Memories Of Ludlow Road and St John’s Schools

Published on: 26 Aug, 2013
Updated on: 26 Aug, 2013

Following on from a story here back in May about Ludlow Road School in Guildford, Rosemary Rawcliffe has been in contact with some more details and a photo of pupils at St John’s School that was in Farnham Road.

Pupils from St John’s School, Farnham Road, Guildford.

She writes: “I was at Ludlow Road School from 1946 and later St John’s School, moving to Sandfield School in 1951 when the family went to live in Woodbridge Road.

Ludlow Road School was built at the end of the 19th century as part of the Guildford Park estate being constructed. I previously came across documents relating to this while researching material for my MA dissertation on Guildford Park.

There are a couple of pupils on the attached photo who look as if they are related to some on the photo on page 57 of Guildford Remember When [by David Rose and Bernard Parke]. The photo was taken on the steps outside of the hall. Mr Pewton was our teacher although he does not appear on the photo.

At Ludlow Road Miss Angove was my first teacher and a very nice teacher too. The headmistress, Miss Slater, was something of a dragon and rapped me across the knuckles on one occasion. I remember the outside toilets, which were very cold in winter especially with snow on the ground (there were some harsh winters in the 1940s).

As St John’s was a C of E school we used to go to St Nicolas’ Church on Ash Wednesday and Ascension Day (Thursdays) and being allowed to go home for the rest of the day.

The names of the children in the photo are: John Davidge, Graham Tuckfield, Douglas Sheppard, Brian ?, Rosemary Day, Joan Church, Wendy Cole, Wendy Standidge, Valerie Harris, David Blackmore, Tony Wilson, Patricia Edwards, Gerald/Geoffrey ?, Maureen Jacobs, Leslie Wilson, Jean Andrews, Patsy Adlam, Susan Kingston, Valerie Fry, Eileen O’Reilly, Pauline Rose, Godfrey Boxall, Paul Leadbetter, Lyndell Mussell, Richard Harrington.

David Rose writes: I am always pleased to see photos from local schools – any dates going back in time. If you have any, please send them to me (email: drosedragon@gmail.com) or call me on 01483 838960.

Responses to Memories Of Ludlow Road and St John’s Schools

Bernard Parke Reply

August 26, 2013 at 7:41 am

St John’s School was also known as The Guildford Borough Preparatory School.

The initial letters of which appeared on the the school badge.

The Headmistress was a Miss Ellis, who lived with the headmistress of, I believe the high school in Wodeland Avenue.

At harvest festival time we were invited to bring produce to school which we then took down to the patients at the old Royal Surrey County Hospital.

I attended the school between 1945 and 1947, just before it was taken over by the state.
Peter McGowan Reply

February 22, 2014 at 2:10 pm

I attended Ludlow Road school from 1946 to 1949 before moving on to St John’s Primary School until 1952.
I certainly remember a Mrs Brown teaching me at Ludlow Road. The teachers I recall at St John’s were Mrs Britain, Mrs Chaplin, Mrs Walford, Mr Pewton and Mr Downes.
I remember these as very happy childhood days.
I also remember that the outside toilets at Ludlow Road were freezing in winter, particularly 1947.
Chris Townsend Reply

February 25, 2014 at 8:15 am

During the 1950s at Ludlow Road, Miss Angove taught the youngest infants, then in the next-door class at the back was Miss Smith. Miss Goodhand had the next class, the right-hand room at the front. (She married the curate of St. Nicolas, Father Puntis.) A Miss Wills had the class in the middle room, followed by Mrs. Cotton. Mr. Downes had the top class, on the left, followed by Mr. Don Kirk, an exceptional, talented teacher. Mrs Adams, head of Ludlow Road, took the class in the hall.

At St. John’s, Mr Pewton taught in the hall, Mrs. Ives in the room near the kitchen and Mrs. Chaplin in the front downstairs room. Upstairs were Mr. Makepeace and Mrs. Walford, who took the top class aiming for grammar school.

Miss Violet A. Kemp, head of both schools, had as her office the small room overlooking the playground. She was indeed the same one who went to every Theatre performance. When she died in 1967 there was an obituary in the “Surrey Ad.” with a heading along the lines of “The Empty Seat in the Theatre”.
Peter McGowan Reply

February 25, 2014 at 6:57 pm

In my last year at St. John’s school 1951 to 52 I was taught by Mr Downes who, although very strict, was very fair. He managed to make all our lessons interesting and prepared us well for our secondary school education.
Steve Aldous Reply

August 11, 2015 at 2:38 am

From reading the comments it seems like it was a decade later.

I think i went to Ludlow Road in 1954 and then transferred to St. John’s School in 1957-60. I do remember Mr. Makepeace but not much else.

Has anyone got any photo’s? Early days perhaps and a long time ago but they were good times. It was still an age of innocence.
- Jon Garvey Reply
  
  October 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm
  
  I remember you Steve – though you were my brother Nigel’s schoolfriend, together with Peter Blake. I was a mere toddler, but I think you came to our house in Beechcroft Drive.
  
  Nigel left for Sandfield when we moved house in 1955.
  - Steve Aldous Reply
    
    April 4, 2020 at 10:56 am
    
    I am sorry I missed your comment written so long ago now. I enjoyed reading it.
    
    I’m researching old history for my children. My family lived in Beechcroft Drive for a while. Do you remember the Stewart family, Jean and Ian? We later moved to High View Road. I have fond memories of St Johns.
    
    I found your comments on Mr Makepeace interesting. I remember my parents got him to give me after school extra lessons to prep me up for the 11 plus.
    
    Fond memories of that school, people I remember: Ian Black, the three Pilgrim brothers, Ian Moody, and Patrick Carter. A couple of girls come to mind, Marilyn Wilkes and Katrina Marks? Do you have memories of others?
    
    There was a male teacher there who was involved in the “Crusaders” it was a CofE Christian teaching thing for youngsters. I remember going on camps with them.
    - Dawn Smith Reply
      
      May 12, 2023 at 8:08 pm
      
      I went to Ludlow school, then St. Johns. I remember those names so must have been there about the same time.
      
      I was in Mr Down’s class then jumped several classes to top floor on the other side of the building. My maiden name was Dawn Parker.
David Grainger Reply

January 5, 2017 at 8:37 pm

I transferred from Ludlow Road School to St John’s School around 1959 or 60 straight into Mrs Ive’s class,leapfrogging Mr Pewton.

Mrs Ives was deeply religious and with an obsession for copperplate writing. We were expected to master with stick and nib before we were allowed to use our prized fountain pens. But she was even tempered and kind.

I leapfrogged Mrs Chaplin and had Mr Makepiece the following year.

He had a truly fearsome temper, quite unacceptable by today’s standards and he often lost it.

However, once a week he trecked with the boys for an afternoon of football or cricket to Henley Fort.

On Fridays the class walked to the indoor swimming pool by the castle (freezing cold locker room virtually outside) for swimming lessons. Temper aside, Mr Makepiece was a kind and descent man.

For my final year it was Mrs Walford, who had a splendid house right next door to the school.

She was a Scottish woman who literally twinkled before your very eyes and was always in complete effortless control.

During the very cold winter of 1963 the girls were allowed to stay in during the breaks while they did their sewing. But us boys were compelled to go out to the playground. We didn’t mind at all.

Mrs Kemp, the headmistress, was particularly “old school” and was superseded by a brisk and competent Mrs Grieves, who as a treat read a chapter of a suitable book (Born Free was my favourite) to us before we went home on Wednesday afternoons.

I failed the 11 plus and transferred to Onslow Secondary School for a year, then to a spanking new Park Barn secondary until a tumbled off the conveyor belt in 1967 with a handful of GCEs and GCSEs.

The school dinners at Ludlow School were particularly good and the two cooks did us proud.

I think having so few children to cook for meant they could do a proper job.

Likewise, Christmas at the school was straight out of “a box of delights”.

The swinging Sixties arrived shortly after I went to Onslow and nothing, whether it be schools, teenagers, television, newspapers, shopping or food, would ever be the same again.
- Steve Aldous Reply
  
  May 5, 2020 at 5:16 am
  
  Great history indeed. Can anyone remember any other pupils names of that time? I left St Johns in 1960. My family moved from High View Road to Shamley Green and I ended up going to Tillingbourne Secondary Modern school from 1960 to 1965, a great school to end up in.
  - Laurence Bourke Reply
    
    October 31, 2020 at 2:09 am
    
    I am really quite touched to read other people’s memories of St John’s School.
    
    I was taught by Mrs Ives and Mr Makepeace (called Mr Makewar by the children).
    
    I wonder what happened to those in my class?
    
    I remember a girl called Brenda Adlam running out of my class and then out of school.
    
    Mr Makepeace told me to run after her and bring her back because I was the fastest runner in the school.
    
    I did as I was told and caught up with her and persuaded her to return. Can you imagine anything like that being allowed today?
    
    Other children’s names I remember are Andrew Mauger, Roy Garner and Christopher Kibble, Geoff Westward and Trevor Blacker.
    
    I became a primary school teacher for over 40 years and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Gordon James Reply

April 24, 2021 at 12:25 pm

A few years go on your site there was a picture of the pupils at Ludlow Road School.

It was a very grainy picture but it appears that they were outside carrying flowers. I believe the picture was taken around 1942 to 1943.

During that time, my twin brother Michael and I, aged around seven, attended the school.

I wondered if it was possible to get a clearer picture as in the front row fourth from the left are two boys with black hair dressed alike and one is holding a bunch of flowers.

I can’t be certain, but I am sure that is the pair of us. It’s about the right period I believe.

We lived at 89 Guildford Park Road with our foster parents as we were evacuees, with a Mr and Mrs Dwyer and their daughter Marion.

Would there be a school register from that time?

Unfortunately, my brother died in 2004 and I am now 85 but have fond memories of our time in Guildford during the war years.

David Rose replies: Unfortunately, the original photo emailed to me was of poor quality, therefore the image seen on the page is the best that can be offered.

I don’t know of any pupil registers that may exist of the school. The Surrey History Centre at Woking, the county’s archives, may hold some among any Surrey schools records it might have.
Janice Balchin (nee Bullen) Reply

June 16, 2023 at 5:22 pm

I was at Ludlow Road School from 1958. I have good memories of various teachers: Miss Irwin, Mrs Ware, Mrs Adams, Miss Ely, Miss Tucker and Mrs Cotton.

I jumped some classes before going straight into Mrs Ives’ class at St John’s, then upstairs to both Mr Makepeace (yes I too remember that loud voice) and Mrs Walford, a wonderful lady who allowed me to put a huge poster of the Beatles on the classroom wall!

I learnt the recorder with Mr Pewton.

I returned to Guildford as an state registered nurse and as a staff nurse worked on Peebles and Nightingale Ward at the old Royal Surrey County Hospital on Farnham Road. It was absolutely wonderful looking out of the window which overlooked Ludlow Road School playground, but the freezing toilets had gone!
Katrina Marks-Oldham Reply

December 10, 2023 at 1:50 pm

Hi Ian I remember a Steven Aldhoys who lived in Shamley Green. Does anyone have photos of the choir singing at Guildford Tech one evening? The teacher was Miss Irwin from Ludlow Road.
John Taylor Reply

October 4, 2024 at 10:51 pm

I was at Ludlow Road 54/55 and remember Mrs Cotton and Mr Kirk. I then moved on to St Johns in 1955-58. They were all one school “Guildford Park Primary”, and their physical isolation was due to the limited availability of suitable premises in those post-war years. Miss Kemp was the overall head of the whole school.

At St Johns, I was in the classes of Mr Pewton, Mrs Chaplin (something of a dragon), and Mr Makepeace. Mr M was quite simply the finest and most pleasant primary school teacher I had. Someone said he had a temper, but I certainly never saw it. He would give of his own time to help any pupil struggling and organised a cricket tutorial in summer from 8 to 9 am before school.

I remember Michael Stead, Mavora Harrison, Margaret Lucas, Roy Garner, Eunice Ford, Simon Tomsett. Simon and I went on to Clark’s Grammar School and both became accountants.
- David Grainger Reply
  
  December 11, 2024 at 11:22 am
  
  I’m so pleased to see this little thread has sparked into life again, its such a pleasure to recall childhood days at my time of life, especially such warm and vivid ones spent at St Johns.
  
  Just the five classes and a cosy kitchen at its heart with delicious smells wafting along corridors throughout the morning. I would agree that Mr Makepiece was a fine teacher, old school, but not a bad thing. He treked us every Friday morning to the old swimming baths by the castle, very exciting, and upon the walk back consumed our biscuits or sandwiches on the river bridge behind where the yet to be conceived theatre now stands.
  At that place I remember as if yesterday, him explaining the difference between “famous” and “notorious” and joking I should surely become the latter. He did have a bark sometimes but that was a small price to pay for the privilege of a year under his tutoring.
  
  Wednesday afternoon, rain or shine he marched us over the road and up the downs to Henley fort for a whole afternoon of football or cricket.
  
  We had a carol concert for our adoring parents at Christmas, a school play, and the day off to wave our paper union jacks at the kerbside as the Queen herself visited to consecrate our magnificent new cathedral. Memories that are gone with the wind, or very nearly.