Manor School Memories - Part 2

Lads from the Manor Boys' School in 1960. D. Claton, M. Farrow, R. Mitchell, C. Peck, I. Skeels, R. Potter and G. Paine are present. Do any readers remember who is who?

School's back in - Manor School/Community College on Arbury Road that is (now North Cambridge Academy). Here is the second part of our series on Manor Memories - Part 1 is here.

Pupils' foreign holiday, 1960: the first Manor girls to go on a joint foreign holiday with Manor boys: G. Anderson, J. Barnes, C. Blackwell, H. Brown, S. Budd, L. Carter, A. Clarke, L. Doggett, C. Doughty, P. Drake, S. Hardy, E. Harradine, B. Kaspar, D. Miller, J. Parker, L. Phillips, J. Reeves, J. Spencer, J. Symonds, with headmistress Mrs Firman. Note the Manor Schools' caretaker's house can be seen in the background, and the trees of the old Manor Farm orchard.

October 1960, and here is a view of the Manor Boys' and Girls' schools from the car park at the Snow Cat public house (now the Cambridge Gurdwara).

A view of the original dining hall in 1960. The dining hall was shared by the boys' and girls' schools. It was relocated to a newly built block in the early 1970s, and the original became the main corridor, housing the school office, welfare office and sick room, staff room, head teacher's office and so on.

A Manor Boys' School cross country run in 1960. 'Cross country' was very local in those days, as the Manor Farm, formerly the old Arbury/Harborough Meadows, still existed. The children seen here are racing down the Manor Farm Drive, now Campkin Road. The old Manor Farm orchard can be seen behind them. The site is now near the Arbury/Campkin Road junction, opposite the Arbury Town Park and Arbury Community Centre.

Form 1B of the Manor Girls' School in Lab 2 with Mrs Bradshaw in 1960/1. The side of the girls' gym can be seen through the windows.

The scene before lessons began at the Manor Boys' School in the cold winter of 1963.

A scene from morning break at the Manor Boys' School in 1963. In the background can be seen part of the tower block, the boys' changing area and gym, and the boys' school assembly hall. This area changed very little over the years.

The Manor staff football team X1 in 1971. A. Munroe, G. James, D. Rowlandson, S. Jameson, student, C. Smith. Front row: J. Blackburn, P. Radcliffe, B. Hunter, G. Cowell, P. Reeve. Mr 'Paddy' Radcliffe and Mr Bruce Hunter were two very popular long serving teachers at the school, remembered by many ex-Manorians. Do you remember any of the other teachers in the team?

Setting off for some community service in 1972. This was incorporated into the Manor timetable in the Upper School, with pupils assisting people in the community. Andy was assigned to help an elderly couple, Sylvie and Sid. By coincidence, he already knew them. His community service tasks were mainly centred on helping them to keep their garden tidy.

Form 5AX, 1974. The Manor Boys' and Girls' Schools had become a mixed single school in 1970, with Mr Lewin, headmaster of the boys' school, becoming head and Mrs Firman, headmistress of the girls' school, deputy head.

The third year tutor team, 1976 - from left: D. Sanderson, J. Chapman, A. Sinkinson, L. Quarrie, B. Combes, D. Knight, R. Smith, D. Simmonds, P. Rogers, L. Howells, Z. Chambers, D. Durban.

'Arbury 1980' - the project of the Arbury primary schools, Arbury, the Grove, King's Hedges, and St Laurence's - focused on the area from 1980 back to the iron age Arbury Camp. It provided a wonderful opportunity for Arbury children and over fifties to work together as the schools interviewed the adults about their memories of the early Arbury Estate and the old farms which preceded it, and transcribed their memories. Children from Arbury School can be seen at the Arbury 1980 Exhibition at the Manor School, with a model of the Arbury Adventure Playground at Nuns Way. The model had been built by the local schoolchildren. The project resulted in the 1981 book 'Arbury Is Where We Live!'

The Manor School's annual Senior Citizens' Party, 1980. Mr Durrant, head of the music department, can be seen on the right.

Manor mural painters in 1982: a group of pupils and two ex-pupils teamed up to brighten up parts of the school. Amongst the murals were New York, Neil Armstrong, Clare Grogan (of pop group Altered Images) and solo pop star Toyah Wilcox. Amongst the painters were Karen Amies, Chris Newman, Helen Floate, Junitaia Diplock, Sarah Risley, Peter Bacon, Debbie Vale, Sharon Crabb, Karen Elbourne, Sally Wells and Jo Locker. Head of art, Rob Howard commented: 'Parts of the school haven't been painted for 17 years and it really has made a hell of a difference. The kids appreciate it. It gets them involved in the school itself.'

1984 - 'The Low, Low Budget Show' - Andy thought this witty production, which featured staff and pupils, was an excellent riposte to the cutbacks in public services, including education, at the time.

This photograph from the Manor Community College Yearbook, 1984-85, seems amazingly modern to us. Pupils are at work, with a display about Wind Power, Water Power, Alternative Technology and Solar Power in the background. The Manor had become a community college in 1982.

More Manor Memories soon!