St Michael's Catholic College - Leeds

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
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Good-Honest-Iago
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat 10 Jul, 2010 3:01 pm

Post by Good-Honest-Iago »

Images of the former college, now in an abandoned state.http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesw-bel ... 951769158/
"Good Honest Iago does not make false claims"

anthonydna
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon 26 Feb, 2007 6:02 pm

Post by anthonydna »

That brought back a few memories, especially the staircases for some reason! Not much of a future for it I would say.

York Road Lad
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue 03 Aug, 2010 7:37 pm

Post by York Road Lad »

Which teachers are your memories/nightmares made of?Norbert, Bridget Burdekin, 'Fat Bri' Nilen, 'Archibald/Harry' Ramsden, 'Smiler' Marshall, 'Maggie' Hall, Miss Veitch, Fr 'Larry' Edwards, 'Pop/Popeye' Morrin, 'Big Bill', Ned 'The Chimney' Phillips, Tony Roper, Terry Duffy, 'KD' Morris or, perhaps, 'Monty' Blundell.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Glax
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat 04 Sep, 2010 9:49 pm

Post by Glax »

York Road Lad asked for comments on several of the teachers at St Michael`s College, Leeds. I was there in the 1950s when the Jesuits were in charge and it was a boys only school.Standards were high and aspirational, and the education was good enough to get pupils accepted at universities such as Oxford.One of the teachers mentioned, Miss Veitch, was I think a Polish lady of a quiet and studious disposition and very effective in class.On our first day in her class, in the second or third form, she opened with the announcement: “You may call me Madame Jasniewska or Miss Veitch, the choice is yours.”You may guess which title was chosen by nobody at all.Mr Morrin was a good teacher of French, and he had many Gallic mannerisms because I think he was at least half French himself.I believe he had a glass eye but we were not so insensitive as to call him “Popeye”.Maggie Hall was a very pleasant teacher who unwittingly prompted a lot of sneaky laughter on one occasion when it was her turn to organise the milk.In those days we younger pupils each had a free gill of milk and a drinking straw to promote health.This day a sixthformer was loitering unseen outside the school office while nearby Miss Hall was arranging a double line of kids along the bottom corridor.This lad later swore he heard Miss Hall, a lady with an ample figure, calling out: “All right boys, line up for your milk, two abreast!”Other teachers come to mind, most of them superb examples of caring tutors, and none of them ever dull. Toiling up the 99 steps on the way to St John`s Road was the start of a sharp learning curve throughout the day..On other threads I`ve read unfavourable comments about St Michael`s. In my day it was a place where we had a good education, a lot of fun and friendships that went far beyond school. It was a college I was and am glad and proud to have attended.Glax

York Road Lad
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue 03 Aug, 2010 7:37 pm

Post by York Road Lad »

Yes, I was fond of Miss Hall and 'Pop' Morrin. However, I was taught by Miss Veitch in her final year - 1970-71. She was certainly no 'shrinking violet' then. She was possibly the strictest teacher I had in my time at St Michael's - and you didn't get anything past her! My understanding is that she wasn't Polish - but had married a Polish man - hence 'Mrs Jasniewska'. I remember her explaining to us that 'Veitch' was a Scottish name, and was her maiden name, but she used it because pupils found it easier. I remember her as one of the teachers who was a chain smoker - and she frequently 'lit up' in lessons. When I explain to my own pupils that we used to have teachers who smoked in lessons, they can't even imagine it, but nobody thought twice about it in those days.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Glax
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat 04 Sep, 2010 9:49 pm

Post by Glax »

Hi York Road Lad, and thanks for explaining Miss Veitch`s origins.I had a lot of respect for her and what seemed to be her solid common sense, which failed her only once in my recollection.At one time there was a comedy radio serial – no general television yet, don`t forget – called “Corn in Egypt”, featuring well known comedians Jimmy Jewell and Ben Warris.Miss Veitch was telling us about Roman history, and got to the vital imports of foodstuffs including the hugely significant Nile breadbasket and the harvests of corn in Egypt.As she uttered the phrase I looked across the classroom and locked eyes with another boy and we grinned at each other, thinking of the comedy show.“Oh, don`t be so childish,” snapped Miss Veitch, rather unkindly, I thought. And I still feel she missed a trick there. What a heaven-sent opportunity to link real history with a radio programme that interested her pupils. Even if the corn in the title really referred to fairly low comic effect.It still rankles a little even now, but otherwise I give this teacher full marks.Glax    

BLAKEY
Posts: 2556
Joined: Mon 24 Mar, 2008 4:42 am

Post by BLAKEY »

My only recollection of St. Michael's College is as a bus driver on Belle Vue Road and Burley Road in 1970/1/2. We used to approach those stops at teatime with trepidation and I have lasting memories of a sea of blue blazers "waiting to pounce." Luckily the mayhem only lasted a few minutes into the City and then the real peak period began. Its been really interesting to read the positive comments from past pupils and obviously the college and the staff were held in great respect which is good, and its perfectly understandable that we drivers were for first in line for the "exuberance of release" at teatimes. As a youngster I attended Ilkley Grammar School and a very similar atmosphere of respect and "character assessment" of the teachers could be found there.
There's nothing like keeping the past alive - it makes us relieved to reflect that any bad times have gone, and happy to relive all the joyful and fascinating experiences of our own and other folks' earlier days.

Glax
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat 04 Sep, 2010 9:49 pm

Post by Glax »

I feel a little ashamed that noted transport expert Blakey came to dread seeing flocks of pupils from my old school waiting for his bus. I personally always wore the distinctive royal blue blazer and cap with pride, but I guess I`ll have to start thinking back to see what awful effect I may have had on others.For me a strikingly effective history teacher at St Michael`s was Mr McIntyre, intelligent, sensible and down to earth.He made it clear, in any of the great historical disputes like Cavaliers v Roundheads, that we could favour one side of the argument or the other if we wanted as long as we made a case supported by evidence and a reasoned presentation.I found this civilised attitude a very liberating approach.The single-mindedness of a schoolboy can be an alarming thing.Fr Ryan could be rather testy at times in his senior French lessons, But he was amazingly open minded one day when I committed one of my lunatic Great Crimes..For some mad reason of my own I decided the classroom needed the benefit of an exotic eastern aroma.I nipped early into the empty room and lit a joss stick - just like a bonfire night sparkler - stuck it in an inkwell and tried to hide it on the top edge of a wall blackboard.The room was soon filled with pupils, and also with a very strong oriental perfume, which seemed to increase when the damn thing fell down irretrievably between the blackboard and wall as I clumsily tried to recover it on hearing the teacher approaching the room.He soon got me to confess by threatening dire punishment on the whole class, not one of whom spoke up to give me away. He was then very mild towards me, no doubt thinking that someone so barmy would seal my own fate soon enough. How on earth I thought I could ever get away with such a daft idea baffles me even now…Fr Ryan`s chief claim to fame was his splendid “Model Sentences”. This was a collection of dozens of numbered sentences in correct French, each clearly illustrating some grammatical point or idiom in the language.To aid focus, we each had to write these out in an exercise book which was then readily available in our desk..They were brilliant. Anyone with a knotty problem in translation would be told something like, “Look at Model Sentences 5 and 25”, and there the answer would probably be.Today of course such quirks in school teachers would be obliterated by the dead hand of Whitehall and all the tidy bureaucratic minds who huddle there for moronic mutual comfort.Glax    

BLAKEY
Posts: 2556
Joined: Mon 24 Mar, 2008 4:42 am

Post by BLAKEY »

Glax wrote: I feel a little ashamed that noted transport expert Blakey came to dread seeing flocks of pupils from my old school waiting for his bus. I personally always wore the distinctive royal blue blazer and cap with pride, but I guess I`ll have to start thinking back to see what awful effect I may have had on others. Oh dear Glax, now I feel a little ashamed too - my anecdote was meant to be mildly comical and without any vindictiveness - I can reassure you that the "Beaux of St. Michael's" were the very least of our worries in those days because sadly, even then, real trouble and threats and violence on the buses were escalating at an alarming rate.
There's nothing like keeping the past alive - it makes us relieved to reflect that any bad times have gone, and happy to relive all the joyful and fascinating experiences of our own and other folks' earlier days.

Glax
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat 04 Sep, 2010 9:49 pm

Post by Glax »

Please don`t worry, Blakey, I`m not the over-sensitive violet I sometimes pretend to be, and I didn`t see anything but friendliness in your contribution. Besides, I`ve read enough of your postings on other threads to know how neighbourly and informative you always are.But you did start me thinking that what I fondly imagined as admiring looks at my school uniform could possibly have been keen inspections by local toughs intent on ripping it from my back and throwing it in the canal.Certainly that could have been the case in one season when a few seniors decided we could look more adult on the way home by wearing a flat cap instead of the school-approved lid.As far as I know, no photos exist of these appalling apparitions, for which we should all be thoroughly grateful.Glax

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