Mansfield County Secondary Technical School

Whilst the Mansfield County Secondary School with Nissen huts for classrooms has long gone I have just come across my school photo dated June 1956. The actual size is 97×20 cm. and therefore too small for any identification. I have therefore taken enlargements in sections which may be of interest.

1 of 9
2 of 9
3 of 9
4 of 9
5 of 9
6 of 9
7 of 9
8 of 9
9 of 9
Arrow points to myself
Complete picture

Comments about this page

  • I was there in time to get the strap off Mr Palfreman for climbing through the windows at lunchtime!
    Pip Lemon was easily the most unpleasant teacher I ever encountered. Lovely school photo, I was in 2J2 at the time, classmates were; Mike Astill, Mike Clarke, Dick Woollerton, girls, Barbara Clifton, Sandy Staton, Valerie Jelley, Pamela Harrison, Eileen Gee. I left after 5th form with one O level! Now in North Wales having moved a business here in 1967. Love to hear from anyone else dodging the grim reaper!

    By John Roe (04/06/2023)
  • I am on photo 2, row 3, 3rd along next to Terry Wharton and John Mills. I believe that we were some of the first to go off to university. I left in 1956 at the same time as Mr Palfreyman our head. Later I met up with him at university as he became education director of the NCB Notts division. No escape!
    Really appreciated the life skills in woodwork and metalwork but hated the winters in the huts.

    By malcolm ball (28/03/2023)
  • To Mick Chappell,
    Know all the names you mentioned plus Ray Purdy and his mate who went to America, John (Bolly) Bowring, Rob Jones. I wonder how many are still surviving, I will be 80 this year.
    Ged(Jack) Tarr

    By Ged (Jack) Tarr (17/03/2023)
  • I remember being in Miss Lacey’s class for shorthand. Whenever she turned to write on the board we would throw bath crystals (bought from Woolworths) across the room. They got trodden in but produced a lovely aroma. I remember she once remarked “I think the roof is coming down”!
    Also we had Mr Weedon for typing. Remember also we all had to count on how many times Mr Joslin said the word “consequently”. My favourite was Mr Shepard who took us for history. Such happy times

    By Barbara Stacey nee Sheffield (09/03/2023)
  • Surprisingly I passed my 11 plus, (I had already been given my High Oakham uniform which I guess must have been returned)
    I went to the Nissan huts from Carter Lane school in 1955 thru 1959
    Always remember the caretaker with the hook hand bringing buckets of coke for the classroom heaters!! – forgive my frivolity
    Some of my class mates were Paul Heather, John Dean, Maurice Horrobin, David Stringfellow, Roger Gardener, Alan Richards.
    Oh happy days
    Now been living in New Zealand the last 50 years
    Love to hear from anyone of that vintage,
    Mick Chappell

    By Mick Chappell (25/02/2023)
  • I joined this school in 1950 until 1954. I remember Miss Joslyn as I seem to do everything wrong in her cookery class. A few teachers’ names I recognise from the write-ups but of course, many of the early fifties ones must have left. As I am now 84 I don’t think there is much hope of anyone writing in who was here during my years.
    I have a few photos of a group of friends outside the Nissan hut classrooms and a school camping holiday in Herefordshire. My close friends were Margaret Kitchen and Mary Barton. My name was Pat Topham

    By Patricia Anne Duggan (23/01/2023)
  • I’m on photo 2, 4th row from bottom, 2nd from left.
    I was in 1J1, 2J1. 3T1, 4T1 and 5A.
    In general, but with a few exceptions, the teachers were quite rigid and not particularly inspiring. I can’t remember them all, but we had Mr Haslam/Mr Croft for Maths; Mr “Bulldog” Davis for Physics (he was Welsh and I remember him talking to us about “eyon wyer”); Mr “FAB” (his initials) Branston/Mr Solway for Chemistry; Mr Rob Bonnett for Biology (who also ran an after school stamp club); Miss Luckman/Mr Ibbotson (best teacher) for English; Miss Brunskill/Mr ‘Ali’ Barber for French; “Billy” Barham /Mr “Noddy” Caplan for History; Mr Kerr/Mr “Baccy” Pope for Geography (he had a moustache that always stank of tobacco); Mr Granger for Art; Mr ‘Killer’ Wilson (lived up to his nickname)/Miss Joy Hollingsworth (young and good looking) for Music; Mr ‘Pip’ Lemon for RI (not likeable); Mr ‘Alec’ Grant for PE; Mr Stapleton/Mr Mills for Metalwork; Mr Plackett for Woodwork; Mr “Clem” Marriot for Tech Drawing.
    I heard that Mr Caplan subsequently obtained a doctorate after I had left the school. Many years later I also heard that Baccy Pope and Miss Brunskill had married, and I saw Mr Pope as a contestant on Mastermind on the telly.

    By Robert Bramley (24/12/2022)
  • I am on this photo. Number 1. Third row from top and third boy from the right. Like so many, I still have my photo. 81 years of age now and have resided in the USA since 1967. I still benefit from Technical and Engineering Drawing, one of my six O levels. O levels were difficult back in 1957.

    By Malcolm Hancock (24/09/2022)
  • Sadly two years before I went there in 1958. I remember some of the teachers. The Polish biology teacher was our form master when we went to Sherwood Hall. We used to spit on the stoves and watch it form into balls and dance about. Also remember “Noddy Ben” our form master as well as Mr Lemon – fantastic nostril hairs, and we all fell in love with Mrs Hollingworth. I remember pushing someone into the pond and getting the slipper for it.
    We were there during a terrible snowy winter and still had to run around the Res. Those were the days NOT. Terrible place and Sherwood Hall not much better.

    By Alan Rowland (20/02/2022)
  • I joined the school in Sept 1956 as a 3rd former in 3C2 until 1957 when the girls moved to the new Sherwood Hall School. I remember Mrs Roberts, Mrs Joslin, Miss Luckman, Pip lemon, Mr Pope, Mrs Lemon, Bulldog Davies , Mr Haslam. Mrs Hollingsworth .
    Left Sherwood Hall in 1959. Am still in touch with Elaine Bradley (now Thewlis) I live in Melbourne Australia having moved around the world quite a bit . Would love to know if any one else from my year is still around.
    Aileen Rawding (was Craggs)

    By Aileen Rawding (28/01/2021)
  • My years were 1956 To 1961, the year it was shut. I remember just a few of the teachers. “Joe” Redford the head master, “Bill” Craig forEnglish, “Ali” Barber for French, “Alec” Grant for games, —- Mills for metalwork, Biology Bill for Biology (he was Polish), I cannot remember my chemistry, physics, maths, or history teachers.

    By Michael Peter Cooke (10/11/2020)
  • I remember being a milk monitor and fetching the crate of milk and taking it down the long walkway to the classroom. We used to sit on the crate for fifteen minutes before delivering it!
    I also remember that Mr Lemon used to scare me to death. My house master was Mr Hayes, a really lovely teacher. I remember particularly Jill Ritchie and Rosemary Bullock who had a lovely singing voice. I remember putting the clock forward in housecraft when Mrs Joslin was out of the room. We were always on the early bus before the rest of the school came out.
    Wonderful memories.

    By Barbara Stacey(Sheffield) (27/07/2020)
  • Remember the school motto, “Optima Petimus” translates to “We seek the best”. House names, Faraday, Rutherford, Lister and Wren. Hated Pip Lemon and Bulldog Davies at first, but later found them to be good blokes. Fantastic range of metalwork and woodwork gear in that school. Some prefects were b******s, a slippering more painful than when given by a teacher.

    By Geoff Moss (18/06/2020)
  • I went to this school for the last year 1960 prior to moving to Sherwood Hall. Recognise many of the teachers.
    Have spent the last week at Kings Mill hospital nursing my mum. It brought back memories of the site and I remember sailing on the reservoir, can’t remember teacher’s name (possible Richardson).

    By Tony Lepley (11/08/2019)
  • I left Sherwood Hall girls school in 1961 and went to work for Westminster Bank.   I lived on Dallas street until I married in 1968.

    By Pam Swain (02/04/2018)
  • It was fascinating reading the comments of Graham Parkin regarding your brother Tony. I was in Tony’s class from about 1955 til 1959. . Tho I only briefly met u Graham, the memory lasts of a youngster, cheery, confident soul, wearing specs. Ian Simons  

    By Ian Simons (25/01/2018)
  • I am on this photograph (4th row up) and went to Mansfield Tech from 1953 until 1957 and have the original photograph.  I was one of the first girls to then transfer to Sherwood Hall at Forest Town which was a brand new building. I remember the runs around the res. especially in the snow. It`s strange to think that it is now a supermarket and that Kings Mill hospital is so enlarged.

    Betty Poole (nee Shaw) 

    By Betty Poole (nee Shaw) (25/10/2017)
  • Went here as a sprog in  1962 and hated it. Sixth formers had Ducks Arse Haircuts and sideburns but we had to have no hair on collar or sideburns.

    Remember hiding fags and lighter inside classroom  plasterboard walls. Got slipper often for jumping over water pipes between huts to fetch football. Shotbolt thought he was James Bond.

    Loved Clem (the mad professor) Marriot.

    Cross country around res.

    Pip Lemon picking me up by the ears in RI.

    Then went to new school in Forest Town and had to wear sandals,  the embarrassment!

    By john baines (14/06/2017)
  • Strange to think I was at school with Brian Moody then ended up working with his Dad at meadow Foundry in the 60’s,clever man Walt taught me a lot.

    By FRED NEWTON (25/02/2017)
  • Photo 5  reckon I’m between Mick Peat and Tony Ward

    By FRED Newton (25/02/2017)
  • Hi,  I went to the “Tech” from 1955 to 1959 and I think I am in the Photo but I can’t  find me yet! Pam swain–are you Pam Seals from Dallas St. ? I well remember youas you were a good friend of my sister Gill. Pleased to see you are still around. I am well and living in Thailand for the past 12 years.

     

    By LES READ (14/01/2017)
  • What a brilliant photograph, credit to the contributor on this especially with the number of bodies involved. I arrived at this school in 1959 but could easily be a number of the youngsters on the front row, the girls had departed by then, was in 1J2 and have great memories of my time there, recognise teaching staff Grant, Bentley, Woods, Lemon and of course later headmaster Radford. Consequently I featured on a number of like school photographs on this and the later site but this one, because it features the girls as well is so emotive. The brick covered way down the spine, sports hall/gym at the lower end, stove heating with the odd eraser flicked on, ink pens and satchels and so much more. Times changed and the relationship between older rigid staff and a new generation strained, right and wrong on both sides as in each era. But again to the contributor of the photograph, thank you.

    By Nigel Wolden (02/03/2016)
  • I remember that pond, having just been taught about siphoning I bought a length of rubber tubing from Woolworths and set it to siphon the water from the pond. Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet acquired my later knowledge of siphoning so the tube was too short to make any significant difference before someone found it. I also remember someone accidentally(?!) being pushed into the pond, I didn’t do it, honest(???). I, also, wasn’t too fond of the place. 

    By Martin Gorner (05/02/2016)
  • I went to the Tech.1952-56. I remember Mr. Palfreman the head. My favorite teacher was Mr. Stapleton, took us for metalwork. He took a real interest in us.I was in a class 3T4 & 4T4 (lowest standard, I was NOT a bright lad) with Alan Bradder and Alan Booker two real rascals. In the winter months when the stoves in the classrooms were lit, they would fill the stove with fire lighters that were stored at the end of each block during break time and then during the following lesson the stoves would glow bright red, and anyone sitting close would have to move their desks away from the heat. Another trick that would be played was as we stood around the pond. Loads of coal were tipped next to the pond for the staves, and if a group of students were watching tadpoles or frogs in the water, some burk opposite would lob a piece of coal in to land near the group and soak them through. I often saw the perpitrators get a detention (doghouse) for that, as there was really no cover if a prefect was around. Happy days. I was glad to leave as I didn’t really like the place.

    Had a few good friends though, Billy Hewitt and Trev. Johnson Alan and Michael Rowbottam, (not related)

     

    By Terry Barrows (03/02/2016)
  • Tony Parkin, My brother, is on photo ‘6 of 9’, 5 rows down and on the extreme left. He went on to become Head of Faraday and Head Boy before going to Liverpool University where he gained a degree in engineering. Sadly he died in 2002.

    By Graham Parkin (29/01/2016)
  • I am on this photo seated on the floor and also have the original.

    By Pam Swain was Seals (30/12/2015)
  • I attended the school in 1957-8 in class 1W1. They were still building the Manor School in Mansfield Woodhouse and I was one of this class who were destined to make up the second year of the new school. The girls had left the Technical School by then for their new premises in Forest Town. I remember the Nissen huts and the braziers but we enjoyed our time there. My strongest memory is of the toads who bred in the concrete-lined pond at the top of the site. All the toads of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire gathered to breed there. This was the only sensible sex lessons we boys ever had in those days! I believe the buildings had been the concentration camp for Italian prisoners of war, sited next to the American army camp. Often wondered what the Italians in the American army (there must have been some in Mansfield?) thought of this arrangemeant!

    By Edward Wilson (25/12/2015)
  • I am on this picture and also have the original

    By Dawn Clarke (25/08/2015)

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