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Schooldays in Haslemere

Between the 1940s and 1960s, Haslemere had a variety of different schools. Private schools included St Ives, which at this time was a school ran by the Parents’ National Educational Union and as such emphasised the teaching of nature studies and the arts. The Haslemere School on Chestnut Avenue was opened on 22nd April 1900. It was originally designed for some 220 pupils and built by public subscription. There were also smaller schools such as Hillside School, situated for a time on the Petworth Road and run by the formidable Miss Welland, and Shottermill School in Lion Lane. Woolmer Hill, today the only secondary school in Haslemere, was built in the 1950s to satisfy requirements of 1944 Education Act.

Track 31 Playing Cricket

Credit line: John Belton talks about playing cricket at the Haslemere School.

Transcription:

Interviewer: Did you used to play ball games in the yard?

Interviewee: That was cricket because you’d go down by the gates. Because there were big iron gates in there in them days. I don’t think they’re there anymore. I think the gates are gone. I think it’s just the pillars that are still there. I think the side gates might still be there.

Interviewer: Did you use those as the wicket? Interviewee: They were chalked on the walls. You got one or two of us that liked to hit the ball, we only used a tennis ball anyway, so you can just imagine there were a few windows broken in the school as well.

Interviewer: And you were allowed to do this?

Interviewee: Oh yeah. Nowadays they have to have teachers and monitors don

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