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As I was being accepted into this privately owned all boys school, I was living in the town of Portishead, about 10 miles from the centre of Bristol, reminisced Peter Ashford. This place has since been 'put on the map', because of the rock group of the same name.
The town's main claim to fame, then, was the world-wide-known Portishead Radio Station, which could contact any ship in the world, wherever it was located. It was only recently that the station was disbanded for good: a victim of technological advances.
The school had developed a good name for its academic achievements, and had also developed a good football team, due mainly to the activities of a sports master, one Roger Kirby. This person was an excellent player and had been offered professional contracts by some clubs, I believe.
Within the school, there was always keen debate about which of the two Bristol professional clubs was the better, which often developed into fights.
There was one master, Mr. DiCrespo, who tried to reach us all Latin, but was a total disaster, as we couldn't even understand him when he spoke English. The story went that he'd been in the Spanish Civil War, and had received dreadful wounds. I certainly remember him needing walking sticks.
One of my best mates was a Michael Blann, who became a very good middle-distance runner. At age 15, he was running a 4 minute 30 second mile, which was an excellent time, considering his young age.
As I was just beginning to enjoy being at the school, my parents said they'd received a notice from the Governors, that the funds had run out, and that the school had to close. Much to the chagrin of all the parents, the school closed in 1963.
One thing the Governors authorised, which I thought was very generous, was to allow me to keep the school sports day cup, which I had won that year. My name is the last name of all the winners engraved on the cup: the first winner's name is from 1923.
The school building still exists, and is probably 200 years old, or thereabouts, but is now offices.
My parents then had to find another school, and one that was quite close (in the district of Clifton, famous for Brunei's Suspension Bridge), was Clark's College.
Peter Ashford now lives in New Zealand.
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