Unfortunately, as you can see, it is no longer a school but a thriving Buisness Centre. The now tarmaced car park was once a 'forbidden to be trodden on by children' lucious green lawn'... like in the third photo.
The main entrance (the tall imposing wrought iron gates with the words Loreto College long gone) for parents and visitors with the main 'not for children' reception rooms. The sciece lab. on the right of the photo where I studied for my Chemistry, Zoolgy and Botany 'O' and 'A' levels. There was a chapel in the middle which has since had to be demolished due to expensive repair work needed and the new building that you now see has replaced this. We had our own resident retired Canon and attended chapel morning and night (with noon added on as well on Sundays!)
The junior school (known as 'Our Lady's' building) with it's own driveway was on the ground floor with the more of the bedrooms etc. above. (The Nun's own Convent was over to the right and can't be seen in this photo.)
What a serene environment.
ReplyDeleteVery like my old infant and junior school.
Lovely to let us in to your private memories Kendal. xx
Wow, what a memory jogger. I was a boarder at St. Mary's College (years ago) in Rhos-on-Sea and we used to get involved in school dances with the girls from Loreto.
ReplyDeleteI can still recall getting told off by one of the nuns for arriving at one of the dances wearing a pair of flying boots purchased from Exchange and Mart :)
Loreto girls were by far and away the nicest of all the local girls' boarding schools (Penrhos, Lowther, Denbeigh High, Howells) and we often used to meet on the Gt. Orme....assuming 'Soup' wasn't lurking :)
Enjoyed reading/viewing your website and thank you.
Kind regards,
Dr. Lawrence Jones
I too boarded to this school in the 1960s but only for 2 years. I was having a nostalgic evening looking for info/pics of the place so it was nice to come across your blog. Claire Rothwell, Yvonne Olverson, Annmarie Lawson, Shelly Davidson were all in my year. Do they ring any bells?
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Mary
My sister was shelley davidson
DeleteI'm sure I remember you!!!!! Were you in Gwyn - Henry's House? I was 'Larry' Jones in those days - pure hippie!!!!
DeleteP.S. Dear Kendal hope it's OK for me to reply and hope you're OK :)
As an adjunct to my original posting, I placed a posting (after reading this blog) on the BBC Radio 4 messageboards, recommending a feature - possibly on Woman's Hour - about Sasha dolls. Ashamed to admit that despite spending 10 years of my life working in Switzerland had never come across them :( I think the photographs and settings of these photographs are excellent and full marks to Kendal for such enthusiasm and love of the subject. The prams are incredible !!!
ReplyDeleteI Didn't recognise any of Mary's names, but did have a Loreto girlfriend called Gerry K. and she would often sneak over to Rhos-on-sea on Saturday/Sunday afternoons to see me (won't mention surnames on public blog). Geraldine was a doctor's daughter and she came from Manchester. Also great friends with a lovely girl called Rhiannon – who had fab thick hair and was often in trouble with 'Soup' (Mother Superior). Often reminded of her when I hear the Fleetwood Mac song.
Thanks for all your efforts with this blog – love reading/viewing it :) The faces and fashions worn by these dolls are incredible.
Lawrence Jones (regular follower)
This was a nice read, I currently run a group on facebook called "Stella Maris and Loreto in Llandudno North Wales" which covers the loreto from boarders to middle school, I also worked in the actual convent cooking the supper for the resident nuns, please take a look, ther are some old black and white photos from the boarding years.
ReplyDeleteGerald Lane
Llandudno
Great pictures and must say cool environment.Anyone one would love to study there.A school is a big part of our life.A nice cool environment along with proper care and guidance must change a child's life.Going to a school, like any new adventure, means taking a risk because you think the reward will be worthwhile. Boarding School UK
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for this Mr. Lane and very thoughtful of you to post the link. Saddened to see the derelict state of the old Loreto tennis courts. Not sure if access is possible these days but would have been a good – but rather sad - setting for one of Kendal’s photosessions. A photoshoot with two of the dolls on the Great Orme Tram would also be good fun – one accompanying the driver and one on the rear………but possibly exhausting for Kendal, chasing them up the Orme whilst photographing :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read that you used to cook for the nuns because I am ashamed to say that I never discovered the real name of ‘Soup’ and wondered if she was the nun who used to give me shifty looks when I arrived for the Loreto/St Mary’s dances, wearing a daring yellow cardigan…..with only two buttons and my morally dangerous flying boots !!!!!! The sinusoidal hand movements whilst dancing to The Foundations ‘Build me up Buttercup’ solicited even more shifty looks which would have resulted in a prize if entered for a gurning competition :)
Also recalled orchestra links with Loreto and Mr. Miraver (sorry cannot recall how to spell his name, but he used to enjoy eating mints), but I didn’t last there long – not a good place for a future fan of Jerry Goodman and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I recall Loreto girls requesting the boys’ autographs. St Mary’s boys were too shy to reciprocate.
But whatever became of Loreto girls? In adulthood I have met women from Lowther (in Geneva!!), Howells and Penrhos……..but never Loreto.
Penrhos girls were exceptionally posh and probably all got jobs at Radio 4 or J.P. Morgan. Gok would have approved of their beautiful fleck/tweed winter coats.
Lowther girls had voices to die for and I suspect would cause one to faint if one ever heard them singing Dr. John Rutter’s: ‘Hymn to the Creator of Light’
Howells’ girls combined great intellect with an eye for fashion – probably visit Toni and Guy every week for hair care and own Patti Smith records.
Loreto girls – dependable, stoical …….never cried in the dormitory when experiencing home sickness when boarding and stayed calm in a crisis. ALWAYS sew their hems and NEVER resort to Wonderweb. I suspect they still sing the ‘Tantum Ergo’ ……if alone in their house :)
Thanks, as ever, to Kendal for all the interesting and thoughtful pics.
Sincerely,
Lawrence Jones
The name of the conductor was John Morava.I know because I played the cello in the orchestra from 1964-1966 and still have a photograph of the orchestra taken at that time. Sadly I never spent enough time playing the cello as I was far too involved in sporting activities but the trips to Loreto for orchestra practice were most enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for replying Dr. Brooks and for refreshing my memory with your reference to Mr. Morava. I can actually smell mint vapour whilst typing. I do remember you (I was about 4/5 years younger) and was in the same class as your younger brother. I think you were the first St. Mary’s boy in 85,000 years to gain a doctorate (seem to recall that your Ph.D was in chemistry). You were in Gwyn; I was in Campion.
ReplyDeleteI’m afraid I didn’t last as long as you in the Loreto orchestra. I played the violin, but teenage musical interests started to gravitate in the direction of bands like the Mahavishnu Orchestra, especially Jerry Goodman [1]. ‘Soup’ would NEVER have approved of that. I remember Lesley Towers – blonde haired Loreto girl - who played the kettle drums.
I could be wrong here, but I seem to recall that you were a keen runner. I think I recall seeing you running down the steps that connected Gwyn with Campion. I, too, became an enthusiastic cross country runner……very useful if one had to run all the way from St Mary’s to Loreto to meet one’s girl friend (no bicycles allowed for St Mary’s boys :( :( :( ). On one occasion 4 Loreto girls (no names, but I still recall who they were :) ) tagged along with my then Loreto girlfriend and one of them said: Oooooh you’ve got lovely legs.....for a woman!!!!!!! What a cheek? I could never figure out how ‘Soup’ could be so strict over some matters, yet allowed the Loreto girls to wear civilian clothes on Saturdays. The most fashionable bagging-off tool that I could resort to was to wear my V-neck pullover back-to-front :(
Back on topic, how about Kendal does a photoshoot with her dolls on the Great Orme? Possibly on the chair lift or dry toboggan run?
My thanks, as ever, to Kendal, for going to so much trouble with this blog. Great to see so much enthusiasm for such an interesting subject.
Reference
[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujcYw2QTPzM&feature=related
i refer to mary above-i am yvonne olversons sister.i only came across this sight by chance !i was a boarder at loreto in 1960s along with edwina tate,diddy martin,gerry rigby and the ryans.i remember the st mary boys joining our orchestra especially martin montgomery,known as monty who was a fantastic violin player. i also remember playing a duet on the piano with celia jennings with the orchestra.the loreto girls were the best !!!oh, what memories. best wishes ruth
ReplyDeleteGoodness Ruth, I knew 'Monty' well (he was head of Aquinas House at St. Marys) - he was one of the nicest/kindest people that I ever knew during my own boarding years at St Marys. Monty was a few years older, but always went out of his way yo be kind and thoughtful to new boarders. He even had a kind face and always greeted one with a smile!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think I must have joined the orchestra just after he left and my hippie tendencies didn't result in any tenured appointment :) :) :) I could tell from the look on 'Soup's' face that she didn't approve of my free-thinkers Exchange and Mart Flying boots!!!
I think I recognise sone of the names you cite in your posting.
Sincerely,
Lawrence
P.S. Thinking, as ever, about Kendal.
I remember "Monty" well because we were in the same year but he was in Aquinas and I was in Gwyn house. Martin was not only fantastic on the violin but a very good athlete. We both ran for Denbighshire and North Wales[Martin 100yds hurdles and I ran the mile]. I also remember Celia Jennings as her two brothers Michael and Peter were also in Gwyn house. We did therefore get occasional news from Loreto!
ReplyDeleteLawrence- you are thinking of my eldest brother who has a PhD.[Theoretical Physics], was also in Gwyn house and who went to University one year after I arrived at St.Mary's. My title is a medical one [Barts London 1971].
My apologies John and I certainly do remember your face and watching you running down the steps between Gwyn and Campion. I was slightly frightened of ‘Henry’, so didn’t often venture into Gwyn. Yes, I remember Michael (wasn’t Michael head boy?) and Peter Jennings – which must have been why the name Celia rang a bell. Michael was older than Peter and had a blazer with a wire badge – and he also had a quiff :)
ReplyDeleteMichael McGee (Campion) was in the same year as you and I think Eric Charington (Campion) was also your year – or the year below. I also recall Monty’s brother ‘Baz’ , the Church brothers (Mal and Peter from Fishguard) and also the Donnelly brothers – who were in Campion with me (fab footballers)
I think there were quite a few St Mary’s boys with sisters at Loreto. One of my best friends at St. Marys, Albert Silliman (with an IQ of about 170!!!!), had a sister called Esther (I think) who was a boarder at Loreto for a short time. They were both Jewish and I think this was a first for both Loreto and St. Mary’s. Albert gave me his maths and physics homework books after he left – and I still have them. Even his writing oozed great intelligence.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and thank you to Kendal for allowing this topic to run.
P.S I'm not medically qualified - engineer and Ph.D is a mixture of electromagnetics and fluid dynamics.
This is Malcolm Church, attended St Marys with my elder brother Graham (Spider) and younger brother Peter. Remember Johnny Brooks well, great footballer and runner and also remember getting up early in the morning and going on training runs with him and Graham. Graham was a brilliant footballer - I played as well and did get to captain the first XI but table tennis was my passion .....
DeleteHi Mal
DeleteRemember you well – as I do ‘Spider’ (so talented, yet so modest and always warm and friendly) and, of course, Peter (lovely chap who was always telling me interesting stories about life in Fishguard). You were quite a serious person.
I think I was several years below you and known as ‘Larry’ Jones in those days. I was a Campion rebel……You were in Aquinas (Noddy’s (RIP) house), but I forget who was in your year. I recall Martin (‘Monty’) Montgomery and his permanently happy brother Basil (‘Baz’). Peter Darby ‘Darbs’ was a good friend of mine as was Steven Burbidge (also Aquinas). I think Paul Griffiths (Davies) could have been in the same year as you. I seem to recall that you studied ‘A’ level economics?
Yes, remember your great table tennis prowess and would often watch you play in the old huts that were perpendicular to the chapel. I think Aquinas hosted a tennis table in the garage with black doors?
I got quite a shock on discovering that St. Mary’s was pulled down many years ago and replaced by a housing estate. I gather the school went bust, but have heard several other anecdotal stories related to its demise. Would love to hear any accurate news as to why it closed. Still can’t believe that I survived so many years in a boarding school. Quite shocked when I reflect – 45 years on - how poor the academic standards were for Maths, Physics and Chemistry (Sam!!!). Also never forgot the dreadful food or the freezing cold dormitories in winter. The exploding gas heaters in the classroom/studies were always a source of great amusement during evening study sessions.
Many thanks for the response and I wish you well in 2016.
Kind regards,
Lawrence (AKA ‘Larry’ – as in: 'Ahhh sure Larry would you ever get your hair cut’!!!!)
P.S. Thank you Kendal for allowing me to respond to your posting.
Thank you Lawrence for so much information but I must apologise to anybody who is reading this and may be getting bored with school memories from so long ago especially as this Blog started out as a serious art form. The problem is this type of thing can become addictive as one memory suddenly throws up another. Eric Charrington was in the year above me and as far as I know he is an accountant in Hong Kong. Yes you are quite correct"Henry" [Fr.Eugene Ford]was my housemaster at Gwyn. He did command respect and we were a bit in awe of him but he was always fair. He had an extensive library of his own and encouraged us to read.I was given "Goodbye To All That" by Robert Graves at an early age and following that a steady flow of books. He could get very passionate about House sport and I do remember one famous football game against Campion: Gwyn were definitely the underdogs and most of my time in the game was spent trying to bolster the mid-field with some ferocious tackling but it was an uphill task against a much better team with 3 Donnelly brothers, Michael in the centre of defence and his younger twin brothers up front creating havoc in our defence. Fr.Ford was striding up and down the touchline yelling encouragement at 2 of our team who were not natural players but were there to make up the numbers. We lost, of course, but the game was far closer than anticipated. After the game, to our amazement, Fr Ford began to abuse the ref.and amongst other things told him he was a disgrace and not impartial! It so happened the ref.was a fellow priest!!
ReplyDeleteThe girls I remember from Loreto who were in the orchestra and had brothers at St.Mary's were Agnes Swift and Frances Kent.
Those names ring a bell. I think they were in one of my elder sisters classes at Loreto.
ReplyDeleteI attended from kindergarten, Circa 1956, and beyond and one of my brothers was at St Mary's.
does anyone remember CHRISTINA RAMICONE; MARY LOU AND JEANETTE DRAKE; ALISON JEFFRIES; ?
I also had a friend at St Mary's whose name was Anthony Taylor. He lived in Deganwy and had a baby sister called Babette. his father was a vicar and his mother was German,
would be interested in any news,
thanks
sibs