Sloane Grammar School Hortensia Road Chelsea London England

 

 Gone But Not Forgotten

You may think you're done with the past but the past isn't done with you!

Self-portrait from Stefan Bremner-Morris

REGISTER AND LINK UP WITH OLD SCHOOL FRIENDS AGAIN VIA THIS SITE
(See further down for details)

AND CHECK THE CALENDAR AT THE FOOT OF THIS PAGE TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.

Come on in! 
Don't be late! 
This is one detention 
You'll be pleased to take.

 

A WARM WELCOME, fellow Cheyneans and passers-by, to the Sloane Grammar 1919-1970 Old Cheyneans and Friends web site.

Mark Foulsham has created this site for everyone who attended Sloane, or simply has a Sloane School connection, to share and enjoy. Feel free just to browse or, if you feel you qualify to join us, make full use of the site by becoming a registered Classmate. Click on the CONTACT US link in the column to your left for full registering instructions.

Before you do anything, please 'whitelist' postmaster@classcreator.net to ensure you receive my e-mail responses and your e-mail provider doesn't class mail from this site as SPAM. This usually means adding postmaster@classcreator.net to your 'Allow' list. Check with your e-mail provider if you're unsure about how to do this.

I'll also be happy to send a personal invitation to anyone else with a Sloane School connection who you think might like to join us. Just enter their e-mail address in the MISSING CLASSMATES box to your right and click SEND INVITE. 

It is hoped, in some small way, to be able to have similar objectives to those stated for the first issue of The Cheynean of December 1926 -

"To record faithfully the major activities of the School, to promote and foster a corporate spirit in the School, to excite a greater keenness both in the games and in other phases of its social life, and to serve as a link between present members of the School and the Old Cheyneans".

Once you've registered, you might like to send a message to someone else on the site. You can use the Message Centre page to do this but, if you're expecting a swift reply, it might be worthwhile checking what part of the world they're living in these days. Use the World Time widget below, to help. Click on World Time, then on the black button for the part of the world they live in, then on the city closest to where they live and the time on the clock will change to whatever time of day it is wherever they are -

Why Not Take a Look at Where you're Classmates are Living?

Find out the Postcode of a Classmate from their Profile (if they've agreed to let everyone know it) then Click on the link below, enter the details where it says 'Address', then Click on 'Go'. Not every country is covered yet and those that are have limited coverage, but it's worth a try.

Here's the link. Have fun - http://www.vpike.com/

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350th Anniversary of the Birth of Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane makes the front page again because April 16th, 2010 marks the 350th anniversary of his birth. Many organisations, including the British Museum, will be marking the occasion and, on a lesser scale, so will we. We'll be using this tenuous link to the school as an excuse for a small get-together and I'll publish details here, and let everyone know, as soon as they've been decided. In the meantime, why not use the following link to view a video produced in Ireland to show his connection to Killyleagh -

http://www.videosurf.com/video/killyleagh-the-hans-sloane-trail-55111994?t=53 

or this one to view some of the British Museum planned events -

http://sirhanssloane.web.officelive.com/sirhanssloane.aspx

Sir Hans Sloane

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Sloane in 1908 and much as it looks today

The Sloane building would have been 100 years old in 2008, although it didn't actually start life as a boys' school until after the First World War, during which it served as a hospital. It still stands and many memories are, no doubt, ingrained in its walls along with the odd name and ribald comment. Take the time to visit it while you can as work is in progress to convert the Fulham Road elevation and that playground into upmarket apartments. This is a combined Manhattan Loft Corporation Ltd, Trevor Osborne Property Group and Kensington and Chelsea College development that had seen a few Council refusals of planning permission and many local resident objections.The number of proposed apartments was lowered significantly and the Council wanted provision for "affordable housing" as well. Original plans, going back a number of years, had wanted the whole Sloane building (Grade II Listed,1910) to be redeveloped into residential with a new college being built between the Sloane and Carlyle buildings because, as the developers put it, " the existing building cannot meet the requirements of the College" and a "secure the long term future of the College's educational use at Hortensia Road". According to the blurb, the first phase at "Chelsea Apartments" will number 24 private 1-3 bedroom apartments, plus one "stunning penthouse", with 4 bedrooms and 12 affordable / key worker apartments for the Dominion Housing Association that will be a "striking addition to a quarter of London where high style and innovation have always been valued". As well as the six storeys above ground there will also be provision, in three basement levels, for plant and 67 car parking spaces. It's a "development in a great tradition" and the architecture "has a purity and elegance that is thoroughly contemporary but with a blend of materials that ensures a real sense of place". What are they like! The second phase still appears to be under wraps. Originally, it was going to  comprise renovation and conversion of the existing college building into a further 34 residential units, but, confusingly, the latest information on their website says the architects Dixon Jones's design "will complement its baroque Grade II listed neighbour, Kensington and Chelsea College" and that, "Dixon Jones have worked closely with the college, English Heritage, and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, to make Chelsea Apartments part of the fabric of this exciting location. Chelsea Apartments is the first phase of a radical masterplan that will also provide an outstanding new education facility for the college." Grade II listed buildings can be altered, extended, or even demolished, but only with Local Authority consent, so it may be that the building is considered historically or architecturally interesting enough for it's fabric to remain untouched. Some consideration may have been given to it having been the first purpose-built secondary school in London, and it is certainly one of only 3% of all ages of listed buildings that was built in the 20th century. Work is expected to be completed by 2010 but if you decide to visit now you should find the Kensington and Chelsea College staff, currently occupying the building, very accommodating and more than helpful if you explain your school connection and that you wouldn't mind having a look around to rekindle old memories.

Sadly, Sloane Grammar School for Boys only lasted 51 years, from 1919-1970. Should the building survive in the form we all remember, there is still a chance that some of us will be around in 2019 to make use of the building to celebrate what would have been its centenary as a boys' school, had the school remained in existence.

Should any of you be interested, or even in a position to buy one, detailed floorplans of the proposed flats can be viewed at www.thechelseaapartments.co.uk .

 

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FRONT PAGE NEWS !

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10/03/2010:-

Stefan Bremner-Morris has alerted me to an attempt by two countries to be exempted from the worldwide ban on ivory trading. The effects of their being successful are obvious. I'm happy to sign a petition that will try to prevent this happening when the matter is discussed at a UN meeting in Doha, Qatar, on March 13th. If you would like to add your name and express your disgust at the idea, please use this link - http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_more_bloody_ivory/97.php?cl_tta_sign=5846ae7bac1777cfc5f288c67ddff6e3

04/03/2010:-

I was recently contacted by one of you who had forgotten their password for logging onto the website. I wasn't surprised when I learned they had been using the password 'LisbonMickeyMinnieHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofy'. When I asked them why they were using such a long password, they said they thought it had to begin with a capital and be at least eight characters long.

28/02/2010:-

Everybody loves a deal so why not sign up to the Voucher Codes website. Click on the following link and enter your email address in the box you'll see. The site will then email you with notification of 2-for-1 and other discount offers when they are available -

http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/

Here's another worth a look -

http://www.vouchertown.co.uk/

21/02/2010:-

Thank You For Your Emails

I'm sure you know I am always pleased to receive your emails, but the following piece that has been going round the Internet highlights the sort of e-mails we all receive at some time or other -

" I wanted to thank you all for the emails you have forwarded over the past couple of years.

I must send a big thank you to whoever sent me the one about rat faeces in the glue on envelopes, because I now have to use a wet sponge for every envelope that needs sealing. I slo now have to wipe the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave them all to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time. But that will change once I recive the £15,000 Bill Gates/Microsoft are sending me for participating in their special email programmes. Or from the senior bank clerk in Nigeria who wants to split £7,000,000 with me for pretending to be a long lost relative of a customer who died intestate. 

I no longer worry about my health and my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me.

I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward emails to seven friends and make a wish within five minutes.

I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I can no longer buy petrol without taking a friend along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up. I also no longer go to shopping centres because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer answer the phone to anyone because someone will ask me to dial a number and then I'll get a phone bill showing calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan. I now can't use anyone's toilet other than mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat waiting to cause me instant death when it bites my bum.

I can't even pick up the £5 I found dropped in the car park because it was probably placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

If you don't sne this email to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhoea will defecate on your head at 5.00pm tomorrow afternoon and fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbour's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's dustman.

By the way, a South American scientist, after a lengthy study, had discovered that people with a low IQ who don't have enough sex, always read website pages while holding the mouse. 

Too late to let go now.

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Thoughts for the Week (or until I think differently)

Can I make a plea for everyone to stop criticising obese people. They've got enough on their plate.

Before criticizing anyone you should first walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you've got their shoes.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which you can die.

And for the sports minded among you, it's a little known fact that the testicular guard was first used in cricket in 1874 but the first helmet wasn't used until 1974. It seems it took 100 years for men to realise that the brain is also important.

Joke of the Day (or until the next one worth printing)

A young couple asked the vicar about joining the local church and were told they first had to abstain from sex for one month. They agreed, but after two and a half weeks returned to see the vicar. Seeing they were both obviously stressed and depressed, he asked them if they had a problem. The young man replied,

"We are ashamed to say we did not forgo sex for the required month."

The vicar asked them why and was told,

"Although the first week was difficult, sheer willpower saw us through. The second week was just as bad but we prayed for help and were able to abstain. The third week was unbearable. We tried prayer, reading the Bible and cold showers to keep our minds free of carnal thoughts, but to no avail. One afternoon my wife reached for a can of paint and dropped it. When she bent over to pick it up I was overcome with such lust I just had to have my way with her there and then. It was lustful, loud and passionate sex and afterwards we were ashamed."

The vicar said sternly,

"You understand that this means you will not be welcome in our church?"

"We know." said the young man, hanging his head, "We're not welcome at Homebase either."

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Reunions

Our get-togethers always seem to go smoothly but, as we all get older, reunions could become a problem. Take the following example -

THE FIRST REUNION AT AGE 40:

We all agree that our first reunion of old school friends should be at a the Fox and Pheasant pub and then we'll move on to a restaurant where the waitresses are all young, attractive and wearing low-cut dresses.

TEN YEARS LATER AT 50 YEARS OF AGE:

We pool our thoughts and agree that we should go to the same places we did ten years ago because the pub do a decent pint and the restaurant's food is good and they have a decent wine list.

TEN YEARS ON AT 60 YEARS OF AGE:

We all agree to meet at the same places yet again because we can eat and drink in peace and quiet and we know it's going to be smoke free.

TEN YEARS LATER AT 70 YEARS OF AGE:

It's decided that our dwindling numbers will meet at the same pub and restaurant  as always met because they're now wheelchair accessible and they even have a lift and stair lift to the toilets.

TEN YEARS LATER AND WE'RE IN OUR 80s:

We all decide to go to the Fox and Pheasant because we've never been there before.

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If you fancy a little music as you browse the site . . . . .

Our dancers, below, will carry on doing their own thing, oblivious to music genre and pace, lost in their own little world forever, but you can listen to whatever they're dancing to by using the AOL SHOUTcast.Radio. below. This player will give you a choice of radio stations from all over the world.

Click on 'Genres' to select the musical style you prefer to listen to. Select a station, then click on on the yellow 'Tune In' button to listen to what's on offer. The station of your choice will appear in its own window, and minimising that window will allow you to carry on listening as you browse our website. Clicking on 'Play in new window' should minimise the window but, if it doesn't happen adjust your 'Pop-up blocker' to allow pop-ups or hold down your keyboard 'Ctrl' key at the same time as clicking on 'Play in new window'. Click on 'Home' before moving to another station.

AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THE "WHAT'S HAPPENING' CALENDAR FURTHER DOWN THIS PAGE, OR TO SCROLL DOWN ALL PAGES AS THERE'S MORE TO SEE!

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* 1968 and 1970 School Group Photo availability:- *

Copies of the panoramic school group photos of 1968 and 1970 are now available at a cost of £5 per photo, plus £2 postage and packing whatever the quantity in each postage tube. This is the price for posting in the UK; the cost for posting elsewhere will vary but I'll let you know how much before I send them off.  If you're interested, e-mail me with you're requirements and when they're ready I'll get back to you to tell you the full cost, which you can then either pay via the safe and secure PayPal system, using the site Donate button you'll find in the right hand column of this page, or by cheque in my name, Mark Foulsham, to my address, which you'll find on my Profile. If you do use the Donate button, PayPal take a commission which reduces the amount of money I actually receive.

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DONATIONS

I couldn't resist sharing this cartoon with you. It was Stefan Bremner-Morris' response to my e-mail about site donations. I hasten to add that he also made a financial contribution via the Donate button you'll find in the right-hand column of this page.

DONATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

08/03/2010:-

My grateful thanks to Jim Prior whose kind donation arrived today. Much appreciated, Jim.

The list below (shown in order of the date received and not the size of the donation!) is not an effort on my part to encourage others to part with some of their hard earned money, it's more in recognition of how grateful I am to those who have already donated - and some more than once (I must be doing something right). All of your generous donations go a long way to keeping this site running and towards helping me improve it. If you would like to contribute to the cause, please use the Donate button, you see in the right hand column of this page, to send money via the safe and secure PayPal system, using a credit or debit card. Paypal take a commission for this service so I won't receive your full donation. Alternatively, you can send a cheque in my name to my home address, which you'll find on my Profile.

Donations will always be voluntary, and to those on this list go my sincere thanks for 'volunteering' some of their hard earned money -

Vernon Burgess
Stefan Bremner-Morris
Kinley Davies
Dave Parkin
Steve Christie
Neil Stacey
Pete Kosciolek
Henry Rogers
Phil Burnham
Trevor Davis
Sean Morris
Paul O'Shea
Geoff Hall
Martin Ferber
Phil Yerby
Mick Jarvis
Arnold Clift
Steve Nicklin
Roger Read
Don Smith
Dennis Carter
Terry Duley
Jim Prior

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Personal Ads:

The personal ads you'll see here over time are genuine and taken from the London Review of Books personal ads section. It was started in 1998, intending to bring together people of similar literary and cultural tastes and has resulted in a funny and clever collection. I'll publish a different one each week and hope you enjoy them as much as I do and, if you ever spot any yourself,worthy of inclusion here, please let me have them and, so as not to give everyone the impression that you spend all your time looking at the personal ads, I'll withold your name on request! -

" Beneath the hostile museum curator's exterior lies a hostile museum curator's interior. We meet at the coat chech and never - and I mean never - deviate from the mapped route. Zone one: Ancient Egypt. Zone two: The Treasures of Greece. Zone three: guidedtours only, keep your hands where I can see them."
F, 38.Box no. 3452. 

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I thought it would be nice to reproduce here a poem, written when he was in the 5th year, by one time Sloane Schoolboy, A R Doubledee. It's a decent effort and probably shows that, aImost fifty years later, nothing has changed much. If, by having gone to school in Chelsea, we consider ourselves to have been 'Chelsea' men, then this could apply to us -

The Weirdies

The Chelsea man is excessively queer,
He only drinks coffee and doesn't like beer.
He's always "chatting" the girls, and yet
This seems to make him "one of the set".

His unkempt chin and uncut hair
Go with his feet which are usually bare.
If he wears shoes, they've never got soles,
And he's usually found in Bohemian holes.

His outsize sweater is generally black
Contrasting well with his shorty mac.
He wears his clothing merely to show
That he can keep up with the boys of Soho.

To find a girl he doesn't look far,
But into the nearest coffee bar,
Where he's sure to meet a Bohemian "yob".
They're all from Chelsea - what a mob!

The girls with hair right down their backs
Wear irregular clothes that look like sacks.
They walk about wearing father's sweater:
I really don't see why he should let 'er.

Their gaudy clothes of reds and greens
Match up with the style of their men-friends' jeans.
Now that's how it goes with the latest style:
Girls on their faces make-up pile,
The men wear anything they can find -
I shouldn't stare, I should just act blind!

A.R. Doubledee (5b)

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Apologies for the adverts but it's cheaper for me if I allow them. 

Click on an event to learn more about it and on a gun to go backwards or forwards in time.

 

 

 

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