R.L.S. museum

SCHOOL LIBRARY, MAGAZINES, & MUSEUM

SCHOOL LIBRARY

School Library 1986-1991 Was Mrs Hughes in circulation at that time? Do you remember an abortive librarian called Gareth Thompson? (My brother, as it happens). David Philips? Anyone else? And why this disloyalty to the library. (Adrian Thompson)

School Library 1986-1991. Yes, I can successfully answer most of the questions Adrian asked. 1. Mrs Hughes (Sheila to those in the know) was school librarian during the time I was at RLS and I believe left about two years after I did. She worked a triumvirate with Mrs Johnston (Janice to those in the know!), who left to go to a school in Shenfield and Mr 'Have you got a note for those sneakers? Mcgonigle (Neil to those in the know.) I believe from what I've heard that NM is very much still at the school. He's a good teacher, because he knew what level to go to with the pupils. 2. Librarians that I can name during the time were Martin Handy, David Philips (For those who need a description, a miniature Don Estelle) and I. The one that sticks in my mind, was a youngster who was shorter than myself, (Which was unusual as I was still, even in the 5th Form very short,) who was heavily into Rick Pilchard. (Cliff Richard.) 3. Why disloyalty? On the contrary, I did enjoy helping out and I even still donated stuff to the library up until the time that Sheila left two years later. I even worked there some evenings when the school had open days. Every so often I did want to play football though, so I gave the library a miss. It got a little political in there sometimes to the point of severe annoyance. There you have it a mini biopic of life in a school library. (Ben Levy)

SCHOOL MAGAZINES

Note: Whole School Magazines from some years are available on the RLS List

I can't find any reference in the message archive to Skrap, the unofficial school magazine. This first appeared in the mid-60s as an A5 size duplicated and stapled magazine sold by pupils to pupils. It appeared periodically - ? each term. It had disrespectful references to staff and pupils, and perhaps some strong language for the times. Was this a sign of the rebellious 60s? Who actually produced it and where? I can't believe that it had any School backing.

I recall the first edition, and the name was said to be sourced from the Scandinavian word for rubbish! Why? Did its publication continue for many years? Do any copies remain to be entered in our Library? (John Hawkins)

I saw a copy, after my period at School and possibly in 1962, through the good offices of Ged Martin. (J. Alan Smith)

There are a few scraps (ha!) in The Library under 1972-73, listing quotable quotes from JPC including "Don't quote me." (Andy)

I thought 'Mushroom' was long dead and buried and forgotten. It wasn't in any way an alternative school magazine but a poetry/love and peace [this was the late 60s, man]paper put together by Robert Bond [64 - 71] and a couple of non-RLS friends. I used to contribute some terrible poetry and help duplicate the thing on an antique machine in Robert's bedroom. We used to hang out by the church in Romford market on Saturday afternoons trying to sell it, in between being threatened by skinheads.

Instead of the free concert, we used to hold 'gatherings' in Raphael’s Park where there was reciting of dreadful poetry and similar stuff [in between being attacked by skinheads].

Yes, the 'underground' was alive and twitching in Romford. (Roger Jacobson 1964-71)

SCHOOL MUSEUM

Romford Times, 18 January 1922........I like to keep up with the news). HARE SCHOOL MUSEUM Although only established for such a short time, the Royal Liberty School at Hare Park are already making headway with a school museum. They were unsuccessful in securing the set of bones said to be those of a mammoth which were unearthed in a portion of the grounds near the G.E.R., but a nucleus has been formed by gifts of a collection of pressed leaves, and plants, some remains of Saxon pottery discovered near Havering, Egyptian curios of great antiquity, and pieces of Roman metalwork found during the excavations for the new arterial road. Mr Elwood has charge of the museum, and would welcome further exhibits. (end) Anyone know what happened to the museum in the end, and these priceless treasures? (Bev Curtis)

the school museum ? i remember it to have been a glass fronted cabinet stacked against the wall in that dark part of the corridor near room 1 i haven't a clue what was in it. (graham lee)

So far we have: "a stuffed bird", "a dried fish", and "a mummified cat that was found inside a wall in Hare Hall". (Andy Lee)

A while back Derek M. mentioned the school museum, a glass case against the wall somewhere in the corridor en route to Spook's temple of mathematics. However, my mind was drawn to that other collection of (biological) curios, that originally inhabited the small biology lab and prep room between the former music room (in the days of Carl Browning and early Michael Brewer) and large biology room, and then moved into that former music room when it was converted in circa 1970/71.
There were two human skulls if I remember (one white, one the colour of tea) - I never quite worked out if they were authentic or a very good cast (I suspect the former). Also in residence was a large (circa 30-40cm) whitish stuffed monitor lizard. The label on the base plate for this beasty revealed that it had been caught in the school grounds in the 1950s. Can anyone shed any light on the arrival of the lizard?
BTW, the school museum boasted, at least for a brief time, its own (tiny) piece of moon rock. It was part of a gift pack from Nasa that had been obtained by an enterprising 68 or 69er. (Pete Isaacs 66-73)

As onetime curator of said collection of artefacts, I was pleased to note the cabinet was where it had always been, on July 6; outside Stan Smith's room. What became of the priceless contents I shudder to imagine. Time has eroded the memory but I recall a mummified cat, said to have been discovered (immured originally as a "talisman of good fortune") during modernisation. Gregory said it was an example of school dinners. Also the rusting remains of some breed of armoured head protection and a few ammonites (qv Gregory's comments above). As it now stands empty and neglected, what about a few suggestions for its replenishment?? (Phil Kingham)

In my time the Museum also contained the pointy serrated bit from the front end of a swordfish (the sea creature, not the beautiful aeroplane).

Is the collective memory of HMs up to recreating an inventory of the Museum? It is, I believe, something the largest collection of RLS memorabilia should include. (Robin Hackshall)

Contents of school museum: Picking up on this old thread, I recall often idly reviewing the oddities in the School Museum display case outside room1, whilst waiting for the earlier class to finish in the room. It was a Victorian museum style of collection. The only item in my mind is the mummified cat that was found bricked into the cavity wall, whilst conversion work on Hare Hall was underway for the RLS. Room 1 had such tall windows, each equipped with folding wooden shutters that retracted into the window frame walls.
I recall Spook Smith's habit, mentioned in an MM essay, of entering the room & jamming the door with his foot, whilst calling the class to order. Wasn't the Armoury a small room in the mirror image position to room 1, the other side of the spiral stairs? I had forgotten that a male staff toilet was in the corner beside the pr*f*cts' room, so presumably the female toilet was in the mirror image position. I think there was also one in the canteen area.
Downstairs in Hare Hall there were large cloakrooms either side of the entry hall and stairs, accessed from the main corridor. These were equipped with old wash basins at the outside end, but no toilets. It was one of these that was air-conditioned for the first school computer. Similar to the School Museum was the Biology lab collection of specimens in glass jars, which were stored in a glass cabinet across the rear wall of the main lab. (John Hawkins)

The huge blue RLSOldBoys poster is still up in the school hall. I was at the awards evening a couple of weeks back, and saw some people taking our details down. Adrian Shepherd gave a good speech, in that it was short and friendly, unlike Ian Davidson last year, who I must say did seem to hold the audience in contempt. It wasn't what he actually said, but the way he said it. (Adrian Thompson)