Hello
there,
I
have just visited your web-site, and I just had to let you know how
impressed I am. You must have spent an awful lot of time and effort in
getting this together! I grew up in East Carlton (and attended Cottingham
school) during the 60's and 70's and emigrated to Canada in 1976. I was
absolutely gob-smacked to see pictures of Mr. Kisby on the web site, and
although I was only 10 when he died, and would not have really recognised
him, I could recognise his picture from the ones on the site. In fact,
before he died, he gave away to the students at the school a lot of his
sketches and drawings.
He
was really an amazing artist! I was lucky enough to get one of a Willow
tree, and I found this a couple of years ago looking through some old
boxes of stuff. The problem is that I can't remember whether I found it
here or at my Mums, but I will make the effort to find it again and
hopefully find some old pictures of Cottingham School while I, my brother,
or sister were still there. It would be nice if I could find an old class
or school photo, I don't think that there would be one of my brother and
I, but I do remember quite a few group shots of my sister's age. (She was
in Miss Lehey's class.)
I
also remember very well Mrs. David the school cook, she looked after me
very well, as her Grandson was in my Mum's Nursery School in East Carlton
(NOT actually my Mums, but she worked there, for Mrs. Henson who lived in
the old Rectory.) I was upset to find out from the "friends
reunited" website that Mrs. David died last year or the year before .
It's an awful thing to say, but I thought that she was SO old when she
used to cook the dinners for school (when you are 10 you think that 40 is
ancient!) She was only in her 40's when I knew her if I am doing the maths
right now!
There
was a reference to the "Mrs. Coles Sweetshop" on High Street on
the Web site. The Coles' shop was still there until about 1971, probably
later (when I left Cottingham School to go to Kingswood,) and Mr. Coles
used to be our taxi service from Cottingham School back to East Carlton. I
didn't realise that the cottage was not there any more (so the web site
says,) I was home last year, but took the route of Church Lane (or Street)
to School Lane, down to the bottom of Cottingham so I would have missed
that.
Anyway,
I just wanted to let you know that someone three and a half thousand miles
away from you visited your web-site tonight and was impressed and
appreciated the work that you have done. I will look for old photos and
stuff, and will let you know what I find.
Thank-you
very much
Judi
Davies-Stephenson
Mississagua,
Ontario, Canada
11
August, 2003
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