leach and
Norah Thornhill.
Collated and edited by Alice Leach.
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Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the foundation of
Crosslands Convent School by the nuns of the Sacred
Heart of Mary.
(1929 – 2OO9)
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In memory of Norah Thornhill
(née McKenny )
Norah died 14 March 2009 before this book was
completed.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION. ................................................................................................................ 8
ORIGINS OF THE ORDER .................................................................................................. 10
THE CONVENT SCHOOL IN NELSON STREET ................................................................ 15
THE CONVENT SCHOOL IN HOLKER STREET. ............................................................... 19
RECOLLECTIONS OF BARROW COMMUNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF MARY, (1984). 21
CROSSLANDS---What’s in a name?.............................................................................. 25
CROSSLANDS AND ITS OWNERS. ............................................................................... 26
THE CONVENT SCHOOL IN ULVERSTON...................................................................... 29
CROSSLANDS/Our Lady’s CONVENT SCHOOL .............................................................. 32
1929–1979 ................................................................................................................ 32
SOURCES .................................................................................................................. 36
MEMOIRS OF CONVENT GIRLS ......................................................................................... 37
A memoir of Sister Christine Loughran ........................................................................ 37
Significant events – a time line 1929-39 ...................................................................... 38
Anne Parkinson (née Hemer) remembers her Crosslands Convent School-days (1930-3) 40
Norah Thornhill (née McKenny), remembers her Convent School days (1929-1940) ....... 46
Norah continues her memoir....................................................................................... 52
Marjorie Segna (née Brown) remembers. ................................................................... 56
Marie McLoughlin née Harrison, formerly Brown remembers. (1935- 39) ....................... 58
Audrey Sinclair remembers ......................................................................................... 60
Morris sisters ............................................................................................................. 61
Significant events – a date line. 1939- 49 .................................................................... 70
The class of 1940....................................................................................................... 71
Alice Leach (née Beach) remembers her convent school days (1940-6). ........................ 72
Joyce Moul (née Gallagher) 1941- 44 ......................................................................... 78
Greeba Quine remembers. (194-51). ........................................................................... 80
Nora Sharpe (née Proctor) remembers 1943 – 47 ....................................................... 83
Brenda Tebay (née Clarke) remembers her Convent School days (1945- 50) ................. 83
Jean Rogan (née McCaskill ) remembers .................................................................... 84
(1946 – 1951) ........................................................................................................... 84
Pat Humphries (née Witham) remembers (1941–1952) ................................................ 85
Margaret Foran .......................................................................................................... 86
Stella Rimington (née Whitehouse) (1946-7) ............................................................... 90
Maria McHaffie (née Gloria Maria Donohoe) remembers (1946-1952).. .......................... 94
Pat Jones (née Oakes) remembers her Convent School days ( 1947- 54)....................... 96
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Molly Allonby (née Burns) remembers (1941–7). .......................................................... 98
Cath Rigg (née Etheridge) remembers her convent school days (1947-1952).............. 100
Anne Calvert remembers (1947 – 51) ........................................................................ 104
Significant dates – a time line 1949-59 ...................................................................... 104
Ann Nicholson (née Charlesworth) remembers (1953–7). ........................................... 108
Patty Sanderson (née McKenny) remembers.(1956-1961) .......................................... 110
Significant dates – a time line. 1959 – 69 .................................................................. 112
Jane Smith (née Thornhill), remembers (1961–6). ..................................................... 112
Maureen Kittley (née Wilson) remembers (1962-1969) ............................................... 116
Great days. .............................................................................................................. 119
Marie McCusker remembers 1964–1971 .................................................................... 119
Sheila Todman (née Dean) remembers (1964-69) ...................................................... 123
The following comments were made to Marie McCusker by her sister Helen Thompson 125
Significant dates - a time line 1969–79 ...................................................................... 128
Class of '78 .............................................................................................................. 129
Louise Thistlethwaite (née Allonby) remembers (1976-9) ........................................... 130
Alison (née Rogan) remembers (1972-9) ................................................................... 133
Margaret Egan remembers the final year. .................................................................. 135
Our Lady’s Chetwynde School. .................................................................................. 140
A Memoir, by Margaret Stones. ................................................................................. 140
Mrs. Stones concludes her memoir: ........................................................................... 150
CHETWYNDE SCHOOL TODAY by Mrs. Isabel Nixon HEAD OF SCHOOL. ............................ 151
The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM) today. .......................................... 153
Sister Raphael ......................................................................................................... 154
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 158
ADDENDA ............................................... ............................................................ 157 et seq
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READERS may download pictures and text from this
book, preferably using the PDF format. It should be
noted that the author, Alice Leach, holds the copyright,
and should be acknowledged.
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INTRODUCTION
The history of Convent School education in Furness
cannot be told in isolation.
It will be difficult for young readers of this e-book to
imagine the first convent girls living in a world without
computers, televisions, washing machines, fridgefreezers, central heating, double glazing, fitted carpets,
supermarkets, fast food and mobile phones. Only the
wealthy owned cars and telephones. The school leaving
age was fourteen and only a privileged few stayed on to
go to college or university; these pupils were educated
at the Convent Schools or Grammar Schools.
Crosslands Convent had its official opening 29 June
1929 – the year of the Wall Street Stock Market crash.
Years of depression followed. Full employment took
place during the war years (1939–1945). The 50s saw
the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11 and the first 12
inch black and white televisions were bought to witness
this event (1953) – with one channel! Before convent
school education ended in 1979, the following events
had taken place: the “swinging sixties” with the birth of
free love and the permissive society, performances by
the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Elvis, the wearing of
miniskirts and tights. President Kennedy had been
assassinated in 1963; England had won the World Cup
by beating Germany in 1966 and in 1969 man had set
foot on the moon.
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In the 70s modern computing was born, microwave
ovens and cassette tapes surged into popularity and the
first video - cassette recorders were introduced. By this
time almost every home had a colour television with four
channels and many homes had cars and telephones.
And, in 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first
female Prime Minister. For a comprehensive time line of
this period 1929–79 “Google” useful dates in British
History.
Some significant dates in the history of Furness precede
each decade of Convent School memoirs.
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ORIGINS OF THE ORDER
THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF THE SACRED HEART OF
MARY (RSHM)
1789 - The outbreak of the French Revolution
1802-1815 - The Napoleonic Wars
France was a restless country damaged by war. This
was an era of doubt and scepticism and much poverty.
Our story begins at this time. In 1802 Jean Pierre
Gailhac was born in Béziers, an ancient city in the south
of France, a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea. His
esteemed family had lost all its wealth during the
Revolution. He was deeply affected by events and from
childhood desired to change things. He became a priest
and returned to Béziers to work tirelessly for the poor.
He became chaplain to a hospital which housed the sick,
the destitute and abandoned. He opened a refuge for
women and an orphanage for boys. He appealed to
every class of society for help.
The story now leads to his best friend Eugene Curé, a
wealthy lawyer and his beautiful wife Apollonie Pélissier
who was equally rich. The young couple built him a
chapel, round in design, to signify unity, continuity, and
eternity. However tragedy struck and Eugene Curé died
suddenly. The grief stricken Apollonie begged Père
(Father) Gailhac to let her help with his work. He had
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long realised the value of women in society and readily
agreed. In 1848 Père Gailhac founded the Religious of
the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM), devoted to the
education of women and girls. He was their spiritual
director and drafted the Rule of the Congregation. He
chose the colour blue, the colour of the Blessed Virgin
for the nuns’ habits and stated that only a silver cross,
an empty cross, (as it was to be their cross), trefoil in
design, was to be worn appended to a heart shaped
medallion; one side stamped with the head of Christ and
the other side with the head of the Blessed Virgin,
inscribed “Here is our model”.
The cross and medallion.
Ut Vitam Habeant – that they might have life.
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Founder and Foundress
Apollonie, so important in this story, became Mere St.
Jean. She used her wealth to buy lands for the Mother
House in Béziers, and founded the Noviciate of the
Order of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Mere (Mother) St.
Jean and her friends formed the nucleus of the
community; they dedicated themselves to Christian
education for women and girls.
The first school was opened in Béziers. The noviciate
was open to all countries and many women came to
train there, seeking a religious life combined with
education. The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
responded readily to invitations from other countries and
cities to found schools. They were quite undaunted by
their tasks, showing great courage and dignity.
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From 1870 to 1886 schools were opened in Portugal and
a group of nuns were chosen to open a school and
convent in Lisburn, Ireland. Sometimes they faced
opposition, but with time, became extremely valued. In
Lisburn the windows of the school were broken and the
police were called. The canny nuns gave them glasses of
porter and they became friends of the police forever!
Chance brought the nuns to England. A sick nun was
being taken home from the continent to Ireland. Arriving
in Liverpool they found they had missed the boat.
Forced to stay in the city they met Father Kelly who
asked them to send nuns to Liverpool. Père Gailhac gave
the project his blessing.
One Sunday in 1872, after Benediction, seven nuns were
driven by horse and carriage to the railway station. They
calmly waited for the boat to Liverpool as safely tucked
away in their bags were tickets for the journey to this
famous north-west city. Père Gailhac had proudly
announced “The English Flag is our Flag too!” Quite
undaunted, the nuns started their work in the city
schools.
Later the convent became too small, and in 1882,
Seafield Park was purchased in one of the most beautiful
suburbs of the city (Crosby). Seafield Convent Grammar
School was attended in the 60s by Cherie Blair, wife of
former Prime Minister, Tony Blair. She recently revisited
her old school (in a Channel 4 documentary) – now the
upper school of the Sacred Heart Catholic College. This
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was created from the amalgamation in 1976 of Seafield
Convent Grammar School and St. Bede’s Secondary
Modern. Nuns of the Sacred Heart of Mary are no longer
there
Schools were opened in Paris (1923) and in Rome
(1930), and, in 1897 in Barrow–in–Furness.
Altar- Convent Chapel
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THE CONVENT SCHOOLS OF FURNESS
THE ARRIVAL OF THE NUNS IN FURNESS
THE CONVENT SCHOOL IN NELSON STREET
In 1897, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, from
Seafield Convent Liverpool, were invited by Father
Caffrey, the Parish Priest of St. Mary’s RC Church, (built
in 1866 and dedicated to St. Mary of Furness), to come
to Barrow to teach in the Catholic Elementary Schools
and to establish convent school education in the town.
Sister Marie became Head of St. Mary’s Girls’ School
while Sister Magdalene became head of St. Mary’s
Infants’ School. There were certain conditions laid down
by the Order at the time: a suitable house should be
found free of rent, rates and taxes, and gas, and
furnished for at least six Sisters. The permission of the
Mayor and Council of Barrow had first to be granted and
their consent was only given after many heated
arguments. Everyone seemed to know Sister Trinity
who was very well loved and lived to a fabulous age.
A furnished house was given to the nuns for a convent
by John Peter Smith on the occasion of the conversion
of his wife to the Catholic Faith. He was a flour mill
owner of the firm of Walmsley and Smith and was a
mayor of Barrow in 1901, 1911 and 1912; he lived at
Arndene, Abbey Road. Subsequently, this house, no. 2
Nelson Street was overhauled from cellar to garret. On
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October 29, 1897 six Sisters were met at the station by
Father Caffrey and conveyed in two carriages to their
new home, which was described as a three-storied, brick
building standing alone in a garden close to St. Mary’s
Church and schools. The sleeping apartments and
community room were in perfect order, clean and
furnished; the refectory and kitchen were still being
renovated
by
the
builders. The chapel
was completed for the
first
mass
on 18
December.
There is a collection of
bills still extant, relating
to furniture, household
necessities for the
convent and plants,
trees and vegetables
for the garden. These
are made out to Father
Caffrey and one of
these is reproduced
here. January 4 1898.
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Pearl Knight’s grandfather attended this school and the
nuns taught him to speak English as he came from
Perthshire only speaking Gaelic.
Pupils attended the Convent School in Nelson Street
until 1905 when larger premises were required. The
Nelson Street house was sold c.1927 to Mr. T Monaghan
the Head Master of St. Mary’s Boys’ School (father of
Monsignor Monaghan), the family occupying the house
until its demolition.
The house was knocked down and in 1967 the “Lay a
brick” event took place on the site.
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Courtesy of Barrow Record Office
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The Catholic Youth Centre was built on the site. It was
officially opened on Saturday, 22nd November 1969 by
Dennis Howell. M. P. Minister for Sport and the Blessing
was given by Rt. Rev. B.C. Foley Bishop of Lancaster.
Today Hindpool Community Centre occupies the site.
THE CONVENT SCHOOL IN HOLKER STREET.
The nuns continued to teach in the RC Elementary
Schools in the town and in their small Convent School.
However, as numbers grew the Nelson Street building
became inadequate and in 1905 the nuns acquired a
fine building in Holker Street (now the Royal British
Legion).
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The new school consisted of a new Assembly room, four
spacious class-rooms and music and cloak rooms. About
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120 children attended this select fee-paying day-school,
many of whom were non-Catholics. The pupils were
prepared for the Oxford Local Examinations and Trinity
College of Music if the parents agreed.
The grandmother of Howard Whittaker (former
auctioneer) was called Nellie Simpson and she went to
the Holker Street School c. 1905. Nellie’s grandfather, a
Mr. Sutton was an overseer for the installation of
Bessemer steel. He rode a jet black horse with a solid
silver harness. He bought the Peacock, Albion and
Wheatsheaf Hotels. One of his daughters fell in love with
a foreman but this marriage was out of the question as
this was thought to be marrying beneath her and was
forbidden. However she escaped down a ladder, eloped
and had ten children, one of whom was Howard
Whittaker’s grandmother (Nellie), who served her time
to be a milliner and then became the first female estate
agent, selling semi-detached houses. A credit to her
Convent School education
Anne Parkinson (née Hemer) attended the Holker Street
Convent School for a short time (1923-5). The following
memoir is from her:-
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BARROW COMMUNITY OF
THE SACRED HEART OF MARY, (1984)
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My first close contact with the Community came in 1923
when I was seven years old. My father had not had a
very happy time at St. Mary’s School as a boy and had
no confidence in the standard of teaching either
academic or religious existing at this time at St. Mary’s
Girls’ School and vowed he would never send me there.
He obtained permission from Fr. Dobson the Parish
Priest, later Bishop Dobson, to send me to Victoria
Infants’ School which was very close to our home and I
started there at the age of five, my father being
responsible for my religious education. This was O.K. for
the first few years but when I was seven in 1923, then it
became important for me to make my First Holy
Communion, and to do so I had to attend a Catholic
School. St. Mary's was never even considered so
although my father was only on a low wage I was sent
to the Convent Secondary School in Holker Street.
My first and most lasting impression of the nuns was
one of smell; they all smelt alike – an ultra clean
antiseptic smell. It was probably the soap they used
both for washing their habits and their persons.
Studying my father’s account books I see that the fee
for a term was 17s. 6d. (87p) with an extra 5s.6d.(27p.)
for dancing lessons. In 1924 the fees went up
apparently to £1.2s.6d. (£1.12p). The item dated 30
June must have been for music lessons that I took from
Sister Cecilia.
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The nuns I remember from my period at Holker Street
were Sister Patrick (Head), Sister Cecilia (Music and
Singing). Sister Simeon took the four to six year-olds,
Sister Ignatius (six – eight year olds), and Sister
Ambrose (eight to eleven years). Sister Patrick took the
top class, which would probably cover fourteen to
sixteen year-olds and any that were staying on till they
reached the age of eighteen years and then going to
College. There was a class in between Sister Ambrose
and Sister Patrick.
Sister Simeon was kind and motherly, absolutely the
right type for the “babies’ class”. From what I remember
she was well loved. She never taught me. At this period
the nuns were not allowed to enter a private residence.
However this nun was friendly with a Mrs. Silver, a
Catholic lady who lived in Holker Street just above the
junction with Blake Street. Apparently Sister Simeon
used to slip up to her house for an illicit cup of tea. I
don’t know whether the other nuns knew and if they did
whether they turned a blind eye.
Sister Ignatius was the nun I knew best. It was her class
that I joined when I started school there. She was also
kind and motherly, and it was she who prepared me for
my First Confession and First Communion, which I made
on Maundy Thursday 1924 in St. Mary’s Church. I seem
to remember that the girls from St. Mary’s School wore
white dresses and veils but we from the Convent School
simply wore our best Sunday hats and coats. Afterwards
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all the First Communicants went to No. 2 Nelson Street
for bacon and eggs followed by cakes. It was fasting
from midnight in those days so we were ready for it.
In September 1924 I was moved to Sr. Ambroses’ class
but I couldn’t relate to her and found her teaching
boring. However, she was just a pupil teacher at this
time and had not been to a Teacher Training College she went later. Sr. Patrick, nicknamed “Paddy” was an
excellent Head Teacher, a strict disciplinarian with a real
temper when roused. I mostly experienced her at a
distance and that was how I wanted it to be. The farther
away the better. I was scared stiff of her. She was
always waiting in the cloak room when we arrived and
any late comers were dealt a taste of her ruler across
the hand. It was the only time in my school life that I
experienced corporal punished except for a knitting
needle across my knuckles by Sr. Cecilia when I played
a wrong note on the piano.
It should be noted that corporal punishment was the
norm in all schools at this period and for many years
after this date. It was abolished in State Schools in
1987.
As I was so unhappy with Sr. Ambrose I asked my
father to take me away after the Easter Holidays in
1925. As he could see that the standard of teaching was
not as far advanced as it should have been for my age,
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he agreed. I returned to Victoria School to find I was
way behind all the other pupils and had to work very
hard to catch up. It was my father’s wish that I would
pass the entrance exam for the State Secondary School
– now Alfred Barrow School, but I never did catch up
sufficiently to pass this exam so I stayed at Victoria
School until I was fourteen.
George Cafferty also attended the Holker Street Convent
c. 1926–7 along with Gino Ongeri whose family had an
ice cream shop in the old town centre opposite the town
hall. The boys were later transferred to Crosslands for a
short time. For years after Frank Cafferty had left
school, his mother made the nuns Christmas Cakes and
puddings and he used to take them to the convent.
Alice Farmer was another pupil of the nuns at the Holker
Street Convent (c. 1910-?) as was Linda Bannon’s
mother (Mary Sassi). The only thing Alice Leach
remembers is her mother (Alice Farmer), telling her she
had to learn (by heart), Portia’s “Quality of Mercy”
speech from the “Merchant of Venice.”
The numbers continued to grow and a larger building
was required; this was to be Crosslands.
CROSSLANDS---WHAT’S IN A NAME?
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When the building known as Crosslands was built it was
situated in a field called Cross Flatt that was part of the
estate owned by the Earl of Burlington. The late James
Melville OBE, in 1973, wrote the following:- “It was part
of a larger field known as Ostley Banks, meaning East
Leys from the easterly aspect of the slope of the ridge
on which the field was sited. In this arable field the
dales over the most of it, ran east and west, i.e. up and
down the slope towards the meadows at the bottom
alongside Rating Lane. At the top of the field a different
line was followed – the dales ran north and south, i.e.
crosswise, hence the field, when it became enclosed was
called Crosslands.”
CROSSLANDS AND ITS OWNERS.
Mr. Josiah T. Smith was brought to Barrow by one of
Barrow’s city founders, H.W. Schneider because of his
vast experience in blast furnace practice and
management. The large Barrow furnaces equipped with
every then known modern improvement, were the first
of their kind in this part of England and the first was put
into blast in 1859. Then Mr. Smith was appointed
Manager of the new works and in 1850 he came to live
in Barrow. This captain of industry required
accommodation for himself and his family. No houses of
the type he desired were then in existence in Barrow.
Mr. Smith negotiated the purchase of the field “Cross
Flat” from the Earl of Burlington with provision for a
drive from Abbey Road, and another from Rating Lane,
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leaving the remainder of the field, which became known
as “Croft Park.” The date when first occupied must have
been before 1865.
After the house was completed, Mr. Smith purchased
the extension to the south, along Rating Lane. Two
lodges were also built at the entrance to the south,
along Rating Lane built at the entrance to the drives.
Then the one at Abbey Road was erected; this road was
then a narrow country lane along which all road traffic
from Dalton and Ulverston passed. The only portion of
that lane which still exists in anything like its original
state, is Leith Flat Brow. Mr. J. T. Smith lived at the
mansion until 1887 and during his time in Barrow he
was most actively engaged in the management of the
Iron and Steelworks. He was also busily involved in
Municipal life in the borough. From the incorporation of
the borough in 1867 until 1887, he was a member of the
Town Council and was Mayor of the town, he had done
so much to develop from 1872- 5 A blue plaque has
been erected on the Crosslands building (now
Chetwynde) School. The writing on the plaque reads :Josiah T. Smith, 1823-1906. The engineer who
technically pioneered successful Bessemer Steel making
in Barrow–in-Furness. This was his home for two
decades.
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Members of Chetwynde School in Barrow celebrate as Institute of Materials chief executive
Bernard Rickinson (right) with the Mayor of Barrow Cllr Mary Irwin,
unveils the Josiah Smith commemorative plaque at their school.
Mr. Smith’s successor at the Works probably took up
residence at Crosslands. A later Manager, Mr. J.M.
While, was there from at least as early as 1906-10. The
next resident was Mr. R. F. Miller a well-known
accountant, whose name appears from 1917 - 20, and
then in 1924 a Mr. T. W. Forsythe. It was in this year
that the property was bought by the nuns and the
mansion became known as “Crosslands” Convent.
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THE CONVENT SCHOOL IN ULVERSTON.
In 1913 Father Kehoe invited Sisters of the Sacred Heart
of Mary to Ulverston to establish a Convent School in the
town. This opened 8 September 1913. Sister Raphael,
who was then Doris McKenny, the elder sister of Nora
Thornhill, née McKenny in one of her memoirs c. 19278 writes:- “In this enterprise he encountered some
opposition from the Anglican Rector of Ulverston,
Reverend J.H. Heywood, who issued a letter of warning
to church and chapel parents.
Mr. Heywood declared that he had nothing but respect
and love for Roman Catholics as individuals and stated
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that the local priest was a personal friend of his and a
keen
and
deservedly
respected
gentleman.
Nevertheless,
this
Mr.
Heywood
viewed
the
establishment of a Roman Catholic Convent with great
unease despite the outward charm, culture, quietness
and gentleness of those devout ladies. Be that as it may,
the convent was established, and soon afterwards
Father Kehoe’s successor, Father Joseph Delaney,
arrived to take charge at Ulverston in 1915 during the
First World War. I myself went to the parochial school
in Brogden Street until I was fourteen - years old. The
convent residence itself had changed from the whitestone building on Hart Street, the busy main road
through to the Lakes, to a more secluded
neighbourhood called Lightburn
Avenue
which
overlooked the well-kept park.
The Ulverston convent was
fee paying, co-educational
and undenominational. The
pupils’ parents were
business people. The
children wore green school
uniforms and the badge
featured a red heart on a
green and silver
background”.
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Photograph from Norah Thornhill’s collection.
The boy on the right is John Bower who became a doctor. His father
owned a sweet shop in the town.
Mary McKenny is standing next to him.
The Sisters from
Ulverston joined the Crosslands
Community in 1924 and the children from the private
school were transferred to the new school when it
opened in 1929.
(Doris McKenny attended Crosslands Convent School for
two years after leaving the parochial school in Brogden
Street travelling by train most days of the week with her
cousin James, who later became a priest).
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CROSSLANDS/OUR LADY’S CONVENT SCHOOL
1929–1979
Photograph of school taken c.1965, a print from an original
photograph (Anne Tunn’s collection).
Once the nuns were established in their new convent
home at Crosslands, as their estate was known, the
Community set about planning their new school and the
laying out of their twelve acres of land for playing fields,
further building sites and recreational facilities.
The
school was built by Hugh Rainey whose son, Peter
attended the school for a short time. The building took
about nine months to complete and had nine
classrooms, each for thirty-nine pupils; it also had a
laboratory. The school was officially opened 29 June,
1929 by Canon Blundell, deputising for the Bishop of the
Page 32 of 171
diocese who had been called away at short notice. The
school was fee paying and non-Catholics were admitted.
Girls from Catholic Primary Schools were eligible to
receive free education by successfully passing a
scholarship examination.
(Sister Ursula’s name will be mentioned frequently both
in the history of Crosslands/Our Lady’s Convent School
and in the girls’ memoirs: she was an inspirational
teacher starting in 1929 as an assistant teacher and as a
Head Teacher (1946- 1962)
This legendary nun writes, in her history of the Convent
School, “The war years when the school enjoyed
comparative safety, were years of academic growth and
internal consolidation, and were marked in the
educational world by a new Education Act, 1944 that
brought about some radical changes. Its sharp
insistence on the sharp separation of buildings from
Primary to Secondary Education, obliged Rev. Mother
Visitation, the Superior, to acquire another property*
with a building suitable for adaptation as a Junior
School”. Chetwynde House (now Chetwynde Hotel), on
Abbey Road became the convent’s new Preparatory,
Private School. (See Our Lady’s Chetwynde School, by
Margaret Stones).
*Anne Parkinson’s father was personally involved with
the purchase of “Chetwynde”. He was Secretary / Bookkeeper to Mr. Thomas Wilson, a scrap metal merchant
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who lived there but wished to retire to his roots in
Cumberland. When the house went on the market, there
were several interested buyers, some offering a higher
price than the nuns. Anne’s father persuaded Mr. Wilson
to accept the nuns’ lower offer and the sale went
through.
In 1949 the Convent of the Sacred Heart of Mary,
Crosslands became grant aided for Catholic girls of
Grammar – technical ability ages eleven plus – eighteen,
and it seems to be about this time the school became
known as Our Lady’s Convent School. In 1979
reorganisation took place and the borough entered the
Comprehensive system; convent education came to an
end. St. Aloysius Secondary Modern and Our Lady’s
Convent School amalgamated to form St. Bernard’s
Upper and Lower Schools. In 1995 St. Bernard’s Lower
School pupils moved to the Upper School in Rating Lane.
Chetwynde Preparatory School, owned by the nuns, was
opened in 1945. The nuns continued to teach there.
Mrs. Stones became the Head Teacher of the school in
1979. Our Lady’s, Chetwynde, fee paying school
occupied these premises until 1986 when the school was
transferred to Crosslands, the mansion. This was the
year the small Community of four nuns left for their new
home 245 Abbey Road. It was also the year when the
school was re-dedicated to Our Lady. Today Chetwynde
School occupies the former Crosslands mansion and
Convent School buildings with extensive extensions.
Page 34 of 171
The building that was once a house and then a school,
is now Chetwynde Hotel on Abbey Road.
Photograph of Chetwynde Hotel today by courtesy of Paul Musgrave.
Chetwynde School, with entrances on Abbey Road and
Rating Lane, is no longer a Roman Catholic School and
the present Head of School is Mrs. I. Nixon.
Page 35 of 171
SOURCES
1) The historical roots of the RSHM NUNS
Research writings of Helen Margaret Gailhac of Béziers 1944
Kathleen Burton, Mother Butler of Marymount
Inquiry into Father Maymard’s Writings
Sister Raphael’s Research.
2) The arrival of the nuns in Furness
Sacred Heart of Mary Archives Anglo-Irish Province.
Memoirs of Sister Raphael S.H.M.
Sister Ursula’s account of Crosslands.
Crosslands and its owners by James Melville O.B.E.
A letter dated October 29 1897 on the foundation of the Convent of
the Sacred Heart of Mary.
The Talbot Library, St. Walburge’s Gardens, Weston St. Preston.
Page 36 of 171
OUR DEAR SCHOOL
MEMOIRS OF CONVENT GIRLS
A MEMOIR OF SISTER CHRISTINE LOUGHRAN
(Presentation Convent, Matlock, Derbyshire), now aged
94 years in 2008, told by Pauline Thompson.
1927 – aged thirteen years.
At her Confirmation in the Sacred Heart Church, she
answered the Bishop’s question so well, he asked her
name, and later she was told to attend the Convent
School, then in Holker Street. The uniform was green,
but when the new school was built at Crosslands, it was
changed to navy-blue. She was taught by Sister Cecilia,
Sister Patrick, and Sister Simeon, who taught elocution.
Her school friend was Margaret Fleming. She remembers
a procession from the town to attend Mass to be said at
Furness Abbey. (this was the 800th anniversary of the
foundation of Furness Abbey)
Sister Christine went on to Matlock Presentation Convent
as a boarder, then to India for her noviciate. She was
over twenty-five years teaching in India where she met
MOTHER TERESA. She speaks Gaelic, French and Tamil.
She is a truly wonderful lady, and I am proud to be her
cousin.
Page 37 of 171
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS – A TIME LINE 1929-39
1929 - 23 November Electricity plant in Buccleuch Street
was opened.
1930 the Duke Street site of the Higher Grade School
became known as the Alfred Barrow School when
the Barrow Boys’ Grammar School opened followed
in 1932 by the Barrow Girls’ Grammar School.
1931 Public swimming pool at Biggar Bank completed
using unemployed labour.
1932 (5 April) Last tram journey in Barrow driven by
William Parsons who had driven the first tram in
1885.The tram was appropriately decorated for the
occasion.
1935 The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George
V1 and Queen Elizabeth – parents of Queen
Elizabeth 11), visit Barrow. The then Duchess of
York renamed Walney Bridge Jubilee Bridge and
freed it from toll. During this same visit the Duke
and Duchess boarded H.M.S. Ajax. This ship later
won fame at the Battle of the River Plate.
1936 The first luxury cinema, the Ritz opened its doors.
(later to become the Astra, the ABC and finally the
Apollo). Following its demolition Emlyn Hughes
House was built.
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1936 (23 May and June), the Hindenburg flew over
Barrow.
1936 Barrow Carnival or the Hospital Parade, as it was
then called began in Keith Street. The Tudor
Pageant at Holker Street Football ground in the
evening, attracted the best gate of the season. The
Carnival Queen was Vera Wright and she was
crowned by the first Carnival Queen, Marjorie Pole
who was educated at the Convent School (now
aged 93).
1936 The Coronation of King George V1 and his consort
Queen Elizabeth.
1937 The Roxy Cinema opened in Cavendish Street
(later called the Odeon) now Paulo Giannis,
Ristorante Italiano. 1000 people watched Errol
Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in “The Charge of the
Light Brigade.”
The 1930s and 1940s were the golden years for the
cinema and there were ten picture houses in
Barrow. His/Her Majesty’s Theatre was in Albert
Street.
1937 Naval re-armament began. 16,300 employed in
Vickers.
Page 39 of 171
ANNE PARKINSON (NÉE HEMER) REMEMBERS HER
CROSSLANDS CONVENT SCHOOL-DAYS (1930-3)
(writing in 1984 in her RECOLLECTIONS OF THE
BARROW COMMUNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF
MARY).
After Mr. Forsyth had sold Crosslands to the nuns. I can
remember it standing empty and one Sunday afternoon
while walking with my parents up the drive from Rating
Lane, we had a look at this impressive mansion. I can
remember peeping through the windows and marvelling
at the beautiful large rooms.
In 1930 when I was fourteen years-old I became a pupil
of Crosslands Convent School, a year after it had
opened. I found that this new school was vastly
different from Holker Street Convent School where some
of the teachers were definitely unqualified. At
Crosslands, those taking the senior classes all held
degrees. The teaching generally was of a high standard
and I enjoyed the whole of my time there.
The new gymnasium was built over what used to be a
short drive between two pleasant lawns and gardens up
to the main door. Going through this door to the
Assembly Hall, the Headmistress’s room was on one side
and the Staff Room on the other side of the front door.
There was a large laboratory but it was not used in the
Page 40 of 171
early years, as physics and chemistry were not on the
curriculum. The Head Teacher was Sister Columb. She
took us for Maths and for those who wished, Latin. I
was in Form 1V and we had Sister Ursula as our Form
Mistress; she took us for French, History and
Geography. Need I say – she was a marvellous teacher.
To me she made everything come to life, especially
History. She was a born teacher. She knew her subjects
and what was more, had the ability to convey that
knowledge to her pupils. She had a delightful sense of
humour with which she spiced her lessons.
In 1931 I moved up to Form V and had Sister Ursula for
Literature. Not only the set books (we were studying
now for our Oxford Senior Examination), but her
suggested reading lists were of inestimable importance
in forming my reading taste for the future.
Sister Cecilia was still there, taking us for singing. As it
had always been the school custom to put on a Musical
Play towards Christmas, the music for this formed part
of our music lessons. The two Christmas terms I spent
at Holker Street Convent, I was a fairy in the Infants’
Play. The first year at Crosslands I was Queen Silence in
a play whose name has been wiped from my memory.
The Opèretta for 1931 was “Maritana.” Sister Cecilia also
took us for Art. She reminded me in later years of an
occasion just before an examination, when she had
prepared the Art Room and had drawn the curtains over
the glass panels in the door. She came up the stairs and
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caught me peeping through a gap in the curtains! I had
completely forgotten about the incident until she
reminded me of it, but she hadn’t!
Sister Dominic took us for Catholic Doctrine. She was
sweet and gentle and an invalid. She was pushed down
from the house to the school in a wheelchair. She could
walk, but presumably had to be careful not to use too
much energy. I think she had heart trouble. She was like
a plump Dresden China Doll; she had a beautiful round
face with lovely rosy cheeks. Probably the high colour
was due to her heart condition.
Sister Agatha and Sister Columba were both jolly nuns.
The latter nun had charge of the Kindergarten class and
was in charge of the Refectory for those who stayed for
dinner. There were no School Dinners in those days but
there was provision for heating up tinned food and
making a drink. When Chetwynde opened, Sister
Columba performed the same services there. Provision
had to be made for those girls who had previously
attended the Ulverston Convent School. One girl came
from Coniston but stayed during the week with friends
in Ulverston.
When I first went to Crosslands I was surprised to find
two boys in my class. One was a real rip, introducing the
girls to illicit cigarettes after school in the cycle shed.
The other was rather an odd boy, and as the young rip
left at fifteen, this other one was left as the sole
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representative of his sex in a class of girls. I felt rather
sorry for him because he had no friends and he was
despised. However to his credit he stuck it out, went to
College and eventually became a Head Teacher.
Sister Rupert was a real character. She was a very good
music teacher; she didn’t teach in the school but took
pupils at the Convent House for lessons. She was most
noted for her ability to tell fortunes. She certainly had
the “second sight”. Reading hands, or tea- cups, she
was always in demand and always right! How she
squared her conscience with the teachings of the
Church, I don’t know.
The building of the school had been a big expense for
the Community and I think there was a debt to clear off.
I remember my mother being in charge of the Pound
Stall with Sister Ursula; they became great friends.
Sister Rupert was very successful financially with her
fortune telling.
During my period at Crosslands the nuns received a visit
from a V.I.P. All we knew was that she was someone
very important in the Order, a very special Reverend
Mother. I realise now that it would have been the
Mother General - Mother Joseph Butler. We all had to go
up to the Convent House, class by class to meet her in
the Music Room. She gave us a pep talk, what she
expected of us etc. I can’t remember much of what she
said to us as a class but I do remember what she said to
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me personally. She singled me out, called me over to
her and said, “You poor child, don’t they feed you
properly at home.” I was horrified, furious in fact, I was
probably better fed than a lot of the other girls in the
class; I had a cooked breakfast every day. My father
didn’t have a big wage but we always kept a good table.
Imagine how I felt in front of all the class. The reason
for her remark was because I was extremely thin, but
very healthy. After reading her biography I can
understand now what prompted her remark. She was
always so concerned that all her nuns should be
properly fed, and physical well being was almost as
important to her as spiritual welfare.
I can’t remember when the Corpus Christi tradition of
processions started at the Convent; I used to walk in
them.
Photograph courtesy NW Evening Mail.
Page 44 of 171
The procession started in the Convent Chapel with the
removal of the Blessed Sacrament from the Tabernacle
and the singing of the “O Salutaris.” There were French
windows then that opened out on to the veranda and
those people who couldn’t get in the Chapel, and there
were many, could hear and join in. The procession then
proceeded round the House, down the drive to the
School Hall where an altar had been erected and
decorated with flowers. Benediction was given from
there.
As the procession was making its way round “Lauda
Sion” was being sung. From the School Hall the
procession made its way across the playing field, the
tennis courts and through to the grounds of the Convent
House where a third altar had been erected at the far
end of the lawn. Benediction was again given and then
we made our way back to the Chapel for the deposition.
My two years at Crosslands seemed to slip by very
quickly. I had got my Oxford Junior when I was fifteen
years – old and hoped to stay on to get my Oxford
Senior which was a two year course. My ultimate
ambition was to go to Teacher Training College.
However it was 1932 and the Depression. My father had
his wages dropped by ten shillings a week and I had to
leave school and go out to work. My father found me a
clerical job at the Barrow Haematite Steel Company. I
started with a wage of 7/6d a week. (37p.)I was very
sad to have to leave Crosslands in January 1933.
Page 45 of 171
When Crosslands Convent School opened its gates for
the first time in 1929 the Wall Street Stockmarket
crashed. This was felt by the world in general and years
of Depression followed.
NORAH THORNHILL (NÉE McKENNY), REMEMBERS HER
CONVENT SCHOOL DAYS (1929-1940)
I started Crosslands Convent School in 1929 the year
the Ulverston Convent School closed; I was just an
infant so I was in the Kindergarten. At first a private
bus was organised but later we travelled by Ribble bus.
This was satisfactory as the bus stopped at the main
gates. The 8.20 a.m. was packed with convent girls,
technical school boys and shipyard workers. Children
were picked up at Swarthmoor, Lindal and Dalton. We
would join the stream of Barrow girls who had travelled
by tram to the Furness Abbey tram terminus and walk
down the long drive to the school, chattering and
giggling.
The school leaving age at that time was fourteen and
many children left school and started work:
apprenticeships, office work etc. They were considered
adults and full fare was charged on buses. During the
Depression years of the 1930s money was tight, but
thanks to the Furness Railway, school children who
stayed on at school after fourteen, were allowed to
travel at half fare and we, the privileged ones became
the Railway Children. It was much more fun than the
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buses – it was the romance of travel by steam train. In
all kinds of weather we Convent School girls from
Ulverston walked to the station, sometimes quite a long
way from across the far side of town. The train went at
8.20 a.m. and was very prompt. Sometimes we had to
run the last lap when we heard the train’s whistle as it
rumbled over the viaduct. We all seemed to make it,
along with the Technical School boys from Ulverston.
The train did stand for a few minutes in the station while
the Ulverston Grammar School pupils from Grange and
Cark alighted.
The porter would hold open the doors until he knew the
last one had run across the platform: all the time being
cheered on by those already on the train. We loved the
journey, the whistle of the train as it approached the
tunnels, non-stop through Lindal to pick up girls at
Dalton, and finally (by permission of the railway), the
courtesy stop at Furness Abbey. We were all part of the
Furness Railway community service. The porter saw us
under the underpass and the station master watched. I
believe he was in close contact with the nuns about
behaviour. The train was always on time and we were
never late for school; we used the Rating Lane entrance
to the school. It is still possible to make out the name of
the original house built for Josiah Smith, later to become
the name of the original school, carved in the stonework
on the gate posts. --- CROSSLANDS.
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The homeward journey was different. If we missed the
4.10 p.m train we had to wait for the London bound
train at 5.10 p.m. This train always stopped at Furness
Abbey Station. We were the only regular passengers but
we did not mind. In winter there was always a lovely
coal fire burning in the waiting room.
Photograph of Furness Abbey taken by Catherine Holland c.1990.
Page 48 of 171
The horse riders in the photograph are travelling along
the same route taken by Norah and her class-mates on
their homeward journey turning left as directed by the
man facing the camera and continuing past the abbey
and hotel to the railway station.
Picture of the Furness Abbey Hotel from the tennis lawn
Photographs of Furness Abbey, Furness Abbey Hotel, and Furness
Abbey station from the Geoff Holme collection.
Page 49 of 171
Page 50 of 171
“Opened in 1847, the hotel was converted by Lancaster
architects, Sharpe & Paley, from a disused manor house
built on the site of the main gatehouse of Furness Abbey
in the 17th century by Thomas Preston of Preston Patrick
near Levens. The land was leased to the Railway
Company for a nominal rent of £1 per year from the
estates of the Earl of Burlington. This was the Furness
Railway’s Company only hotel. In 1923 the hotel,
together with the rest of the Furness Railway Company,
passed into the ownership of the London Midland &
Scottish Railway, which continued to operate until 1937
when it was unable to negotiate a mutually satisfactory
rental with the Cavendish Estates, owners of the land on
which the hotel stood. As a result the hotel closed
in1938 and stood empty until the following year when it
was requisitioned by the military at the outbreak of the
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Second World War to become the gun control centre for
the anti-aircraft defences of Barrow. Badly damaged in
the air raid that demolished part of Furness Abbey
station, it was never re-built and was finally pulled down
in the mid 1950s. Only the Abbey Tavern which used to
house the station’s refreshment rooms, now remains,
the rest of the site today being used as a car park for
visitors to Furness Abbey.” From RAILWAY HERITAGE.
The abbey museum was opened in 1982
NORAH CONTINUES HER MEMOIR.
The Furness Abbey Hotel was very “posh” and exclusive.
There was a glass veranda in front of the hotel facing
the railway line and we would often peep at the visitors
having afternoon tea when the Second World War was
looming in 1938. The hotel was secluded and VIPs
would stay there.
We always knew when the 5.10 p.m. was approaching
as the porter would bring a truck full of luggage on to
the platform; we would watch with curiosity as these
well dressed and important people came out of the hotel
at the last minute and boarded the train in the first class
carriages.
Often the nuns would walk down to the station to see if
we were behaving like convent girls. They would enter
the waiting room to see us, and if we were being silly
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we would be reminded that we should behave like
convent girls at all times.
As I sift through my happy recollections of convent
school days there is one abiding memory; it is of Sister
Ursula standing over me as I wrote the following piece
on Furness Abbey. It has been reproduced in Hiamead
Year Book for Marymount School, Tarrytown on Hudson
(River) New York as “FROM MARY’S DOWRY”.
The Glen of Deadly Nightshade, a glen, deep and darkly
green between sheltering hills is the hallowed spot
where eight centuries ago a little band of Benedictines
(they were actually Savigniac monks), from Normandy
ended their long pilgrimage. The land was fair and rich;
timber, stone and lead were at hand, and the monks set
about the pious task of raising an abbey to Our Lady of
Furness. Our fancy follows them into the inviting valley,
up the hills which gave them a view of the spacious
country and the silver outline of the sea, and we can
understand how the glen, buried in deep woods found
favour in their eyes.
Four hundred years they dwelt there praising God by
prayer, song and labour; famed throughout the land for
their charity, piety and learning. Then events, as in a
drama, moved to sudden crisis and the peace of the
hallowed glen was shattered. The commissioners of King
Henry VIII, ruthless in rapacity, fanatical in ardour,
seized the Abbey, scattered the brotherhood, left the
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glen desolate: while as if to mock at fallen greatness,
that mighty potentate, the Abbot, was relegated to a
mean rectory in the vicinity. (Dalton Parish Church).
The chants of the monks no longer broke the night
silence, but the thrush still sang its matin song of praise,
and the red-breast twittered a vesper hymn. In the walls
of the monastery church the birds built their nests, the
grass grew tall in the cloister and wild flowers invaded
refectory and kitchen, dormitory and chapter house.
Desolation had fallen on the shrine of Our Lady of
Furness, and desolate it stood for another 400 years.
Now in the fullness of God’s time another shrine has
been built, close to the ruins. The songs of praise and
prayer are heard once more and piety, charity and
learning flourish under Our Lady’s banner, the banner of
the Sacred Heart of Mary. Here, we, like the children of
the monastic school years ago, prepare to go forth to
spread the Kingdom of Christ and devotion to his
Mother. From here we send our beloved Rev. Mother
General our affectionate feast-day greetings, and the
assurance of our continued loyalty and devotion to all
the ideals of the Sacred Heart of Mary.
This was in 1938 and I was sitting in the library of
Crosslands Convent while Sister Ursula was quietly
writing the letter to Mother General and a year later on
3 September the Second World War broke out. Head
teachers were asked to allow sixth formers to attend
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named centres to help to assemble gas masks. Trained
ARP (Air Raid Precaution) staff instructed. We sat at
long trestle tables and put rubber bands round the two
parts of the mask. They were then inspected and boxed
by more volunteers. They were delivered everywhere in
vans. It was an efficient operation.
Fitting of gas masks.
When I wrote this memoir I felt very proud to belong to
a school with such high ideals.
Page 55 of 171
MARJORIE SEGNA (NÉE BROWN) REMEMBERS.
(writing from Oklahoma)
I used to live at 90 Rating Lane, just down from
Crosslands. I must have been at school several years
before matriculating. What I do remember is looking out
of a window at school one afternoon and seeing a huge
German airship slowly flying by over Vickers, taking
pictures. It was very frightening. In 1939 war broke out
and we had to carry gas masks and make black-out
curtains and have a bomb shelter in our lounge. I
remember the teachers: Sisters Ursula, Dominic, Cecilia
and of course our very intimidating Reverend Mother,
Sister Visitation.
Photograph taken in 1936.
Photographs of Marjorie in her
school uniform with Betty Marshall,
an aunt’s sister. (1933–4)
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We played tennis and hockey in full uniform and long
black stockings. In the assembly hall we had PT and net
ball. The only class I excelled at was Art.
I was not a very good student, but the discipline and
excellent teaching has stood me in good stead
throughout my life and I realise how lucky I was to
attend Crosslands.
Page 57 of 171
When the Americans arrived I met and married Francis
Robert Segna in the Sacred Heart Church in 1946.
Photo of Golden wedding 1996
We spent our first year in Germany before arriving in
Staten Island New York. On the E.B. Alexander
November 1947. Since then Bob and I have been back
to the UK several times bringing our children with us. As
I grow older I find myself sounding more and more
English. I guess what goes around comes around.
MARIE McLOUGHLIN NÉE HARRISON,
BROWN REMEMBERS. (1935-39)
FORMERLY
Crosslands was Heaven after St. Columba’s School; the
teachers had no canes. You could talk to them in the
breaks and over lunch-time. It was a happy time for
making new friends and enjoying lessons. Mother
Dominic (not Sister Dominic), became a great friend. An
owl used to follow her in the trees when we walked
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around at lunch-time. Not so happy memories included
being teased by one or two girls for being so tall and
skinny and also too clever. I enjoyed history with Miss
Cooper very much as I missed Lower 5 – I still listened
to lectures. I also enjoyed Botany and Geography in
which I managed distinctions in School Certificate. Miss
Buckley (later Mrs. Lennon), took us for Botany walks.
Left to right Miss Buckley, Audrey Street, Ruby Archer, Norah Taylor,
Georgina Diamond, Joyce Holmes, Sally (Sarah) Austin,
Marie Leaworthy.
The Convent School provided a good all-round education
although it was short on sciences. Teaching was the
only outlet in the Sixth Form which was not my
inclination. The Second World War started while I was at
the Convent School and this precipitated my leaving. I
Page 59 of 171
had a very happy time at the convent and have fond
memories.
AUDREY SINCLAIR (NÉE ARTHUR) REMEMBERS.
(1936-1947)
During most of these years Rev. Mother Visitation was
the Headmistress, Sister Ursula taking over after the war
ended. I have happy memories of my schooldays, and I
used to go to the Convent for Latin lessons. Mother
Visitation was very kind to me; my mother died when I
was ten years old and she showed me great sympathy
and support at that time, having, I believe, lost her own
mother at an early age. I continued to keep in touch
with her until she died, and we corresponded regularly. I
still possess many of her letters. I used to visit her with
my late husband and daughter after she had retired to
the Convent in Carlisle.
We were taught by Sisters Ursula and Borromeo during
the war years. I think we were given a very good
education and taught, (hopefully), to behave like young
ladies. Sadly I am woefully ignorant about Science as
Botany seemed to be the subject on offer. I was
hopeless at Arithmetic and I remember how frustrated
Sister Dominic became as she lost patience and actually
threw a book at me. All the girls were most impressed
with Sister Ursula and Sister Borromeo. This latter nun
had a smile that lit up her whole face; we called her
“Romeo” - I think she knew. Another memory I have is
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of wearing one of the Sister’s nighties as I was Gabriel
in a Nativity Play.
MARGERY MORRIS, AGNES CRAYSTON (NÉE MORRIS),
ANNE TUUN (NÉE MORRIS). ( BY AGNES).
Margery Morris and Agnes Knight – 1935 taken at the back of
Newland Street
Page 61 of 171
All three sisters from our family were able to go to the
Convent School (Crosslands), after passing the
scholarship examination. We covered the years from
1933 to 1951, but there was only ever one of us at the
school at any time. We all have happy memories of the
school and friendships formed during those years have
survived until this present time.
Photographs from Margery’s days:
School Hockey team left to right back row No.20 – Gwen Thomas,
Dylis Roberts, Joan Bee, Nan Quinn, Teresa Fisher. Front row left to
right Elish Shields, Margery Morris (head girl) Norah McKenny
(Games Captain), Kathleen Burns, ?
In addition to the nuns there was a great variety of
secular teachers, some of who taught all three of us,
having settled in Barrow as permanent residents. Mrs.
Page 62 of 171
Lennon was one such lady; having married another
teacher, she spent the rest of her life here. Her broad
Irish brogue led to the interesting pronunciation of some
botanical names on our nature walks. During the war
there was quite a quick turnover of staff in some
subjects. This added to our experience of life; some of
the teachers were a little eccentric, and so prepared us
for the great world outside the convent gates.
Sport was quite important, hockey practice taking place
during our dinner-time break. Inter-school matches were
usually on Saturdays; sometimes we had to travel all the
way to Millom!
I was moderately tidy in those days, but I remember
admiring some of the older girls as they sped up and
down the hockey pitch with their neatly tied girdles over
flatly pleated gymslips. No such thing as sports gear in
the 1940s. I couldn’t understand how they managed to
keep their long black stockings up without any wrinkles.
I realised some time later that they’d been wearing
suspenders. We also made good use of the tennis courts
and for many years after leaving school, this was a
favourite sport to play and watch.
Memories of the school building include the Museum, a
glass cupboard on the landing outside Form Three. The
main exhibit was an armadillo with its tail in its mouth,
just like a small shopping basket. I believe there was
also an Indian head dress. The hall downstairs was all
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purpose being used for assembly, gymnasium, singing
lessons, and dancing at dinner times to music played on
the piano by one of the Senior girls. It was equipped
with wall bars, balancing benches, ropes and a vaulting
horse. Physical Training (PT) as it was known in those
days was practised wearing full uniform except for shoes
that were changed for black galoshes.
The Refectory, where those who stayed to dinner sat at
long tables, was warm and inviting on a cold day. All
sorts of food was heated up in the gas oven and the
aroma of hot meat pies attracted us like the Bisto Kids
from about half-past eleven in the morning.
Photograph of the class of 1941 Form 3.
( taken outside Convent Chapel).
Back row: left to right Marie Downing, Ann Delaney
Row 4 left to right: Marie Flowerday, Kathleen Donnelly, - ? Margaret
Jackson? AGNES MORRIS.
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Row 3 left to right: Betty Frearson, Margaret Barnett, Sybil Price,
Audrey Robinson, Teresa Knight, Joan Donnelly.
Row 2 left to right: Margaret Flynn, Margaret Barber, Margaret,
O’Hara, Nellie Whitehouse.
Front row left to right: Pat Ashbridge, Margaret Charnley, June
Timmins, Margaret Woodward.
Photo: Kathleen Pickthall (née Donnelly).
(Courtesy of Kathleen Pickthall).
Uniform was changed at various times while the three of
us were at the convent. The pleated gym-slip was
always there, worn originally with a cream blouse in
summer or a navy long sleeved jumper with a collar in
winter. Next came a white shirt blouse for summer with
a navy blue cardigan for the winter. During the war we
wore summer dresses of blue and white cotton. Later
the dresses were plain blue cotton. The original beautiful
velour hats became almost unobtainable in war-time and
for many of us were replaced by felt and later by a
beret. Outdoor shoes had to be changed in school and
at first we wore ward shoes, a flat slipper with a onebutton strap, later replaced by gym shoes.
One of the most powerful memories of Convent School
days is of special feast days when Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament was celebrated on the lawn after a
procession around the well-kept grounds, starting in the
chapel of the convent. Parents and other interested
people would join the clergy of the town, the nuns and
pupils to celebrate these special days, usually on the
feast of Corpus Christi or of Our Lady, singing hymns in
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English and Latin and joining in the prayers. These were
wonderfully uplifting experiences which many people still
remember and talk about with pleasure.
For a short time in the late 1940s Miss Duckett ran an
after school drama group, giving some of the pupils a
start on the road to the stage.
Anne’s days. Miss Duckett’s drama group c.1949
Left to right: Helen McPortland, Anne Morris, Sylvia Cornish.
Photo Hockey team c.1948
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Left to right back row: Lillian Pitts, Nina Murray, Greba Quine,
Georgina Cartwright, Maureen Nuttall, Anne Morris, Pauline Donnelly.
Front row left to right: Margaret Noonan, Brenda Nelson, Mary Walker,
Mary Gill.
Letter to Anne from Sister Ursula (in Rome) to us in reply to a letter
sent when we had a class reunion at 183 Abbey Road.
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Photograph of Hockey team 1949
Back row from left to right ? ? Greeba Quine, ? Mary Gill, Nina Murray,
Margaret Newton. Front row from left to right Margaret Noonan, Betty
Rogan, Helen McPortland, ? ?
When the Crosslands Former Students’ society was
formed with its Gilbert and Sullivan group, we entered in
to that wholeheartedly. Mrs. Sharpe produced the
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operas to a very high standard, strictly according to the
handbooks issued by the D’Oyly Carte Company. We had
a great deal of help from experienced G&S players from
the Abbey Road Methodists. Foremost among them
were Mr. Sammy Briggs, Mr. & Mrs. Simm and Mr. &
Mrs. Melville. Our first productions were in our own
School Hall, the stage being loaned to us by Holker
Street School. Later we used the Public Hall in Cornwallis
Street, and at both venues we had very enthusiastic
audiences. Mr. & Mrs. Nelson from the Middle Lodge of
the Convent were involved in the productions. He
designed and painted the scenery with a willing team of
helpers and his wife designed and made the costumes
for the female characters in the operas. The men’s
costumes were hired from theatrical costumiers.
Since our own days at the Convent School the place has
been extended and changed in many ways but the
convent buildings are still at the heart of the
establishment where two more generations of our family
have been educated.
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SIGNIFICANT EVENTS – A DATE LINE. 1939- 49
1939 The Second World War broke out.
1940 The period of Barrow’s Blitz – 14-16 April and 3 –
10 May. 83 people died in the Blitz and there were
330 injured. For the whole of the war 92 people
were killed and 435 were injured. Over 100 houses
were destroyed and 500 had later to be
demolished.
1943 James Freel, a Barrow seaman known as the
“human torpedo” blew up a cruiser and transport
ship in Palermo port. Awarded the Conspicuous
Gallantry Medal in 1944.
1945 Street Parties were held to celebrate the end of
the war. The North West Evening Mail headline for
10th May 1945:
“Gay V.E. (Victory in Europe) parties in many
streets..Holker Street was quick off the mark on
Tuesday, three bonfires being soon ablaze”
“ …And Hindpool lived up to its reputation for gay
decorations. Streets vied with one another in a
blaze of colour that did not hide the scars of
Barrow’s most bomb damaged district….”
“….Where rows of houses had been demolished,
streamers were hung across the streets by means
of rough poles let into the ground…” main V.E. day
party in Hindpool was in Howe Street.
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1947 January - March. Coldest winter of the century.
Coldest night was -19˚C and on 26th February
daytime temperature was 12˚C.
1947 Listers opened.
THE CLASS OF 1940
Joan Atkinson
June Atkinson
Alice Beach
Eileen Brockway
Rita Burlinson
Kathleen Burns
Betty Cherry
Ena Cole
Theresa Donnelly
Joan Duffy
Valerie Flowerday
Veronica Fogharty
Pat Freel
Mary Hall
Connie Hinds
Irene Mansell
Sheila McAteer
Kathleen McKenna (deceased)
Mary Mckeown
Maureen McGlynn
Hilda Miller
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Amanda Morgan
Josephine Nicholson
Joan Noble
Joan Norton
Sheila Postlethwaite
Joyce Purdy
Vera Reynolds
Olive Roberts
Margaret Rocks (deceased)
Pat Stevens
Margaret Thomas
Theresa Webster
Joan Woodall (deceased)
ALICE LEACH (NÉE BEACH) REMEMBERS HER CONVENT
SCHOOL DAYS (1940-6).
I started Crosslands Convent School in the second year
of the Second War in the second form. The kindergarten
and the first form were for fee paying under eleven year olds, while new entrants to the school started at
eleven years of age in Form 2. As children, the war was
not a real cause for worry or deprivation. Granted we
had to carry gas masks everywhere and food and
sweets were rationed and there were occasional airraids after the Barrow Blitz.
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There might have been a war on but there were no
concessions to the standard dress code. I was fortunate
because my mother was a skilled dressmaker and made
my gym slip, blazer and winter coat. McDowells (now,
Baby Bitz), was the supplier for school uniforms, badges
and velour hats. However, for some reason the nearest
place to buy a real panama hat was Ulverston, so I was
taken by my mother on a bus trip to this town – quite
an adventure in those days. The hat was duly
purchased; it was not just a real panama hat, it was a
big panama hat. When pulled down it covered my head
and most of my face.
My mother, like most mothers, worked on the
assumption that children’s clothes should be worn a few
sizes too big, the maxim being that he/she would grow
into them. Somehow I don’t think this rule of thumb
applied to hats and heads. There was an optional item
of clothing, a woolly cardigan and a pattern was
provided. My mother straight away started knitting on
big needles with thick wool. I hated that cardigan with
its all–over design of holes. It seemed that the girls,
including me, who wore this awful cardigan were all on
the plump side and the cardigan did nothing to hide this
fact.
Another must was a school satchel and I can still picture
mine, made from lovely soft leather bought at Cliffe’s in
Cavendish Square, (near the town hall), a shop that
specialised in quality leather goods. Into this satchel
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went exercise and text books, the latter bought halfprice (this was the rule taught by Rev. Mother Visitation)
from the girls in the class above. All books had to be
backed with brown paper. Hill’s was the shop on Dalton
Road for the purchase of new books.
Like many other girls I went home at mid-day and had
dinner (not lunch), with my parents. I cycled to school
on my trusty Halford’s bicycle which had cost £3.12s.0d;
this served me well for all my school days. I should
point out that Crosslands was not residential and
Convent day schools were very different. Much has been
written about nuns and convent girls, for instance the
book “There’s something about a convent girl” in which
certain celebrities like Germaine Greer, Anne Robinson
and Clare Boylan have made contributions. Unlike them
we went home and had a normal family life; leisure time
was spent with parents and siblings: listening to the
radio, playing cards, or very importantly going to the
pictures several times a week. My favourite film of all
time is “Gone With the Wind” and I first saw it when I
was about fourteen. The following day a few of us were
discussing the film and one girl who was considered a
little “fast” was knowledgeably, with nods and a “nudge,
nudge” referring to the bit where Rhett Butler carried
Scarlet O’Hara upstairs and the aftermath which she had
worked out but didn’t put into words. I, for one, didn’t
know what she was talking about.
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Looking back I have to say any reference to sex
education was non-existent unless you count studying
floral diagrams in Botany lessons.
It is worth
remembering that until 1950 the word “teenager” had
not been coined. Judy Garland of “Wizard of Oz” fame
used to sing “I’m too old for toys and too young for boys
– I’m just an “in between”.
The school day started with Assembly in the school hall.
This was a time for prayers and announcements from
Reverend Mother. It was here we often sang our School
Song.
Hail to our dear school today, bring we hearty greeting,
Gladly o’er her royal sway as we now are meeting,
Kindly she has found for us paths to wisdom’s treasure,
Shown rewards all glorious, lavish in their measure.
CHORUS
Honour to Crosslands our dear school, our mother,
queen and friend,
Here’s to the wise and kindly rule, never to end
Honour we bring to the dear old school, our mother,
queen and friend,
Here’s to the wise and kindly rule, never to end, never
to end.
We alas too soon must leave thy walls which now enfold
us,
But thy counsel true and strong ever shall uphold us,
Crosslands, though we wander far, we shall love thy
teaching,
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Strive to keep thy colours bright, ever upwards
reaching*
CHORUS
Honour to Crosslands our dear school, our mother,
queen and friend,
Here’s to the wise and kindly rule, never to end,
Honour we bring to the dear old school, our mother,
queen and friend,
Here’s to the wise and kindly rule never to end,
Crosslands for Aye!
*A reference to the motto on the Barrow Coat of Arms.
The words were written by Sister Ursula and the music
was probably composed by Rev. Mother Visitation. We
exited to a march such as the rousing “Blaze Away” by
Sousa, played by a gifted pianist. Some of us
deliberately stood at the back of our form in order to
make a bee-line for the Staff Room door to carry the
exercise books of our favourite teacher. As well as the
hall serving as a gym, it was also our dance floor. I can
remember learning the Palais Glide to the tune of
"Sweet Sixteen little Angeline.” This tune was played by
Rev. Mother Visitation after we had sung it for her, for
she could play by ear.
I loved class-work and home-work - I was a swot and
today I would be called a “nerd” or a “geek”. Because I
worked hard I always had a good report. This seemed to
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annoy one class-mate in particular for I remember her
announcing to a group of girls in my presence “I would
like to be her (me) today taking home that good report
but not any other day of the year” Bullying or just plain
bitchiness? The best teacher I ever had was Sister
Ursula. She taught without any visual or audio aids, just
herself and the book. She inspired me with a love of
literature that I have never lost. Many of us went
through school believing that this tall, elegant nun had
been presented at court and was a titled lady - Lady
Mary Gough. Sadly this was a convent myth. The only
thing we got right was the surname, Gough.
I remember:
The Corpus Christi processions, when the sun always
shone,
Speech Days in the King’s Hall (one of the highlights
being a class recitation of “The Golden Journey to
Samarkand” by James Elroy Flecker), for which Miss
Rawcliffe prepared us as if she was conducting a full
scale orchestra,
Sister Borromeo teaching History by enacting battle
scenes with inkwells, rubbers, rulers or any other nearby
objects,
Sister Cecilia giving up on me in Art lessons,
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Reports, and Sister Visitation always writing on mine “A
splendid little worker, Maths need more attention”,
and, lastly, the dreaded detentions.
In conclusion, in my opinion, we were well taught; for
the Catholics there was an emphasis on religion. With
hard work a convent girl left school with the necessary
qualifications for a worthwhile career. Looking back I
realise I was very privileged to have attended
Crosslands Convent with its idyllic setting.
One former pupil has raised an important issue when
she pointed out that influences outside school played an
important part in a young person’s perception of school;
an unsatisfactory family background may have caused
unhappiness and affected a girl’s school life. On the
other hand the convent school may have provided a
haven.
JOYCE MOUL (NÉE GALLAGHER) 1941- 44
My years at Crosslands Convent were not all happy
years. Coming from a family of mixed religion, I had
never attended a Catholic School, although I was
baptised a Catholic. My father was a practising Catholic;
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my mother having had instructions before marrying
never practised Catholicism after the marriage.
Our first lesson at school each morning was Religious
Knowledge when the class was split up with Catholics on
one side and non-Catholics on the other; the latter were
given work to do while the Catholics had a religious
lesson. I sat with the non-Catholics for a few lessons,
thinking that was the right thing to do. I was then told
to sit with the Catholics and when the teacher
discovered I knew nothing about the religion,
arrangements were made for me to have special
instructions from Sister Marie, a retired nun at
Crosslands – the nuns’ house.
Each morning I went to the house and some mornings I
returned late for my next lesson as Sister Marie seemed
to have no conception of time. I would be out of breath
with running and if my next teacher was Mrs. Lennon, a
good telling off was forthcoming. This went on for about
a year plus extra religious homework, which made me
begin to dislike the school and often wished I was back
at my non-Catholic school where I had been happy.
I now think that the main reason for sending me to the
convent was the religion, regardless of the cost as there
were fees to be paid, plus everything else to be bought:
hockey stick, tennis racquet, books etc.
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However I eventually made my First Holy Communion in
1943 and Headmistress, Sister Visitation gave me a
Missal to remember the occasion, which I still have to
this day.
Joyce has also kept for 64 years her blazer badge,
(pictured below), hat band, hat badge and gym slip sash
(known as a girdle).
GREEBA QUINE REMEMBERS. (194-51).
My very first day at the convent – I stood in front of my
dressing table mirror admiring my new school uniform,
of which I was immensely proud, though I yet had to
add the tie as I couldn’t tie it. I was seven years old. My
mother and I went to the bus stop on the square in
Dalton. The first bus that came left full without us and I
was very worried that I was to be late on my first day.
When we arrived the new students and their mothers
were gathered in the front entrance, having passed
between the two laburnum trees that stood either side
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of the gate. Sister Ursula came to talk to us and that
was the last time we were allowed, officially anyway, to
enter that way. The fee at the time was three guineas
(Three pounds and three shillings). I was sent to the
convent, because, believe it or not, I was shy. I was also
having nightmares because of the treatment of the
children in the Junior School, and my parents thought
this would be the solution. And it was.
What I learned, apart from a sound grounding in all the
basic subjects, I hope I learned right from wrong. I
certainly knew the difference and practised it because I
was too timid to do otherwise, not because of great
moral courage. But the one lesson I learned, and it
stood me in good stead, was to stand up to bullies,
because there were some in the early years.
At some point a platform was built at one end of the
hall. One day we were doing P.E. (in our uniforms – no
kit then). Miss Parry was demonstrating vigorous star
jumps, when the platform gave way, and through she
went. As it was only about eighteen inches high she
didn’t go too far. At the time we thought it was very
funny, but now I know it could have been quite serious.
And, I bet she never thought of compensation! Talking
of kit, I don’t remember playing games in anything other
than our uniform.
The sixth form used to put on a pantomime at
Christmas. This particular year, the new Reverend
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Mother had arrived. The pantomime was Robinson
Crusoe, but the sailors were not allowed to wear
trousers, so they wore long macs and wellingtons.
We were all encouraged by Sister Ursula in any artistic
endeavours, and the Dalton girls who were Church of
England were every year in plays and Opèrettas. At
these times Sister Ursula would let us off home work.
Does anyone remember looking for “The Ghost” in
Members Only? This was the little building and its yard
to me. I never stopped to think that it meant anything.
I think I was probably the last Protestant to leave the
school. I was always comfortable in school and never
felt pressured. The best part was towards the end of the
summer term, when the Catholics had a three - day
Retreat. After registration we Protestants went to
Walney and spent the day on the shore with Miss Barnes
(Muriel Railton). The sun always seemed to be shining!
In my last year at the convent, when it was known that
I was going to London to train as teacher of speech and
drama, Sister Ursula, who was appointed Headmistress
when the Education Authority took over, let me take the
first year class once a week for speech lessons. This was
a valuable experience for me.
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NORA SHARPE (NÉE PROCTOR) REMEMBERS 1943 – 47
The Convent School was always immaculate and the
teachers very caring. My happiest memories were when
I was taking part in the Gilbert and Sullivan Productions
under the direction of Mrs. Sharpe (no relation) – a
lovely lady. My favourite subject was English. I thought
the school provided an excellent all- round education. I
don’t think the closure of the Convent and Grammar
Schools was a good thing.
BRENDA TEBAY (NÉE CLARKE) REMEMBERS HER
CONVENT SCHOOL DAYS (1945- 50)
How well I remember going to the Convent school to sit
the eleven plus entrance examination. It was 1945; I
had attended several schools, and my teacher at that
time was of the sarcastic, bad-tempered variety.
Consequently I didn’t expect my school days to get any
better. Besides which, the lady overseeing us looked like
a penguin! As we were leaving the classroom this
penguin person called me back. “You forgot to write
your name” she said, and I braced myself for the usual
verbal assault, but, all she said quietly was “You silly
goose” and smiled. She actually smiled! And, I wasn’t
even a Roman Catholic! At that moment I knew this was
where I wanted to be, and yes, to my great joy I was
granted a place.
I took pride in learning to make the sign of the cross
and how to recite the Hail Mary. Sister Ursula was our
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English teacher and fostered my love of literature. Now
and then she would send me round the classrooms to
read aloud the poetry I wrote. This I did with a mixture
of pride and embarrassment while trying to ignore the
yawns and groans from my captive audience. Sister
Ursula herself could recite great chunks of Shakespeare
and you could have heard a pin drop.
One day I told her I was going to join her Order when I
grew up. She looked at me with what I can only
describe as a twinkle. Years later I visited the Convent
to show off my new-born son. The door was opened by
Sister Ursula herself. “Oh, I see you decided not to
become a nun”, she twinkled.
(Brenda in a letter to her friend, Anne Tunn, writes, “We
really were lucky, weren’t we? –We went to the best
school in the world).
JEAN
ROGAN
(1946–1951)
(NÉE
McCASKILL)
REMEMBERS
I was very fond of Sister Borromeo; I passed my History
examination which pleased her. One of her frequent
sayings was “When I was young and charming.” As she
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was tall, very thin and not at all nice looking, at fifteen,
we couldn’t imagine it! Another saying of hers was
“Never wear red girls, it inflames men’s passions.” We
immediately went out and bought red dresses, but
nothing happened.
Once when I was wearing a brooch given to me by a
boy friend; it had my name “Jean” on it – I was
thoroughly told off.
I used to be plagued with sties as my mother and
grandmother had been. The cure was pierced ears and
my mother took me to the doctor’s but he “poo-pooed”
the idea, so we went to Story’s the jeweller in Ulverston
and he complied and I have been free from sties ever
since. Oddly enough nothing was said by the Teaching
Staff. I kept my hair long to disguise my ear rings.
PAT HUMPHRIES (NÉE WITHAM) REMEMBERS
(1941–1952)
I started Crosslands at the age of seven years and left
when I was seventeen and a half years old, travelling
each day from Ulverston to Barrow and returning when
school finished. We were allowed to arrive late and
leave early to fit in with the bus timetable. In the
summer, weather permitting, we cycled both ways. I
travelled in the company of my friends, Pat Robinson
and Margaret Hayton. Sometimes we were able to buy
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flowers to take home from Harold, the gardener. On the
last day of the school year we had to provide polish and
dusters to use on our desks. We also went to the older
pupils the year above to buy books they no longer
required and which we needed when we returned after
the summer holiday. This only happened while the
school was still private.
I remember well Sister Dominic being brought down in a
wheelchair to teach us. She was very nice to us and if
any of us were not well she placed us in a large wicker
chair and covered us with a rug. On one occasion Sister
Borromeo caught me with my gymslip in my pants
attempting a hand-stand. It was explained to me in a
very forceful tone that young ladies did not do that sort
of thing. Because we were not Catholics we were
removed to the library while RE Lessons took place, but
learnt most of the hymns during Assembly, which came
in useful when I married John and became a Catholic.
THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE OF
OUR LADY OF FURNESS WAS WRITTEN BY THE LATE
MARGARET FORAN (NÉE DINES); HER SON, ADAM HAS
GIVEN PERMISSION FOR IT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE
MEMOIRS OF CONVENT GIRLS.
During the mid-fifties Sister Ursula was the
Headmistress at Our Lady’s School. The school was
situated in the grounds of the convent. Sister Ursula had
a very deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and
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wanted a statue of her to be situated in the convent
grounds. As this was situated close by Furness Abbey,
she felt it would be appropriate to continue the
traditions of the abbey in its devotion to St. Mary of
Furness.
I was a pupil at the school and very keen on Art. Sister
Ursula asked me to do some drawings of Mary with her
Son, using the seal of Furness Abbey as inspiration. I
also referred to the stained glass window in the
entrance of St. Mary’s Church on Duke Street. I tried to
emulate in the face of the Virgin the love, serenity and
devotion as seen in the Madonna of Leonardo Da Vinci,
and combined this with the attributes of the Virgin from
the Seal.
The drawings were sent to
Italy where the sculptor used
them for guidance in the
making of the statue. The red
marble
was
chosen
to
represent the red sandstone of
Furness, from which the abbey
was constructed. John Heaney
(now Rev. Father Heaney) also
submitted ideas. He was at
that time an Art student at the
Howard Street College.
Page 87 of 171
Dedication of statue.
In 1958, a statue of St. Mary of Furness, the gift of the pupils, past
and present, was erected in the grounds, in thanksgiving for the
continued help and protection of Our Lady’s School, and in reparation
for the outrages to her Shrine in the past. The statue is now in the
grounds of St. Mary’s RC Church, Duke Street.
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Photograph of three Cistercian monks in front of the statue in the
grounds of the Convent. (1984).
the Seal of Furness Abbey drawn by Margaret Foran
Page 89 of 171
THE FOLLOWING EXTRACT IS FROM “OPEN SECRET”
BY
STELLA
RIMINGTON
(NÉE
WHITEHOUSE)
PUBLISHED
BY HUTCHINSON. REPRINTED BY
PERMISSION OF THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP LTD.
(Dame Stella Rimington was Director General of MI5
from 1992-6. When her father moved the family to
Barrow where he was employed as Chief Draughtsman
at the Steelworks, Stella attended “Crosslands” Convent
School 1946-7).
“When my brother went on to Barrow Grammar School,
I was sent to a little convent school for girls, Crosslands
Convent at Furness Abbey on the outskirts of Barrow.
The teachers were nearly all nuns and were all
characters. There was Sister Borromeo, who taught
history, a long, lean ascetic lady, who, whenever she
wrote on the blackboard, put a sideways cross over the
words. This puzzled me for a long time and one day I
summoned up the courage to ask her why she did it.
“To remind me that all my work is done for God,” she
replied. I never worked out whether that was profound
or profoundly dotty. Sister Borromeo was a nervous lady
and it was due to her that I transferred my fear of
bombing raids to a fear of lightning. I remember one
particular history lesson, which was disturbed by
ferocious claps of thunder. I had been told that
thunderstorms were not dangerous and was quite
prepared to shrug them off, until I noticed that after
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every clap of thunder Sister Borromeo would anxiously
cross herself and whisper, “I thought I saw lightning.”
At the convent I was among the group apart, known as
the “Non-Catholics.” We were excluded from interestinglooking occasions, when incense was burned and
rosaries were said. From time to time, a very importantlooking figure came to visit the school. He wore a long,
purple gown and all the way down it at the front, in a
sort of semi-circle over his large protuberant stomach
were tiny little round purple buttons, covered with the
fabric of his robe. I used to stare at him, trying to count
his buttons, but he never stayed long enough for me to
get all the way from top to bottom. I never knew who
he was, though he was clearly some dignitary in the
Roman Catholic hierarchy and we all had to call him
“Monsignor”. The Catholic girls were allowed to kiss his
ring, but we were supposed to curtsy to him.
But even as a non-Catholic, I did learn to recite the Hail
Mary, which was said in a chorus several times a day. Or
at least I thought I did. No-one ever taught it so I just
picked it up, but for years I thought it went, “Hail Mary,
full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed art thou
swimming and blessed is the fruit of thy, whom Jesus.”
It was only when I thought about this, much, much
later, that I realised that could not have been right.
I was never quite sure how to take the nuns. I had
never met any before. We all called them “Sister” and
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some of the Catholic girls bobbed to them as though
they were royalty. But I couldn’t help noticing how oddly
they behaved. Sister Dominic was a scatty and very
untidy nun whose habit was always dirty and torn, with
the tears held together with huge tacking stitches. But
she had a heart of gold. She used to bring in to class, as
prizes for mental arithmetic tests, pieces of cake of
dubious origin, which emerged from the folds of none
too clean a habit and which certainly should have had a
health warning attached. We gobbled them up, both
because we were greedy and because we didn’t want to
hurt her feelings.
Sister Dominic claimed to be lame and was allowed to
travel from the convent to the school and back in a
wheelchair, a journey of about 200 yards over a rough,
stony track. Presumably her sister nuns pushed her to
school, but we girls vied for the privilege of pushing her
back. Three or four of us would seize the handle of the
wheelchair and run as fast as we could over the stones
in what must have been a bone-breaking journey. She
seemed to enjoy it though, and when, as regularly
happened, a wheel flew off the chair; she would leap
out, take off her shoe, and using it as a hammer, bash
the wheel back on. It was this sprightly readiness to
leap out which made us all wonder just how lame she
was.
Sister Cecilia was quite a different cup of tea. She
terrified me. She was an exceptionally neat nun; her
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habit was always clean and beautifully pressed but her
character matched her appearance and she was
extremely severe. She taught art, and her lessons
should have been pleasant occasions, but I was not very
artistic, and she was very sarcastic. My fear of art came
to a head one Christmas when she decided we would all
make crackers. I was unable to grasp that you had to
get the crepe paper one way round and not the other. I
kept getting it wrong and when all the other children
had a box of lovely crackers to show for their pains; I
had just a few sticky, mangled messes because I had to
keep taking mine to bits. I stayed awake many nights
worrying about those crackers, and to this day the sight
of a certain kind of shiny string, which is still sold at
Christmas, the kind we had been given to tie up those
crackers, gives me the shudders.
In spite of Sister Cecilia, this was a happy period for me
as a child, once the bombing had stopped. Life was no
great effort. I was one of the brighter children at the
school and had plenty of friends.”
Stella Rimington goes on to write about her leisure time:
Saturday mornings at the Roxy Cinema and the films
showing at the time, such as, Flash Gordon and his
gang, getting into nerve racking adventures, or Carmen
Miranda and her fantastic fruit covered hats. She and
her friends marvelled at the cinema organ, which came
up out of the floor changing from livid pink to vivid
green as the mood of the music altered. Visits to Walney
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were made but Stella mentions the fact that it was a
dangerous place because during the war much of the
beach was mined and enclosed with barbed wire with
frightening notices for instance “Danger of Death”.
Weekends were often spent in the Lake District, staying
at the Crown Hotel in Coniston, watching “The Lady of
the Lake” rotting on Coniston Water. Stella climbed
Coniston Old Man on her tenth birthday.
When the twelve-year old Stella Rimington’s father took
a job in the Drawing Office at Stainton Ironworks in
Derbyshire, the family left the Lakes and the sea and the
north of England and “ her little convent school”.
The former Director General of MI5 had no difficulty
being accepted at Nottingham High School, one of the
best Girls’ Day Schools of the area, thanks to the
education she had received at “Crosslands” Convent.
MARIA McHAFFIE (NÉE GLORIA MARIA DONOHOE)
REMEMBERS. (1946-52)
Now living in Stavely, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
I was a pupil at the school from 1946–1952 and am very
proud to have been there. It was, however, not so at
the beginning because I wanted to go to the Grammar
School and my mother insisted that I accepted the
Convent scholarship. As I had tried to fail every paper of
the Entrance exam, I wondered what kind of awful
school it must be if they were offering me a scholarship.
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I had been at St. Paul’s School, at Hawcoat, for four
years and, having passed for the Grammar School and
been awarded the George Moore scholarship, I wanted
to be with my friends. Day one of my Crosslands
adventure was not a good day. After changing my shoes
– rule no. one, I stood miserably in the entrance to the
school hall where thousands of girls were making a
terrible racket; there were actually under two hundred
but we always put on a good show. I wanted to go
home. I became aware that someone was standing
beside me and I turned to see who it was and I looked
up and up and up to see the tallest nun I had ever seen.
She spoke “Good Morning Carrots.” I decided that if I
even had to run away to sea that I’d do it. CARROT?
Nobody called me that! I hated her. Years later when I
told her (Sister Ursula), about that day, she laughed and
said she could appreciate how I felt as she had had red
hair and endured the names that went with it. She
became a wonderful friend – not just a Head Teacher.
Even today I still measure my actions against her
example. When she had to tell us that the King had died
(George V1 in 1952), she cried with us. When I heard of
her death the world seemed empty.
P. S. Sister Ursula once said that if we went away from
the school with nothing else we should have learnt how
to conduct an intelligent conversation at the same time
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as holding a cup and saucer in one hand and a plate of
food in the other.
PAT JONES (NÉE OAKES) REMEMBERS HER CONVENT
SCHOOL DAYS ( 1947- 54)
My mam and dad were bursting with pride when I won
the scholarship to the Convent School; this meant that
all my education and books were free. The only expense
was the uniform. This was very expensive and consisted
of a gabardine, a raincoat, a gymslip, blouses a velour
hat for winter and a panama for summer, and a hockey
stick. I had a brown attaché case with my initials
(P.J.O.) on it. One day my velour hat got soaked and,
not knowing any better, I put it on the newel post to
dry, which resulted in my being the not too proud
possessor of a pointed hat, that is, until berets were
introduced.
My dad, who was a labourer at the Shipyard, took a
part-time night job as door man at His Majesty’s Theatre
to help to pay for my clothes. School uniform relaxed
while I was there. Ties were abandoned in favour of
blue open neck shirts and summer dresses could be
made of any material as long as it was pale blue. I was
friendly with Mrs. Nelson who lived at the central lodge
of the convent grounds; she had eleven cats! This lady
made my summer dresses so I was very fortunate.
We only saw Reverend Mother Visitation on Feast Days
or days of national importance such as the 6th of
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February 1952 when we had a whole school assembly in
the Hall, where Sister Ursula, our Headmistress
announced the death of King George V1 and that he
would be succeeded by his daughter Princess Elizabeth.
Sister Cecilia was our music teacher and Sister Borromeo
taught History. She was tall and angular, a very nervous
lady.
Later in my school life, a lovely young nun, Sister
Dolores arrived and she taught Latin. I’m still in touch
with her. Our gym teacher was a delightful young thing
called Miss Barnes who later became Mrs. Railton. She
had an Austin Metropolitan car, red and white. I always
hated any physical activity, and when I saw Mrs Railton
at one of our re-unions, she wobbled my ample hips and
said “If anyone deserves hips like that Pat, it’s you!”
She denies having said that, but it’s true. I thought it
was hilarious. We had Miss O’Sullivan for Maths – cruel
woman! Miss O’Neill for Science, Miss Feerick for English
– “Learn one new word every day girls.” My favourite
teacher was Miss Quinn, the Art Teacher. She had an
acerbic sense of humour that did not endear her to
many people, but I thought she was marvellous.
When the Brazilian ship the “Almirante Saldanna” was in
Barrow for a re-fit, the sailors used to wait at the end of
the lane at Abbey Road to “suss out” the girls. My
friends and I were all too scared to talk to them but
some girls formed friendships with them.
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There was also the Crosslands’ Former Students 0peratic
society which presented Gilbert & Sullivan Opèrettas. I
was Zorah, a bridesmaid, in “Ruddigore”, but my
meagre talent failed to impress. Tall girls took male
leads and small girls were girls.
People who saw us out in the streets would always
comment on our behaviour, whether we had our hats on
straight and wearing our gloves. A huge sin was to be
seen in the street eating. Letters would be sent in to
Sister Ursula.
I should have left school in 1953 when I was sixteen but
wanted to do A levels. What a drain that must have
been on my Mam and Dad! I stayed till I was seventeen,
but then they explained that there was no way they
could afford to send me to university, so I left school. I
am so proud to have been at the convent and still
deplore the banning of the system that sent a poor kid
like me to the best school in the country.
MOLLY ALLONBY (NÉE BURNS) REMEMBERS (1941–7).
I was a pupil at “Crosslands” during the Second World
War. I was educated to School Certificate standard; I
then took a short Commercial Course with the tutor,
Mrs. L. Harvey.
I was very happy at the Convent School; I was a pianist
and on numerous occasions I was called upon to play
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tunes for the girls to dance to at break or lunch-time in
the school hall: waltzes, fox-trots etc. I also took my
turn to play at assembly playing well-known marches as
the girls left the hall. This was well received by Sister
Ursula. Rev. Mother Visitation was an excellent pianist
and she showed an interest in some of the songs and
dances, indicating the notes to play for the Barn Dance
that she liked. On one occasion Sister Ursula asked me
to play the piano for a party at Chetwynde Preparatory
School which had opened in 1945 and was situated
across our drive on Abbey Road. I went during the
afternoon and we all had a happy time with me playing
for the games.
Sometime c.1944-5 we were joined by a number of
Polish girls, who settled in a refugee camp along Abbey
Road at Dane Ghyll. There was a Polish pupil in my class
and I never did learn how to pronounce her name. My
sister Sheila remembers a Polish girl in Form 3 called
Jennifer Whichykowski. I was asked by Sister Ursula to
go along to the camp to play for a Polish get-together;
these were dark nights and due to the black-out
restrictions, all was pitch black. I was fourteen at the
time and lived in Ulverston and with my nine-year old
sister, Sheila, we travelled by bus to the camp, finding
our way to the pre-fabricated huts with great difficulty
after getting off the bus at the Stone Trough. I took my
music with me for any dancing. We were greeted
enthusiastically by the youngsters. I played for Sheila to
tap dance at the concert. She was a really lovely dancer
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and could dance without ever losing her balance in the
difficult Russian dance. I recall playing “Bless this
House” – I wonder what the Polish community thought
of it. The good folk of Barrow must have provided the
piano. Even though I had no Polish Folk Music, the
happy crowd thanked us for coming, as did Sister Ursula
on the following Monday in school. I was immensely
proud that Sheila and I could help in our own small way.
I recall with pleasure our war-time experience as well as
the rest of the time I spent at our wonderful Convent
School of the Sacred Heart of Mary.
CATH RIGG (NÉE ETHERIDGE) REMEMBERS
CONVENT SCHOOL DAYS (1947-1952)
HER
I went to Crosslands/Our Lady’s Convent as a
scholarship girl in September 1947 and from the age of
twelve I lived at Chetwynde where my parents, Joe and
Kitty Etheridge, took care of the school for many yearsSister Aquinas was Head teacher then with the nuns also
teaching and lovely teachers such as Mrs. Sharpe, Mrs.
McClean, Mrs. Evans and a very young, exotic, dedicated
teacher, Mrs. Margaret Stones. I was married from there
ten years later and an outstanding memory is coming
down the stairs on my father’s arm with the nuns lined
up below, then visiting the convent, standing on a large
table giving a twirl for the rest of the nuns to see my
wedding dress and placing my wedding bouquet in the
chapel (sadly no longer used).
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The nuns were part of my growing up and I knew them
all, as well as Harold the gardener and all the tramps
who used to come down for breakfast in the refectory,
plus the priests who used to say daily Mass and partake
of a super breakfast cooked by the lay sisters who did
domestic work, and some even gardened much to the
gardener’s frustration as it was his domain.
Sister Ursula was my Headmistress during my five years
at school. I loved school; luckily I was academic but
sport was high on my list and I shone at athletics.
One outstanding memory was when my friend, Tonie
Donnelly and I took one of the older nuns out for a walk
in the grounds. She was very old in the eyes of thirteen
year-olds- and, in a wheelchair which was antiquated
and difficult to manoeuvre. We made the error of going
down a narrow bumpy path into the woods, lost control
of the wheelchair, which tipped the poor nun out onto
the grass – her wimple almost came off and all we could
do was stare in disbelief “You’ve got hair sister” we both
exclaimed in unison, to which she crossly replied “Of
course I have, did you think I was bald.” We both
nodded mutely and somehow managed to right the
wheelchair, put her back in and deliver her safely back
home. She was never to complain about her “lunchtime
mishap” and we returned to school and never mentioned
it to the teacher, only to the class as we could not resist
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imparting such a gem of information that nuns did have
hair!
Another lifelong memory was having to go along to the
convent – Crosslands (the former mansion), where the
nuns lived; this always smelled of polish and had lots of
lovely statues dotted around. I went there for my piano
lessons with Sister Rupert. She was a wonderful teacher,
an even better raconteur, and not being awfully keen to
play the piano, I found the strategy to get through the
lesson was to ask her about her life, who was her
favourite pianist etc? Then she was off!
Amazingly these facts emerged, which even than
impressed me as I loved Mario Lanza in those days and
had just seen the film “The Great Caruso.” Sister Rupert
told me her Convent School in America was attended by
his wife Dorothy and they both used to return to the
school and convent each Christmas with presents for the
nuns – she actually met the great tenor! She also said
that she was a very young pupil of Paderewski, actually
knew the famous composer whose piece I was
struggling to play.
I loved lessons with her, then when she was too frail, a
nun called Sister Cecilia took over and it was not fun
anymore. This same nun taught Needlework and I was
so hopeless I left school still trying to complete “my
bunny pinny.” I wasn’t her favourite pupil and ended up
a very average pianist!
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Corpus Christi procession in June on the lawn of the
convent grounds, was always a highlight, as besides
getting out of lessons, we could also ogle the altar boys
who attended with the parish priests.
The connection with the Convent School has never left
as Margaret Stones, (the trendy young woman from
Chetwynde), now retired, and so much my “Miss Jean
Brodie,” became Head teacher (1979 ), and now I have
four grand-daughters ranging from seven to twenty-one
– all Crosslands pupils, so I still take the trip down the
driveway each day with the youngest and re-live the
happy days of my childhood, only now appreciating how
privileged we were, and what very special people the
sisters were.
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ANNE CALVERT REMEMBERS (1947–51)
Convent Girls - Poem by Ann Calvert, script by Mary
Tunn (née Gill).
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SIGNIFICANT DATES – A TIME LINE 1949-59
In the 1950s a number of schools were built due to the
1944 Education Act.
1950 Greengate Infants; 1951 Ormsgill Infants and
South Newbarns Juniors; 1952 Ormsgill Junior; 1953
South Newbarns Infants; St. Aloysius RC Secondary
School; 1956 South Walney Primary; 1957 St. Paul’s
Junior and 1958 West Shore Secondary.
1951 June and July – Edward May aged 39, was the
first person to swim the 28 miles round Walney
Island. Edward May and 16 year old Doris May then
swam across Morecambe Bay.
1953 June 2 - Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen
Elisabeth II and street parties were held. Many
people bought their first televisions to view this
historic event.
1953–56 Completion of the Newbarns Estate. Plans for
800 houses for 30,000 people, shops a church,
recreation centre, schools, tennis courts and a
bowling green were made, but not fulfilled.
1954-6 Abbotsmead estate built.
1955 30 April - Barrow Rugby won the Rugby
Challenge Cup at Wembley under the leadership of
Captain Willie Horne, beating Workington 21-12.
1959 British Cellophane opened a factory.
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ANN NICHOLSON (NÉE CHARLESWORTH) REMEMBERS
(1953–7).
My initial recollections of my time at the Convent School
were of a very special place that lay somewhere
between “The Sound of Music” and “St. Trinian’s.” What
do I mean by that? It was a place of spiritual and
emotional stability that allowed one’s personality to
develop in a safe and seCuré environment. It allowed
academic and adolescent growth to develop at a gentle
pace that gave a solid foundation for the future. The St.
Trinian’s reference was to the impish adolescent tricks
that we got up to. When Sister Dolores raised her eyes
to the heavens, we believed that she was seeking divine
inspiration. On reflection she was more likely to be
thinking “Oh no, not this old joke again.”
I do remember being somewhat “miffed” when my
cartoons of Sister Columba and Napoleon Bonaparte
were confiscated and never mentioned again as I was
sure they were worth at least one detention! Sister
Ursula was the most perfect person; she was loved and
respected by all. We would rather have suffered weeks
of purgatory than upset her.
There were strict rules mainly concerning behaviour in
school: not running in corridors, good manners etc.
School uniform rules were most specific and not to be
ignored. One must always wear a hat outside school,
and you were never to be seen eating outside when in
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uniform, not even an ice cream. I still feel
uncomfortable eating something in the street; it was a
good discipline to learn. You were never to be seen
disrespecting school uniform anywhere.
The style, length of dress and, length of sleeves was
very specific. One summer day, my friends and I were
reading on the hockey field. We had rolled our sleeves
up, pulled up skirts to the knees hoping for a tan. Sister
Dolores saw us and told us to roll our sleeves down as
we were showing our elbows. I thought for years that
elbows had some sexy significance!
Fundraising for the “Black Babies” was an important part
of our activities. I remember two friends and I
organising a puppet show, “Cinderella,” to which
Reverend Mother and the Staff and pupils from
Chetwynde were invited to join the rest of the school for
this amazing fundraising event. We should have known
that the frame for the puppet stage would not take
three of us. After a few mistakes and a lot of giggling,
the frame collapsed and we fell off the stage at
Reverend Mother’s feet. We had to give the money
back. Experiential learning – how to cope with extreme
humiliation when you can’t stop laughing!
My time as library monitor on Friday afternoon probably
had the greatest effect on my life. Nobody came to the
library on Friday afternoon and as Sister Alphonsus
slept, I met Elizabeth Gaskell, the Bronte sisters,
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Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Walpole, Tolstoy, and fell in love
with Lenin from Anna Karenina. I learnt the joy of
poetry, not an exercise in remembering parrot fashion,
but embracing the pure pleasure of words and the
pictures created in my mind. There I discovered a joy of
literature that is with me to this day. For that and those
wonderful years spent at Crosslands, I am forever
grateful.
PATTY SANDERSON (NÉE McKENNY) REMEMBERS.
(1956-1961).
I have very happy memories of my years at Crosslands.
I attended Chetwynde which was a very happy school.
There was an orchard behind the school and some old
stable type buildings which we made into little houses;
we brought ornaments, pictures, grandma’s old net
curtains, cups and saucers etc. and spent many a happy
lunchtime. The nuns were lovely: Mother Clements,
Sister Aquinas, Sister Cecilia, and Sister Gonzaga, who
seemed to us, to be at least 100 years old. There were
no school dinners and everybody took tins of soup etc.
which the nuns heated up for us. I had two special
friends, Jane Fox and Elizabeth Wood.
At Crosslands, Sister Dolores who was the history
teacher was lovely and surprisingly I was her pet, even
though I was always bottom of the class in this subject.
She made the most delicious toffee butter and treacle. It
was kept in a tin in her little cupboard under the stairs.
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It was wrapped in squares of greaseproof paper and she
sold it for a penny a square – the proceeds going to the
poor children in Africa, which we called, in those days,
the Black Babies. It was the best toffee that I had ever
tasted; my mouth waters to think about it.
The school trips were quite memorable; we either went
to Windermere on the steamer or Ravenglass on “Lil
Ratty”. It always rained and I can remember my packed
lunch being rather soggy and damp, but it still tasted
good. One wonderful trip was to Germany with Miss
Clark and Miss Murphy who were such good fun. It was
such a great experience and we stayed in a splendid
schloss upon a hill, visiting many places – all for £16.
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SIGNIFICANT DATES – A TIME LINE. 1959–69
The average weekly wage for the 60s was £12.
1960s Old town centre demolished to make way for new
town centre. The Civic Hall (now Forum 28) and
Furness House built. Indoor market created
following the demolition of the huge Victorian
market.
1959 The great luxury liner the Oriana was launched 3
November by Princess Alexandra.
1960 Launch of Dreadnought, first nuclear powered
submarine.
1960 Last iron ore mine. Margaret mine at Lindal closed.
1964 Coliseum – theatre and cinema closed.
1966 HMS Resolution – first nuclear armed submarine
launched.
1967 Bowater Scott paper factory opened.
1968 12 April her Majesty’s Theatre, Albert Street
closed.
JANE SMITH (NÉE THORNHILL), REMEMBERS (1961–6).
Until I entered my twenties, I was incredibly naïve, very
much the stereo-typical convent girl. I remember a visit
to the convent when I was about eight. We were there
to see my aunt, Sister Raphael. In those days when a
member of the Order visited her family she had to stay
in the convent and wasn’t allowed to visit the family
home. We had tea in the garden and the sisters gave us
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drinks. I saw them pour water in to the beakers but
when I tasted it, it was orange juice. I thought for years
that the sisters were miracle workers because like Jesus
they could transform water. It was only when I was
older that I realised that cordial was in the bottom of my
beaker.
I loved Geography and the field trips led by Miss
(Margery) Morris. Wherever she took us, whether it be
up hill or down dale she always wore sensible shoes,
stockings and a tweed skirt. I was the scruffiest member
of the group with spectacularly tangled hair. I was in
awe of my teacher who never ever looked untidy, even
after the walks when we were all muddy to our knees,
Miss Morris was pristine. Her shoes and stockings were
clean despite walking along boggy paths and through
wet grass. When we walked down the Rhine route from
Koblenz to Rüdesheim she was neat and clean unlike her
pupils who were decidedly grimy after staying in German
youth hostels with their rudimentary sanitary
arrangements.
The following is the Hymn to St. Mary of Furness sung in
Jane’s day.
Chorus
Lady Mary, Queen of Furness,
Maid of spotless purity,
Gracious Lady, Tender Mother
Love and Honour unto thee.
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Verses
In the Vale of Deadly Nightshade,
Bernard’s sons in days of old
Built a temple in thy honour
There intoned a hymn of praise.
Down the years the hymn re-echoed,
Till the Prince of Darkness willed
That the altar be deserted,
And the holy song be stilled.
Come again, O Star of Morning,
To that valley once thine own,
Let us by our love and service
To thy Son and thee atone.
Queen of Furness, guide and teach us
That our lives be like to thine,
In our thoughts, our words, our actions,
May thy holy virtues shine.
Many years later Jane visited the mother house of the
Order in Béziers and this is her account.
It was a hot day in August, 1988 when I first visited
Béziers. I had wanted to visit since the 1950s when my
aunt, Sister Raphael Mckenny lived there. We had
parked the car near a church, the site of a Huguenot
massacre in the 13th century and we walked around the
city walls to the gate. I was with my husband and son
who was then aged eight. It proved difficult to find the
entrance to the convent but eventually we found a door
in a high concrete wall. We spoke through an intercom
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in our imperfect French (forgive me Sister Colombe) and
we were welcomed by a sister who had known my aunt.
The school and the convent looked very bare and in
need of a lot or work. The place was spotlessly clean
and full of large old fashioned French furniture. In the
waiting room was a huge portrait of Père Gaillac, the
founder. We walked round the empty classrooms and
the community rooms. The stone staircase at the rear of
the building was worn; my aunt had spoken of
scrubbing these stairs as a penance.
We met the community – mainly Portuguese sisters. The
highlight of the visit was the chapel. It was open as a
church to the residents of Béziers and the dome over
the altar let in a beautiful light. In the crypt underneath
the altar was a shrine to Père Gaillac and the foundress
Mère Jeanne. We had tea with the community and left
with many memories.
In 2002 we returned to find the house completely
changed. A friend of ours, Sister Bernadette Cooke had
been working with other artisans renovating the house.
The school was closed and the mother house was an
international retreat centre. This time we easily found
the entrance on the Rue Ermengaude. The sisters were
welcoming and we met an ex-pupil of my aunt. The
chapel and the main house were beautifully decorated
with wonderful religious work. The church had been
divided, a smaller chapel created under the dome. The
greater part had been made into a meeting and
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exhibition room. The crypt remained untouched. Visitors
had lovely simple single rooms and the community room
where we had tea was modern and multi-functional. We
walked along to the Bon Pasteur where the older sisters
lived and viewed the ruins of the old chapel on the
corner. Our visit was wonderful and when we returned
to England, we were able to show my aunt pictures of
her old home. The opportunity to visit had been an
ambition for many years. I grew up reading stories of
life in Béziers in letters from my aunt. My husband Colin
and I felt such peace in the chapel. It was amazing to
be able to walk through the alley ways to the Avenue
Paul Riquet in the centre of town in the footsteps of my
aunt and to wander round the flower market where she
had gone as it closed, to buy flowers for the chapel
when they were cheap. Some stall holders had sold her
flowers for a few centimes or even at times they gave
them away.
MAUREEN KITTLEY (NÉE WILSON) REMEMBERS
(1962-69)
Where does one begin to recall all the wonderful
memories we had at the Convent? On our first day I
made my way up Rating Lane with Margaret Leanaghan,
my best friend from the Sacred Heart School; we were
full of excitement, yet also worry because of the tales
we had heard of what the second years would have in
store for us when we got there.
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Most of my memories are to do with sport and trips. My
friends and I were all very involved in the various teams
e.g. hockey, net ball, etc: our efforts were often
rewarded with trophies we were able to bring back.
We were all very fond of Jo Rogan who sadly died in her
early forties in August 1975. Jo had been a pupil at
Crosslands Convent.
She taught us games and music, as well as some
history. She was a wonderful teacher who inspired us
and engendered great loyalty in her pupils. It was
through Jo Rogan’s encouragement and drive that Marie
McCusker and I were given the opportunity to travel to
Rome to represent England in the International Catholic
School Games. Marie’s mother Betty, accompanied us;
we travelled all the way to Rome on the train and spent
a week there doing some sightseeing, having an
audience with the Pope and visiting various places of
religious significance as well as being able to visit Sister
Ursula, a former Head teacher of the Convent School,
who had taught my mother (Margaret Flynn) twenty five
years previously.
The annual trip to Wembley was a must! Hundreds of
girls, including Pauline McLaughlin, Josephine Oxley,
Ann Roberts, as well as Margaret and myself, clambered
on to the train at Barrow for the very long day of eating
and drinking and generally enjoying ourselves. After the
international game of hockey, where we all screamed
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our heads off, we were taken to the ice show, to see live
skating on ice, followed by a long trip home. On the way
back there were a number of competitions o keep us
busy; one was the singing competition. We always
entered the school choir and sometimes individuals were
also entered. We had some beautiful singers like
Kathleen McPeake, Ann Mullan and her sister, Teresa as
well as Pat Hurley and so we often won this competition,
arriving home at 2 o’clock in the morning having had a
great day out.
Trips abroad were organised by Margaret Egan. I went
on two of these, both to Germany. Margery Morris
accompanied Miss Egan on the first to Rüdesheim and
Cologne. This was the first time we had come across
duvets. We did not know what to do with them, so we
got inside them! It was also the first time we had come
across red peppers; we got a shock when we tried them
as we thought they were tomatoes. The trip certainly
opened up our eyes to many foreign things.
On our second holiday to Germany we went youth
hostelling with Margaret Egan taking twelve girls all on
her own; what a hero! She warned us about not packing
too much but did we take any notice? Not really. That
trip certainly taught us about being minimalistic in
packing if you were carrying it on your back! Others on
that trip, apart from Pauline, Jo and myself, were Angela
Dearn, Susan Leach and Elsie McGeown. We enjoyed
trying out our German and sleeping in bunk beds – (a
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novelty then). I can still hear us laughing and giggling
about the day’s events, thankful to be rid of the heavy
rucksacks and looking forward to the following day.
GREAT DAYS.
So many memories of friends. Some of us are still great
friends over forty years later. There are other memories
like the processions on Corpus Christi, days on Retreat,
kneeling on the wooden hall floor while reciting the
rosary during May and October lunchtimes. There were
teachers who helped to form and inspire us like Sister
Margaret, Sister Helen, Sister Colomb and Sister Dolores
and Mrs. O’Keefe who taught us Maths. I loved my time
at the Convent School where I was given
encouragement and opportunities to widen my horizon
and I look back with happiness at my time there.
MARIE McCUSKER REMEMBERS 1964–1971
I remember the Convent School as being small with
playing fields and wooded areas, the girls I was at
school with (my class that is), their personalities and
groupings. We came from different primary schools - we
arrived as groups as well as individuals. As regards
teachers it is only human to have favourites – mine was
the late Jo Rogan, but feel many of the others were also
skilled. I felt sorry for those that weren’t and the classes
they taught. I have strong memories of sporting events:
school and town sports days, the England versus Ireland
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match which should not have been allowed or
encouraged because of the prejudices that existed at
the time. I remember the hydrogen experiment
exploding, making tiny gardens in the woods and the
front of the school, coming top in Art and getting thirty
five per cent in English, anxiety about reading in class,
yet often asked, and one of the senior girls pretending
to fall off a balcony as I pretended to push her off.
I really enjoyed trips to Wembley for the Women’s
Hockey Final, organised by Jo Rogan and especially the
choir competition that happened on the train; we sang
in the guard’s van, the only one that was empty of
seats. I also loved singing in the school choir and
rehearsing for that. Jo chose some fabulous songs for us
to sing: “The Blue Bird”, “ I wandered lonely as a cloud”,
“Jesu Joy”, “Lift thine Eyes”, “Scarborough Fair”, “Mist
before the Sunrise Fly.” I also remember watching both
Wimbledon and the Test Cricket on a huge TV in the
gym. That must have been after we finished our exams.
That was good. A memory of some students taking
drugs prescribed for their parents- but it was the 60s
and did they actually take them?
My favourite subject was Sport, I loved physical activity,
being out of class, competition, being good at
something. I loved English Literature, especially the “O”
Level syllabus we did; “Pride and Prejudice,” “Hamlet”,
and “Ring of Bright Water”, but most of all, Ten
Twentieth Century Poets: Edwin Muir’s “The Horses” has
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stayed with me down the years and “The Crab”. “Doth it
make for death to be, oneself a living armoury?” is
something else that has lasted. Jo Rogan gave life to the
classes and the subject. Thanks Jo!
The Convent School education suited me. When taking A
levels at the Grammar School I sensed rather than felt
that I was taught well. I’m not sure this was true for
everyone. I remember one girl in my class getting one
per cent in Maths in one of the lower forms. The
teaching may not have suited her. Guess the education
was of its era. I’m not sure I heard the words China or
Russia in the seven years I was at school i.e. Russia in
the modern sense of a super power. The syllabus
especially History started at the dawn of time and was
interesting, but I don’t think it gave you a sense of the
world as it was and how that came to be.
During the time I attended the Convent School I had a
stronger sense of what was going on in the world from
home and TV rather than from school; The Kennedy
election campaign, his assassination, Aberfan disaster,
the flight to the moon, and in a big way, starvation in
Africa (Biafra) and India. Coming from a Catholic family
and Catholic School, the thing that did impact on me
was meeting other girls from the state system and being
confronted by those of no faith or very little
understanding of the Bible. This was important.
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What I can see in my school life are some of the threads
that made up my later experiences and for that I give
thanks. The experimental Art that Chris Stones did with
us in my first year nurtured an interest in Art. Sport as
taught by Jo Rogan, was an important part of my life for
many years and led to travel and friendships as well as
fitness, health and enjoyment. Jo’s poetry and Literature
classes instilled a love of Poetry and Literature.
Mrs. Kirten came and spoke to us of her daughter’s time
with VSO and that gave me the idea to work overseas
which I later did. Of course it’s hard to exclude from all
of these the influence of parents and the home. We did
have Art books at home and were taken to Galleries on
family trips; there was also a concern about world
poverty expressed both at home, in church and in the
media. Influences are multiple but I guess there was
enough of what I needed within school to nurture these
trends in me.
In some ways it’s hard to distinguish between school
and the guiding/camping experience that Jo Rogan and
Margery Morris gave so many of us. For me it was so
much part of the school year – it followed on after
Sports’ Day. It was a highlight of my year, I just loved
everything about it: being out-doors, the doing it all
(gathering firewood and water) and doing it all
collectively and collaboratively. I don’t remember
squabbles, fights, claims of unfairness. And Jo’s open
fire cooked food was stunning. How she produced pot
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roast brisket and steamed pudding and custard I’ll never
know or attempt! Guess we all helped but very
unobtrusively. I thing Jo and Marjorie made sure we
didn’t fail at the tasks we were set, and Margery
definitely protected us all from the horrors of emptying
the “lats”- the toilets.
I think my main criticism of the school was that the aim
was for girls to go to a Catholic Teacher Training
College. Because my mother had been to University I
already planned to go but I didn’t get the sense that
school was expecting us to aim high.
I feel neutral about the closure of the Convent School
(1979) prior to the Comprehensive system. Being a
beneficiary of a selection process, I can’t put myself in
the shoes of those who failed to get in. I do feel it was a
very unfair and divisive system. Now there is Chetwynde
where ability to pay is the deciding factor, but it doesn’t
stigmatise children as failures.
I enjoyed a small school, but sense that a large school
can offer more choice and maybe the children who are
different might be more likely to meet others like
themselves.
SHEILA TODMAN (NÉE DEAN) REMEMBERS (1964-69)
I remember the enormous influence Marjorie Morris had
in my life. My contact with Marjorie was mainly through
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(girl) guides as I did not study geography, Marjorie’s
subject area, to GCE level. Through guiding I saw
Marjorie as composed and capable, someone who got
things right, who accomplished things without
affectedness and who quietly achieved what she set out
to do. A good role model!
There was a difference in person and style between Jo
Rogan and Margery. I saw Jo as someone who was fun
and friendly, always smiling, someone who engaged
with you at an emotional level, and who was affirming,
making you feel like you’d done a good job of whatever
you were doing.
Marjorie, I saw as someone who took on the role of
disciplinarian but was in fact very fond of us. I don’t
think it was easy for Margery to show her emotions, to
be openly relaxed with us but her serious good heart
was in what she was doing and while not pally with the
girls, as Jo was, Margery would occasionally say
something pithy which indicated that she understood us
very well. As a young person it was clear to me that
Margery represented the same goodness, the same ethic
and morality that my mum was trying to instil in us at
home.
The influence of Jo Rogan was more immediate while
that of Margery Morris has only become apparent
through the years. This was also true for my close
friend, Marie McCusker. Margery knew that we loved
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guide camp and looked forward to it every summer, but
it’s only in recent years that we’ve understood more fully
what Margery offered us: a chance to live simply and
closely connected to nature, (we fetched wood and
water, cooked over an open stove, slept in sleeping bags
on ground sheets under canvas; our toilets were in a
canvas shelter and we lashed wood together to make
wash stands). We also lived in a world where women
and girls were considered able, capable of doing
everything that needed to be done; we had friendship,
song and fun, and Margery had a real care for us, only
giving us tasks she was sure we could undertake. And,
I’m not sure we ever really thanked her! Thank you
Margery!
THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS WERE MADE TO MARIE
McCUSKER BY HER SISTER HELEN THOMPSON (NÉE
McCUSKER). HELEN ATTENDED OUR LADY’S 1966- 72
Good memories
It was a small community and she felt she belonged.
Singing in the choir was special for her and performing
with the choir on Speech Days were particularly
memorable and uplifting experiences.
She was a competent Sports Person and was therefore
able to be part of lots of the activities that went on both
in school and beyond - like matches against other
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schools and inter-schools sports. She was pleased that
the girls were allowed to play hockey on the school
fields at lunch times, only intermittently supervised
(something health and safety rules would probably
never allow now); this was a privilege, an expression of
Helen’s real joy of the game and contributed to great
friendships and health as well as honing skills, which
helped in the making of one of the best teams in the
area for several years.
Helen liked the uniform and loved putting it on each
day. She was pleased that there were no boys at the
school so there were no pressures relating to
appearance.
Part of the belonging was the belonging to a “house” –
Helen was in Walsingham House as were her two older
sisters. She got satisfaction out of earning points for her
“house.”
More critical reflections:
Helen feels that she and her class-mates didn’t get the
best teaching. Even at the time she was aware that
while some of the teachers were excellent the quality of
much of the teaching was poor, and failed those, like
her, who struggled academically. Poor teaching led to an
imbalance across the school curriculum so that in some
subject areas there was a high failure rate in national
examinations. As a teacher herself she is able to
recognise that several teachers lacked the skills to
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engage pupils with the subject matter- even when they
had a good grasp of it themselves, and that criticism
and sarcasm, much in use then, were particularly
inappropriate and demoralising for less able pupils.
Helen remembers being “pulled out” of science lessons
to do cookery and being aware that cookery was for the
not so able; this however was tempered by the fact that
it took place on St. Aloysius’s School’s premises, so there
was an element of excitement around it. St. Aloysius
was a large co-educational Secondary Modern School
and seemed to Helen, a world away with its wild boys,
from the more sombre Convent School that in reality
was just across the road.
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SIGNIFICANT DATES - A TIME LINE 1969–79
1972 2 March – Last barrels of Case’s beer produced
by the Cavendish Street Brewery.
1973 Barrow left Lancashire and became part of the
new county of Cumbria.
1977 Conishead Priory bought by Buddhists who
established the Manjushri Buddhist Centre.
1970s The Coliseum was demolished on behalf of the
Council by Southgates Excavations. There is an
urban myth that local contractors could not bring
themselves to have anything to do with the
destruction of this externally attractive and once
fine luxury cinema/theatre.
1977 Visit of Queen Elizabeth to launch HMS
Invincible.
1977-8 Emlyn Hughes was Footballer of the Year and
then Sportsman of the Year. Born in 1947 in Barrow
– joined Liverpool FC in 1967.
1979 Secondary Education was re-organised and Barrow
joined the Comprehensive System. The Boys’ and
Girl’s Grammar Schools were amalgamated with
Risedale Secondary Modern. Alfred Barrow Schools
were amalgamated with Holker Street Boys’ School.
The Technical and Victoria Secondary Modern
Schools
merged
to
become
Thorncliffe
Comprehensive School. Walney Secondary Schools
amalgated.
And Crosslands/Our Lady’s School amalgamated with
St. Aloysius.
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CLASS OF ’78 WRITTEN BY THEIR “RESIDENT POET”,
SHARON DOWNING (NÉE WHALLEY)
We’ve stayed in touch for thirty years,
Confided in all our hopes and fears,
Growing up together and sharing our lives,
Older now, we’re all mothers and wives.
Lots has changed but still we know,
The bond we shared will never go,
The years have gone by far too fast,
But the memories and affection will always last.
We learnt scripture and grammar and all that stuff,
Science was hard and algebra tough,
Ethics and morals were high on the list.
Double maths however was one to be missed.
A quick list of memories from all of us,
Fang the dog, hats in bags on the bus.
Kind dinner ladies, sunbathing in vests,
Heartbroken over boys, graffiti on desks,
Going to Aloysius for baking and cooking,
Noticing boys but pretend we’re not looking,
Indoor sandals, outdoor shoes,
Jumpsuits from Babyland,
Strange men lurking round the school,
So from the woods we were banned.
Socks rolled down and sleeves rolled up,
Trying somehow to look cool,
Pretending that we didn’t care but always loving
Our school.
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Joseph’s Dreamcoat, Samson’s hair,
Always music in the air,
The lovely smell of freshly mown grass,
Being reminded always to go to Mass.
But the most important lesson we learnt a school,
The one and only abiding rule,
Is that friendships are precious, this much is so true,
Especially for Anita, Pauline, Margaret, Sharon, Jackie,
Michelle, Suzanne and Sue.
The final year 1979
LOUISE THISTLETHWAITE (NÉE ALLONBY) REMEMBERS
(1976-9)
As part of a generations-long tradition, I became the last
female in our family to attend Our Lady’s convent,
following in the footsteps of my sister, Nicola Allonby,
cousin Deirdre Moon, mother Mollie Burns, aunt Sheila
Burns and grandmother Sarah Ibison.
It was a sunny day in September 1976 when I took the
first of many walks down the long convent drive, proudly
kitted out in my new uniform of pale blue blouse with
jumbo collar, as per the fashion of the day and navy
nylon v-neck pinafore, which had so much static that I
got an electric shock every time I touched a metal door
handle.
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After a somewhat daunting first day - I had rarely if
ever, been in such close proximity to nuns – I soon
settled in and got used to the routine of catching a bus
each morning, usually in the company of fellow
Ulverston girl Mary McPortland, who was a fourth former
and therefore, from the perspective of my eleven years,
to all intents and purposes, a grown-up!
From the first week, I loved being a pupil at the Convent
and I wore my blazer and badge with pride. I cannot say
the rest of the school uniform was particularly attractive.
As well as the electric-shock inducing nylon pinafores,
we wore acrylic turtle neck jumpers in winter, while the
summer uniform comprised blue flowered short-sleeved
dresses with white collars and cuffs. To someone who
had harboured dreams of attending Malory Towers, it
was a constant source of disappointment to me that the
Convent uniform did not include a white shirt and tie.
But there was worse: the required sports’ kit included
what can only be described as a bizarre navy towelling
zip-up jump suit which was quite hideously unflattering
in every way. Quite who was responsible for the mid197Os uniforms was never made clear.
Along with all those lucky enough to have attended the
Convent, I have countless happy memories of the all-too
brief time I spent at the school: summer break times
playing on the lovely sports field at the back of the
school; the annual school trip (Edinburgh 1977 was
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excellent); the school Christmas party; learning to play
volley ball (very badly) in the main hall; buying far too
many sweets from the tuck shop at break.
A memory which particularly stands out was the day of
the Wimbledon Ladies Singles final in June 1977, when
Virginia Wade played against Betty Stove. Such was the
momentous nature of the occasion, that our lesson was
cut short (I forget what lesson it was, but I hope it was
maths) as we were allowed to join the sixth form to
watch the match in the library. Such excitement!
Sadly, I only spent three years at the Convent, as it
ceased to be in 1979, at the end of a very happy year
for me as third form prefect. Our final assembly on that
last ever day was a poignant occasion, knowing that this
was the last time we would all be together: pupils and
teachers who had all got so much over the years from
this marvellous school. Walking up the drive for the very
last time was a sad occasion, and as my class-mates and
I parted on Abbey Road – they to catch various buses
into Barrow and me to return to Ulverston- I was very
sad indeed, as I knew there were some whom I should
possibly never see again. For, while most of my class
were to go to the new St. Bernard’s School, I was
transferring to Ulverston Victoria High School, a choice
which had not a little to do with the fact that the UVHS
uniform included a white shirt and tie.
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I was not to set foot inside the Convent for almost
exactly thirty years. I returned for the first time in
November 2008 when I became a governor of
Chetwynde School. Walking round the building again
after all those years was a strange experience.
Inevitably there had been so much change (saddest to
see that the lovely sports field and tennis courts have
gone) and yet there was much that was instantly
familiar. Walking across the parquet floor of the small
hall was so much like stepping back in time, that I swear
I was almost disappointed not to be wearing an acrylic
turtle-neck sweater and a nylon pinafore.
ALISON (NÉE ROGAN) REMEMBERS (1972-9)
One of the things I liked most about the Convent School
was that there was one class per year so that I knew all
the teachers and everyone in the school. My happiest
memory is singing in the school choir, particularly the
external concert we did at the Youth Centre in Nelson
Street for the public. Auntie Jo (Jo Rogan) conducted
and we had our pictures in the paper and we all got a
bunch of anemones after the concert.
As regards school subjects, I came late to Maths and
didn’t really get it until O’Level and really enjoyed Mrs.
O’Keefe’s teaching. My favourite subject was Biology
with Mrs. Heaney. On the whole the Convent School
provided a good all-round education although some
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subjects were removed from the curriculum. But, I can’t
really complain.
While attending school in our final year an important
event occurred at Barrow Shipyard. HMS Invincible went
on trials. It appeared in the water by the town hall – a
thing so vast I had never seen anything like it –
magnificent. I suspect it was the last aircraft carrier to
come out of the Yard.
We all benefited from our Convent School education but
perhaps some girls would have done better at St.
Bernard’s while others would have done better at the
Convent School. Given the size of the town the Convent
School couldn’t have stayed the same size and there
would not have been enough money to expand. It was
lost the minute the ground was sold to build houses on
In terms of Convent School life, Margaret Egan is
unique; her first school was Our Lady’s Chetwynde
which she attended from 1945, the year it opened, till
1949. The next school was Our Lady’s Convent School,
originally known as Crosslands Convent. Margaret’s
Convent School education continued for the next seven
years. After gaining the necessary qualifications she
returned to Our Lady’s Convent School; she was Head of
German for several years before becoming Deputy Head
and Head of Languages. In 1979 Convent School
education ended and Margaret then took up the post as
Deputy Head of St. Bernard’s Comprehensive School.
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The former Convent School building then became known
as St. Bernard’s Lower School, the Upper School being
the former St. Aloysius Secondary Modern.
MARGARET EGAN REMEMBERS THE FINAL YEAR.
The last year of Our Lady’s School was a strange year as
we were celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the
foundation of the Convent School at Crosslands – so it
was the Jubilee year. But, we were also preparing for
the closure and re-opening as part of St. Bernard’s. I
was fortunate that I had been appointed to my new
position the previous year but other members of staff
were not sure where they would be and interviews were
taking place throughout the year. The students who
would be transferring to St. Bernard’s needed reassuring
that the transition would be trouble free and that they
could look forward to enhanced opportunities and those
taking GCEs and A levels would receive proper
instruction with no interruptions. So, all in all, it was a
very stressful and busy time and we were not able to
give a lot of attention to the planning of celebrations for
the Jubilee. I do remember that every member of the
school received a goblet with the school badge etched
on it, and there was a celebration with the former
students. Sister Ursula returned for this event and there
was a cake.
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Photograph (NW Evening Mail), showing “Crosslands” former students
at the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Sister Ursula before going to Rome
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I consider myself to have been very privileged to have
worked as Sister Margaret’s deputy for more than ten
years. She had done so much for the school and we all
knew we were going to miss her great intellect,
compassion, wonderful sense of humour, humility and
astuteness, as she was retiring. She had been a great
friend and inspiration to me and to many others. Sixth
formers in particular had benefitted from her wide
knowledge and interest in the wider world. I remember
we had a splendid dinner to mark her retirement at the
Windermere Hydro. I rang this hotel to book and as the
manager and many of the Staff were Irish, I emphasised
that the dinner was for Sister Margaret O’ Brien’s
retirement. And, they really did us proud.
Margery Morris, who had been such a valuable and
much appreciated member of Staff and friend, was also
retiring and she too would be greatly missed. There was
therefore a mixture of sadness, stress, celebration and
anticipation – a very strange mixture for a Jubilee Year.
As we had no pianist on the Staff at that time, Sister
Margaret always began Assembly by announcing the
hymn and starting to sing it, and everyone joined in. In
order to keep everyone calm during those days, the
hymns she chose were: “Be still and know that I am
God,” “Peace, perfect peace,” and “Make me a channel
of your peace.” She worked very hard to ease the
transition for everyone and liaised very well with Mr.
Edwards, the Principal of the new Sixth Form College.
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We were of course very grateful to the Sisters of the
Sacred Heart of Mary for all they had done for the
Convent School and for Catholic education in Barrow.
The Rt. Rev. Bernard Foley, Bishop of Lancaster including Cumbria,
pictured at Our Lady’s Crosslands Convent School, to mark the golden
Jubilee at the present school. Sister Margaret, Headmistress introduces
Alison Rogan and deputy head, Miss Margaret Egan to Bishop Foley
when he arrived at the school to mark the 50th anniversary of the
school. (In the background can be seen part of a statue of Our Lady
erected in memory of Jo Rogan).
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The Guest Speaker at Our Lady’s School, Crosslands, Jubilee Speech
Day was Mrs. Mary Woodman, a member of the teaching staff from
the 1950s, and here she is being introduced to Head Girl Alison Rogan
by Sister Margaret. Mrs. Woodman taught at Our Lady’s from 1954-9
as Head of English.
Goblet inscribed with the words
“OLS for Our Lady’s School” with
Crosslands beneath and the date
1929 – 1979 (Souvenir of the
Golden Jubilee: goblet loaned by
Jean Rogan and photographed by
Graham Watkins).
Photograph taken by Eugene Tumelty,
head of St Bernard’s Catholic High
School.
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OUR LADY’S CHETWYNDE SCHOOL.
A MEMOIR, BY MARGARET STONES.
The school was called Our Lady’s Preparatory School
and the house in Abbey Road was called Chetwynde; the
school was usually referred to as Chetwynde. I started
teaching there in 1964 and the Headmistress was Sister
Clement, a small, thin, lively woman in her sixties, with
remarkable energy and a religious faith which was
exemplary. She appointed me to Junior 3 and she was
form teacher to Junior 4. The school had seven classes,
three infant classes which comprised of boys and girls
and four junior classes of girls only. There were two
other nuns, Sister Columba who taught Junior 1 and
Sister Maire who had Reception Class. Sister Columba
was of an indeterminate age; she was extremely deaf,
but taught her class in an unruffled manner. Her forte
was handwriting and it was in Junior 1 that the girls
made the important rite of passage from printing to
cursive writing. They wrote beautifully. The secular
teachers were: Agnes McClean, Kathleen Lewis, Mary
Sharpe Molly Cullen and Sheila Devine. Each day I took
coffee with them – the nuns always ate and drank in
private.
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The top Infant Class was taught by Mary Sharpe – the
children were in awe of her and so was I. In my convent
school-days in the care of the Sisters of Mercy, I had
been taught that when passing a nun I must lower my
gaze; it was a bold girl who would presume to make eye
contact with a member of the Order. When I passed
Mrs. Sharpe I instinctively lowered my gaze and it took
me some time to feel confident enough to appreciate
kindness.
In some aspects, the school was quaint; there were very
few text books. The atlases were antiquated and were
covered in vast swathes of pink to denote the British
Empire. Lunches were run on a primitive system which
involved children bringing their own food which Sister
Columba heated, and so you had lines of children
patiently waiting with their tins of soup, baked beans,
sausage rolls or meat pies. Later, we had a cook, Mrs.
Horn, who managed to feed 100 or so children on
shepherd's pie made with three pounds of minced meat.
The timetable was limited. It consisted of Mathematics,
English, Religion, French and PE. I went to watch a PE
lesson and was bemused to find the girls in full school
uniform, and, glued to the spot, performed a series of
physical exercises.
There was no PE equipment whatsoever. But for all
these limitations, it was a lovely school. The children
were delightful, warm, friendly, and well behaved. After
teaching in the dock lands of East-end London, I felt I
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had been admitted in to some blessed state. What the
timetable lacked in depth, it compensated for in rigour.
These children were fluent readers, they learnt their
spellings, and they knew their tables and took pride in
their work. Year after year the pass rate for the eleven –
plus was in the range of 90 to 100 per cent.
Sister Clement was a vigorous head teacher whose faith
in God underlay her work. Whenever a family in the
school was going through a difficult period she would
support them, morally and spiritually. I remember
frequent notes sent to families via the children, written
in her own well scripted hand. When she left, two years
later, she wrote me a beautiful letter, addressing me by
my full name, as she always did, “My dear Margaret
Mary”. I have that letter still. Her last words to me were
sincere and humble, “Pray for me that I never lose my
faith”.
Sister Clement retired at the age of sixty-eight and her
place was taken by Sister Aquinas who was very
different to Sister Clement. Whereas Sister Clement
would fly around with great activity, Sister Aquinas was
calm and had a tranquil manner and a serene
expression. She moved me up to Junior IV and allowed
me to take extra responsibility, which proved to be vital
experience for the future. She was domesticated and
when my second son was born in 1971 she bought him
a pram and knitted him a beautiful Christening shawl,
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wrapped in which all my grandchildren have been
Baptised; it is much treasured.
Sister Aquinas had a telephone installed, a luxury which
she had placed outside my classroom. When I asked her
who was going to answer it, she said, “You are, my
dear.” There was no question of having a secretary.
Sister Clement had not been very enthusiastic when I
suggested starting a girls’ net-ball team, “Wait until after
the eleven plus, dear.” As this examination did not take
place until February and the net-ball season finished in
March, this was not encouraging, but Sister Aquinas was
more amenable. My husband and I bought a net-ball
and we were allowed to start practices. We practised
every lunch-time and every night after school and we
entered the Barrow Junior League. We entered the end
of season tournament and won the Barrow Junior
Schools' Tournament, a feat that was achieved for
seventeen successive years until we withdrew in 1984.
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Chetwynde House - the old school
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Original school net-ball team
Original school Junior swimming team
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Sadly, this delightful little school was under threat.
There was a shortage of young women entering
religious life and those who did become novices,
influenced by Vatican 2, were not all committed to
private education. Added to this the school was running
at a loss and it was becoming difficult to maintain. I had
worked for Sister Aquinas for ten years by that time,
when in 1976 she informed me that the head of the
Order who had come from Brazil, wished to see me.
I do not remember any curiosity as to why this nun had
summoned me although this meeting was to shape my
life; she simply asked me if I would take over the
school. She said that Chetwynde could be, not only a
centre of learning, educating children to a high
standard, but it could become a rich source of culture
which would benefit the whole peninsula and beyond.
The convent would retain ownership of the house and I
would be the head of the school.
We formed a Board of Governors and as I did not see
education as a profit making concern we established the
school as a charitable trust. We had inherited
approximately one hundred children and a five thousand
pounds overdraft. Successive Governors never interfered
with the running of the school for instance when I
suggested buying the house from the nuns and were
entirely supportive of any new initiatives.
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The first four boys arrived in 2001 when I filled in the
DFEE Annual Schools’ Census forms with the information
that there were 294 girls and four boys on Our Lady’s
Chetwynde register.
In 1979 Sister Aquinas retired and I became Head of
School.
In the twenty-three years that followed we acquired
land, purchased Crosslands Convent and St. Bernard’s
lower school building, (the original Convent School),
extended classrooms, created science laboratories, and
computer rooms; we built a superb Sports’ Hall and
provided playgrounds, net-ball courts and tennis courts.
Princess Margaret being shown around the new Sports’ Hall.
Left to right: Rachel Boyd, Margaret Stones, Jeremy Munro,
Alan Mossop.
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On the day H.R.H. Princess Margaret visited the school,
we had an exhibition net-ball match with the Scottish
élite Squad and when we received a letter from the
Princess asking us the result of the match, we were
proud to reply that Chetwynde had won 35 goals to 5.
Our little ship was flying its flag in distant oceans.
In 1986 when we extended the pupil age range to
sixteen, we aimed, and succeeded in determining that it
should cost, in spite of us having to provide buildings,
no more than the cost of education for a child in a state
school. We were aware that not every parent could
afford to pay school fees but we tried to enable as many
parents as possible to have the choice of independent
education. We were so careful of finances that we hired
a lorry and the staff and I moved the entire contents
from Chetwynde House to Crosslands.
Crosslands Convent which became Chetwynde Senior School.
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Photograph of school blazer badge based on the Seal of
Furness Abbey
In 1986 we extended the age range to sixteen and in
December of that year we had the official opening of the
senior school by Sir Leonard Redshaw and the rededication of the whole school to Our Lady by Father
Felix Stephen O.S.B.
Photo showing Sir Leonard Redshaw unveiling plaque : left to right Michael Hindmarch, Ken Fisher, Sir Leonard Redshaw, Margaret
Stones, Fr. Felix Stephens O.S.B.
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I loved the spacious gardens with the Lourdes grotto,
the elegant rooms with their moulded ceilings, the
intricately tiled staircase and sumptuous marble
fireplaces of the former nuns' home of Crosslands. I
thanked God that negotiations with Sister Visitation had
been so fruitful and we had found a seemly background
for educating our children.
As had been the case with the Preparatory School,
children of any faith would be accepted, on the
understanding that differences would be treated with
respect and all must respect the Catholic emphasis of
the school.
(All photographs in this section have been supplied by
Mrs. Stones and are her copyright).
The years that followed up to Margaret Stones’
retirement in 2002, as Head of School were years of
growth in every branch of education with high levels of
success in academic subjects and in Sport and the Arts.
MRS. STONES CONCLUDES HER MEMOIR:
I finish writing this on the eve of Our Lady’s Birthday
(7 September 2008).
She was our patron and the inspiration of the Sisters of
the Sacred Heart of Mary whom I thank for trusting me
with this great project. Most of all I thank them for
giving me the opportunity for the chance of expressing
my educational beliefs and realising a dream. The
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children were a joy. I went in to this venture believing
that young people who are properly cared for are
capable of hard work, wide learning, fun, enthusiasm,
generosity, appreciation of others, kindness, loyalty, and
of giving enormous affection. I underestimated them.
CHETWYNDE SCHOOL TODAY BY MRS. ISABEL NIXON
HEAD OF SCHOOL.
Visitors to Chetwynde School in the present day will find
an interesting combination of past, present and
indications of the future.
Chetwynde House itself, (the former nuns’ home –
Crosslands), with its beautifully proportioned hallway
and rooms recalls its distant past as a gentleman’s
residence and its years as a convent building. However,
schools are dynamic organisations full of young people
and energy. They need to adapt to the changing world
but here at Chetwynde we are proud of our history and
recognise the importance of unchanging values while
absorbing the benefits of new developments.
The school today is a thriving co-educational community
taking pupils from three to eighteen. It is unique in the
Furness area and is one of only two independent days
schools in the whole of Cumbria. Its continuing
reputation for excellence is enhanced by a greater
diversity in the extra-curricular programme for all ages.
No longer a Catholic School, Chetwynde’s articles and
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memoranda are premised upon Christian values and its
pupils represent a good cross section of the world’s
religions. In all cases, parents are keen to see their
children benefit from a strong moral framework.
Since moving to the Crosslands site in 1986, the school
has developed and grown, incorporating new buildings
with the old. This development continues with increased
facilities for Information Technology and Science
Laboratories.
Parents and visitors alike can now find out about the
school from newsletters, its year book and of course its
web site.
CHETWYNDE SCHOOL UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
The last 18 months have been turbulent times for the
school.
In March 2012 it was announced that the school would
close in July 2012 because declining numbers were
making it no longer viable.
In April 2012 the parent-led Chetwynde Support Group
was formed in the hope of saving the school. Russell
Collier, Head Teacher appointed in 2010, worked
alongside the Chetwynde Support Group, and in May
2012 a business plan was proposed based on a drive to
raise the school roll to 225 pupils and raise £500,000.
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When the deadline arrived, pupil numbers fell short of
the target, although almost £490,000 had been raised.
An anonymous benefactor, backed by local business
owners, saved the school by offering to buy the school
and grounds for educational use.
In September 2012 the school opened for a new
academic year.
In November 2012 Chetwynde announced a bid for free
school status for September 2014.
In March 2013 Chetwynde was shortlisted for free
school status.
In May 2013 Chetwynde was approved by government
to become a free school in September 2014 and enter
the pre-opening phase.
THE RELIGIOUS OF THE SACRED HEART OF MARY
(RSHM) TODAY.
Marymount International School London is an
independent Catholic day and boarding school that
welcomes girls of all faiths. As a member of the
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary it is run by the
nuns of this Order – the same Order of nuns who, from
1897 – 1979 taught generations of boys and girls in the
Primary and Convent Schools of Barrow and District. It
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was in 1907 that Mother Joseph Butler established the
first Marymount School in Tarrytown, New York. The
current network includes Schools and Colleges in Europe
and North and South America. Education of the whole
person is the general aim of all schools. Guided by the
“Goals and Criteria for RSHM Schools,” adopted in 1999,
administrators, faculty, and staff, together with
governing boards and parents, work with students:
1
2
3
4
5
6
to foster a personal relationship with God,
to instil a lifelong love of learning,
to encourage and affirm personal growth,
to create unity in diversity,
to awaken a consciousness of social justice,
and to fulfil the RSHM mission, “That all may have life”
SISTER RAPHAEL
Sister Raphael McKenny was born Doris Elizabeth
McKenny in 1910. She entered the noviciate at the
Mother House of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of
Mary in Béziers, France in 1928 where she made her
first vows. She made her final vows at Marymount in
Tarrytown, New York in 1935. Sister Raphael’s ministry
in education began as a teacher at Marymount School in
Rome, Italy. She later taught at Marymount School and
Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, Marymount
School in New York, Cour Saint Jean in Béziers, France,
and Marymount School in Neuilly, France. She also spent
six years in Montpelier, France, working on the cause for
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Beatification of Father Jean Gailhac, the Founder of the
Order of the Sacred Heart of Mary and was secretary of
the Bon Pasteur in Béziers, France. In 1968 she went to
Marymount International School in Kingston, England as
a teacher and remained there after she retired from
active ministry. Sister Raphael McKenny died in 2005 at
the age of 95 after celebrating 75 years as a Religious of
the Sacred Heart of Mary.
Sister Raphael recalls the following memorable event.
“One night I was walking in the grounds of Marymount,
London. Mr. Knight, one of the staff, was helping girls to
load a white van with boxes of sandwiches and flasks of
coffee. They were going, as they did every month, to
visit the men sleeping under the railway arches, taking
with them plastic bags containing socks and shoes. That
night Mother Teresa of Calcutta was there, talking to the
homeless; she noticed the girls and their teacher and
when she was told where the girls had come from and
why they were there, she said she would like to visit
their school.
This was the 14th April 1988 and Robert Maxwell
provided a helicopter to take her to Marymount; it
landed on Coombe Golf course in George Road. I was ill
at the time and I watched from the upstairs window.
The girls lined the drive and as Mother Teresa and
Robert Maxwell approached, they sang Ave Maria.
Mother Teresa led the school in prayer. Gathering up a
corner of her sari, she said to the students, “One day, I
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hope, one of you will wear this. Remember that you are
not called to do extraordinary things, but to do
extraordinary things, with extraordinary love”. A very
moving experience for her (and for him?)
Mother Teresa.
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First day stamp cover with Mother Teresa’s signature
The ethos lives on.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to thank all the people involved in
making this ebook possible: the “girls” for their
memoirs; Sister Maire, the archivist from the Convent of
the Sacred Heart of Mary, Upminster, Essex; Cath Rigg
for her donation of £25O.OO towards costs; former
convent girls for the loan of pictures and other
memorabilia; Graham Watkins for some photography;
and members of Barrow Civic and Local History Society
for their interest, support and financial assistance. And
finally my sincere gratitude to the late Norah Thornhill
for her invaluable assistance and it is with sadness but
great pleasure that I dedicate this book to her.
The web-site and ebook have been created by Neal
Hardy, IT technician at Dane Ghyll Primary School,
Barrow, and his daughter, Amy, an art student.
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ADDENDUM
1964-1971 A time when it was all sex, drugs & Vatican 2
by Annette Orr
Keeping the girls on the straight and narrow
The 60s…reputed to be a time when people thought
there was a new freedom and a chance to rebel against
conventions. We girls were ‘bold’ enough to challenge,
question, argue and demand our rights in our tin pot
way, while still having a certain amount of respect
(sometimes fear) for those in authority and the rules we
had to bide by. So did we live up to the image of the
decade? I think not.
Unlike most senior schools of the time, the policy was no
corporal punishment which meant misdemeanours were
dealt with verbally or through detention, usually for
crimes such as being seen on the bus without your beret
or not wearing your indoor shoes. Horror stories of cruel
nuns and power mad teachers are totally alien to what
we experienced. Only one lady, who shall be nameless,
would turn red, no purple, with rage when we failed to
succeed in her subject.
“If I had a stick I would beat you ‘till your blood boiled”
she would rant, but thankfully her bark was worse than
her bite. We were scared but would laugh amongst
ourselves afterwards.
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So what kept us on the straight and narrow during those
liberating times? Maybe it was the following advice Don’t wear patent leather shoes as it encourages the
boys to look up your skirts.
If you want to sit on a boy’s knee put a telephone
directory down first.
When you are going steady you must close the garden
gate first before shaking hands goodnight.
Some of us would question tongue in cheek what
happens if you hadn’t a garden or the difficulty of
getting a telephone directory into your handbag but
Sister Lawrence kept her cool as she tried to explain the
reasoning behind it.
Sister Colombe kept temptation out of the way when
she asked the builders working on the new hall to put
their shirts back on after she heard us (pretending) to
swoon over the spectacle.
We received excellent sex education. It was delivered by
our good friend Sarah Ellis. Honestly! She was very
sensible, gave everything its correct anatomical name
and explained in a no nonsense way. She certainly
saved us from us latching onto old wives tales or horror
stories and she certainly saved many mothers worrying
about how to tackle the subject. Everyone liked and
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trusted Sarah. Besides she was posh from down south
and lived in a big house. Her family used napkins at
mealtimes and her dad was called Captain. And she was
good fun to be with into the bargain. Sadly she left the
area in the third year but we still talk about her and
wonder who she is giving advice to now.
Alongside this we had weekly visits from the priests and
we would bombard them with questions and protests
about such things as the ‘pill’, mixed marriages, divorce
and did the black babies really go to limbo if we didn’t
raise 2/6 (12½p) to get them baptised with a good
Catholic name? I seem to recall that those trendy young
men, fresh from the seminary were not phased by any
of this as they came back the following week for more.
Father Hannon said he was getting a bit bored with the
same old stuff. Father Kernan continued to fill the
session by just telling us jokes. Father Foulkes and
Father Ashcroft listened but stood by the church’s
teaching and too many of us were busy staring dreamily
into the blue eyes of the dashing Fr Farrell to even
notice what he was saying (which was probably the
same as all the others).
Fun and games
I wasn’t brainy, was rubbish at sport, not musical and
my family weren’t well known in the Catholic circle yet I
felt part of a close knit community because we were
encouraged to have a go at things and failure wasn’t an
issue. So, despite my lack of talent, being given the
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freedom of the school field, tennis courts and St Aloysius
gymn I actually loved PE. Anyone could join the choir
and I felt proud to be part of it on speech night and
some public events, not to mention us regularly winning
the singing competition on the Wembley train. Thanks to
Miss Rogan for encouraging us to be positive about
ourselves.
The swimming gala was a memorable occasion, even for
the non swimmers. We would stand open mouthed in
awe as the likes of Sheila Dean and Catherine
Cummings gracefully glided through the water without
making a ripple. Or we cheered loudly as Marie
McCusker shot by at great speed to scoop more points
for her team. Sharon Ireland bravely entered herself into
the dive even though she’d never stepped onto a diving
board before.
“It can’t be that hard” she said and granted she
stepped and posed perfectly for a few seconds before
her expression changed to dismay, as she began to
slowly lean and fall like a toppling tree to splash into
the water in a most undignified manner. We all clapped
and cheered as she resurfaced unscathed and smiling
again.
Then there was the width walk across the pool for those
who hadn’t yet mastered the skill of staying afloat
unaided and I won points for Walsingham! We had such
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a laugh at ourselves especially when the results
appeared in the Evening Mail.
Miss Egan introduced us to the delights of Youth
Hostelling in the Lake District. We grumbled all the way
up Great Gable in borrowed hiking boots, then had to
turn back because the mist came down but we had such
a lot of fun that weekend at Langstroth YHA. Miss Egan
another time patiently guided us through the Duke of
Edinburgh Bronze Award. One of our tasks was to plan
and do a walk. We got the bus to Newby Bridge and
followed footpaths to Cartmel. Miss Egan must have
been relieved to meet us on Cartmel racecourse before
we got the train home. Pretty tame by today’s standards
but we felt like real explorers and it gave us the
confidence to do more Lake District walking
independently after that.
My first trip abroad was with Miss Morris and Miss Egan
to Brussels and on into the Rhine Valley. It made a
lasting impression on me and I’ve been back to the area
a few times, always recalling that first experience of
seeing the wide river, the barges, castles, towns and
vineyards. Not the same without Miss Morris pointing
out geographical features to us. For me and a few
others that was the start of many independent
adventures in the outdoors for years to come.
Of course there were other memorable annual outings
for all to enjoy, some with a religious theme. Like going
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to York to see the hand of Blessed Margaret Clitheroe
preserved in a jar. This also gave us the opportunity to
visit the other attractions in that lovely city. When we
were about fourteen we went to Morecambe to see the
Sound of Music and yes it did make us all think we’d like
to be nuns (but only if we could get our very own
Captain von Trapp in the end.) After the film we had
the freedom to ride the ponies on the beach, get a
candy floss and enjoy all the fun of the fair that
Morecambe had to offer in those days.
The annual trip to Wembley to see the hockey was quite
a social occasion. I didn’t even like hockey but wouldn’t
have missed the outing for the world. With home made
hats and rosettes we’d wait at the station for the long
train to steam in, stopping at all stations on the West
Coast line to pick up lots of excited schoolgirls in full
uniform complete with scarves at the ready to swap
tassels and so meet new people.
Bad girls growing up
From the age of 14 to leaving 6th form at 18, school was
one of those places where you didn’t feel obliged to
leave childhood behind no matter what went on outside
the gates.
Some had boyfriends, went to late night parties, learned
to drive, had Saturday jobs (most worked in Brucciani’s
café and there hangs many an amusing tale). Some
were discovering the dubious delights of alcohol, usually
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in the form of someone’s dad’s homebrew. (Pauline
Whitehead’s dad brewed the best.) Some had worries at
home that were either shared or kept inside. We could
be weekend hippies, go to pop festivals or on holidays
without our parents. Watching Monty Python, The
Avengers and Top of the Pops were TV highlights.
Everyone tuned in to pirate Radio Caroline. We didn’t
experiment with drugs, thinking we were cool enough if
we burned joss sticks and wore flip-flops!
However, during this same time, at school we were still
able to enjoy the simple pleasures that some of our
contemporaries would have scoffed at. Skipping,
marbles, ‘tig’, country dancing, playing hide and seek or
making dens and gardens in the woods. I remember
Vicky Lees and Moira Sweeney making a memorial
garden to Jim Reeves when he died.
But were we bad? Well here’s the worst I can think of.
One area of the woods was out of bounds so of course
we would want to play in there. If caught we would say
we were on our way to pray to the statue of St Mary of
Furness. Sometimes we got away with it. So that’s being
disobedient and telling lies I suppose..
On another occasion it was trespass, vandalism and
again downright disobedience.( to be said with an Irish
accent). On the adjoining site was Infield House
Convalescent home which had closed down and was
awaiting demolition. Some bold girls went inside to take
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a look around the empty building and had a great time
exploring and chasing each other around the building.
No damage done - just a look, but a sure case for a long
detention if caught! Part of the grounds had an area
planted with huge bamboos, great fun to lose yourself in
there.
Then there was Ginger the bad tempered Shetland
pony. Some of us with equine knowledge thought we’d
have a go at riding him. So one day I ‘snuck’ a bridle in
my satchel and off we went to catch him. Four
schoolgirls in their summer dresses were no match for
him as he bucked and galloped away dragging half the
fence we’d tied him to. No real harm done thank
goodness. We retrieved the bridle, stuck the fence back
together as best we could and left Ginger angrily tearing
up grass while giving us that ‘don’t come near me again’
glare. Then we went back to afternoon lessons not
daring to look at each other for fear of bursting out
laughing whenever thoughts drifted back to the scene.
We left Ginger alone after that, apart from the odd visit
with a sugar lump as a peace offering. Not long after
that the house was demolished and bulldozers cleared
the lovely gardens along with Ginger’s paddock to make
way for a housing development. I like to think he gave
the demolition squad as hard a time as he gave us.
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Sixth form privileges
Out of the thirty girls who started in 1964 a third went
into the big wide world to follow a range of careers. The
rest stayed on while we tried to make our minds up
what to do next. Hey but we were nearly adults so we
were given some privileges.
1. Our own form room ie twenty of us in a room
measuring about 18’x10’ equipped with our very own
kettle, record player and typewriter. We loved it! We
could now play our own music like The Beatles, Simon &
Garfunkel, Leornard Cohen, Easy Rider and dance away
to Eddie Cochran at full volume. We could make a coffee
whenever we wanted but the only time I saw the
typewriter in use was when the table collapsed and
nearly squashed poor Tendai. “Oh crumbs” was all she
said. Swearing was a rarity even when it seemed
justified,
2. We were allowed (subject to staff approval) to choose
our own summer dresses.
So trouping down to Van Allans, one of only four dress
shops in town, we bought twenty polyester navy and
white flowery frocks. Julie Whitall’s mum worked there
so was very grateful for the commission and we were
very proud of our daisy dresses as they became
affectionately known.
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3, We were allowed to organise our own social dance
with local rock band ‘Refugee’.
Anne Coward’s
boyfriend was the lead singer so we had contacts. It
was a fab evening. No alcohol, no smoking and no
fights. However we got told off the next day because we
had brought in lots of scruffy, long haired boys, wearing
jeans and tye-dye T shirts with “Not one suit between
them so we ought to be ashamed of ourselves.” Oh well.
Can’t win ’em all.
4. Being allowed out at dinnertime which meant getting
the bus into town to have a peep in the shops, Maybe
go to Vallerina Stocking Bar to buy a pair of American
Tan stockings or those new things called tights, or get
some blue eyeshadow or groovy eye liner from
Woolworths so you could have eyes like Dusty
Springfield or Cathy McGowen. We’d go to see if Renee
Allington had anymore of those tweed 69/11 (£3.50)
trouser suits. (I got one, but it wasn’t as cool as the one
in turquoise crimpelene. I later saved up for that too) In
that same dinner hour you might meet up with your
boyfriend for two minutes or have a flirt with some of
the Vicker’s apprentice boys who’d be up and down
Dalton Rd in their blue boiler suits. We were always
back for afternoon lessons starting at 1pm. On our last
day we disgraced ourselves by going into the Hartington
pub for half a lager, (we were eighteen). Someone
reported us but I guess the twenty daisy dresses with
school blazers were a bit of a give away. On return the
record player was cranked to full volume as we sang
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loudly, dancing around the form room. We were in deep
trouble but eventually Sister Margaret forgave us and
we were allowed into the final assembly,behaving
impeccably.
5.Being allowed outside to study - whence we exposed
as much leg or arm as our daisy dresses would allow
before coating ourselves with coconut or lemon oil so
we could gently fry in the sun’s rays to get a tan.
Nobody had heard of slip, slop slap in those days. We
often got burnt and then would panic because Anne
Bird’s dad had got us those much sought after tickets for
the monthly dance at Vickers Sports Club and Angels
Payment would be playing and you had a new
crimpelene skirt and sling back shoes and now nobody is
going to ask you to dance because you have bright red
shoulders and a peeling pink nose!
Vatican2
For the first time we fully understood what we were
actually saying when the Latin Mass gave way to being
said in English, although it didn’t have the same ring to
it somehow,
Women no longer had to cover their heads in church
and I can’t help feeling a little disappointed that I
missed out on the chance to wear those rather fetching
black mantillas as I neared adulthood.
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We only had to fast one hour before receiving Holy
Communion and we could eat meat on Fridays. Hooray!
No more pilchards or cheese pie and beetroot for school
dinners.
The most noticeable change in school was when the
nuns habits were modernised and our brave sisters
nervously asked us what we thought as hair and ankles
were exposed to the light of day for the first time in
years. “You look lovely sister” we chorused as each
asked what we thought and they smiled gratefully at our
genuine response.
So these are just a few of my memories of happy days
at the convent school. The class of ’64 agreed to meet
up every ten years when we left in 1971. Then on
turning age 50 we decided to make it an annual event.
A few aren’t interested but there’s usually twelve to 16
of us coming from all parts of the country, depending
who can make the arranged date. The only two people
we don’t know about but would love to contact are
Sarah Ellis and Tendai Walker. Tendai came over from
Uganda with her adopted family but then moved out of
the area and we lost touch.
We summed up those years in a show or review
produced by the talented Julie Whittall, our very own
actress and entertainer. It was a bold venture as some
teachers faired better than others in their portrayal.
Some say our education was narrow with a limited
curriculum but what we had was unique because I think
we felt secure and that people cared about us. We
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formed lasting friendships. Something other friends who
went to bigger secondary schools or comprehensives say
they never felt.
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