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Memories from Ron Cook One time old boy of the school and then English Master until his retirement |
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 Ron Cook always drove a Jowett Javelin like this during the fifties. |
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Winter in the icebox! THIS Christmas card snow scene of Darley Abbey in 1950 set Ron Cook, of Shelton Lock, musing on the merits or otherwise of destruction. Ron observes: “The old house in the background, the focal point of the picture, was used as a school from 1940 to 1958. Two years later, quite unnecessarily as it seemed, it was pulled down. |
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| “Derby Central School was evacuated here from old
rambling premises in Abbey Street. We were hampered by cramped
conditions and lack of usual school facilities, but as time went on
improvements were made – although in a severe winter the school was an
icebox! “One night there was a serious fire in the wing overlooking the park. A closer look reveals glassless windows, scaffolding and a ladder. Four of the best classrooms were lost, and while restoration was taking place some very unsavoury outbuildings were pressed into use. |
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School
sports fringe events added interest IT SEEMS such a pity that ‘fringe’events at school sports were dropped from the curriculum, says Ron Cook, of Shelton Lock. Ron’s affectionate descriptions of school sports days of old have provided readers of Bygones with much pleasure lately. Listing missing activities Ron mentions throwing the cricket ball, obstacle race, three-legged race, slow cycle race, egg and spoon and various others. They added to the participants’ fun and increased interest for those who were not among the leaders in standard athletic events, he considers. “The boys at Central School were divided into four houses: Athenians, Corinthians, Olympians and Spartans, and the object was to find the winning house. The classical names date from the early 1920s when the school was in Hastings Street, and they accompanied the school on its various migrations. As a schoolboy I was at Hastings Street from 1919 to 1926, and was an Olympian. I rejoined the school at Darley as English Master in 1942 and moved with it to Breadsall Hilltop, staying until retirement 20 years ago." Forty years on, old school is
gone
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| But as reader Ron Cook, of Shelton Lock,
points out, this old house in the park is no more.
He said: “It was demolished soon after the school vacated it, though good, as far as one can tell, for another 50 years. There is little point in lamenting such monstrous stupidity so long after the event – except to make us all the more determined to see that nothing like this happens again.” He believes the picture must have |
 Click this picture to see it full size |
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been taken towards the end of term, perhaps within a few days of breaking up for the summer holidays. The boys in the picture are on the opposite side of the iron railings which, Mr. Cook says, were the boundary between county and borough – “so the rates bill would not have been as high as might have been expected!” But so much else will also be different today, and Mr. Cook mused: “How can one possibly tell what impressions living among such surroundings have upon young people? My experience is that the older one gets the more vivid becomes the picture of scenes from long ago. I would like to think this is true for all those who were fortunate enough to have attended Central School 40 years ago.” Happy sunshine days at Darley
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John Hawksby, art master at Derby Central School, would arrange a river swim for the best swimmer, and the rest of the school would go along to watch. This is a recollection of Ron Cook, who sends this picture of a sports day. There are two judges with a boy assisting. Ron says: “As winter receded Darley Park became a pleasant place to be. First came the daffodils under the trees and then the highly coloured rhododendrons. The cows were back in the football field too, creating an extra hazard for the last few matches. “Cricket began to be played during the dinner break – scratch games in odd little corners. But the ground was rough and the only place decent practice could be had was on the concrete wicket in the football field which we laid ourselves. “But for a short period near the end of term there came an appreciable lull in activities caused by the impact of the School Certificate exam and the usual end of term examinations. But once these were over the term ended in fine style, culminating in the annual sports. In the photograph one small boy is in charge of the finishing tape, a ball of white wool, with competitors either waiting their turn to of having already run. “For many boys this event would mark the end of their schooldays, and on such a perfect summer afternoon and in such a fine setting, would provide lasting memories of happy days at Darley.” Source: Arthur Redsell |
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