Sloane Grammar School Hortensia Road Chelsea London England

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Gone But Not Forgotten

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

"The merits of a school are judged as much by the men it produces as by their achievements as boys" - 

(Old Cheynean D.J. Cowie, March 1929)
 

REGISTER AND LINK UP WITH OLD SCHOOL FRIENDS AGAIN AND BECOME PART OF SLOANE REUNITED

YOU'LL NEED TO REGISTER FOR YOUR WEBSITE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL PASSWORD AND VIEW ALL OF ITS PAGES. IF YOU HAVE A VALID SLOANE CONNECTION JUST CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW. BUT CHOOSE CLASSMATE PROFILES AT THE TOP FIRST TO SEE IF WE'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU. IF YOUR NAME'S THERE CLICK ON IT AND FOLLOW ON-SCREEN INSTRUCTIONS
 

IT'S FREE, IT'S EASY, IT'S SECURE

You're Never Alone As A Sloane

IF YOU'D PREFER MORE INFO BEFORE COMMITTING YOURSELF, CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE BELOW AND SEND ME A DIRECT EMAIL -

 

Self-portrait by Stefan Bremner-Morris

  SEE ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FURTHER DOWN, AND CHECK THE CALENDAR AT THE FOOT OF THIS PAGE TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.

   IF YOU'RE ALREADY A SITE MEMBER PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS UP TO DATE USING EDIT CONTACT INFO IN THE LEFT HAND COLUMN.

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

 

                                         A WARM WELCOME 

to fellow Cheyneans and passers-by, from the Official Sloane Grammar School 1919-1970 Old Cheyneans and Friends web site.

Mark Foulsham created this site in August 2008 to record for posterity all that I can, and for all those who attended Sloane or simply has a Sloane 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 Click Here to Register button above to start the registration process. It's Free!

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

Aspirations and Objectives

Sloane never had a motto so I'll adopt the one to be found on the Coat of Arms of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as it suits us nicely -

Quam Bonum In Unum Habitare

(What A Good Thing It Is To Dwell Together In Unity) 

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

and also to bring together, once again, old friends and classmates, and those of us who have outlived the school and share a common interest in its history and its future.

If you've any memories of Sloane you'd like to share, use the Contact Us page to send them in and, whilst you're there, register for the site as well. 

Once you've registered, you can activate the Instant Messaging feature that allows you to hold a 'real-time' online conversation with anyone else who has logged on to the website. You can also send a message to someone else on the site via the Message Centre page but, if you're expecting a swift reply, it might be worthwhile using their Profile on the Classmate Profiles page, to see what part of the world they're living in these days, and to have an idea of the time where they are. Use the Clocks below, to check.

After you've registered, why not take a look at all the Classmate Profiles ? Even if you don't know the person involved, the information they've put on their Profile can be interesting, illuminating and fun, and often brings back memories of something you thought you'd forgotten about.

If, at any time, you're unsure about anything click on this Using The Site link for an explanation or contact me direct via the Contact Us page.

Why Not Take a Look at Where your 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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Sloane in 1908 and much as it looks today

The Sloane building was 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. Who knows what the future holds, despite its Grade II listing on May 7th, 2002. 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. Schools generally are seen as a good investment by developers because they're easy to convert. They are likely to be structurally sound because the authorities will have inspected them regularly to ensure they comply with Health and Safety requirements. 

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 flats can be viewed at this link - www.thechelseaapartments.co.uk .

 
UPDATE ON BUILDING PROGRESS

The Kensington & Chelsea College website still has a live camera link to building progress. Take a look on this link and, once you're on the site click the 'Hortensia Webcam' link to view a time lapse video showing construction of the new college -

www.kcc.ac.uk/hortensia

Work on the new college building, is completed and the college is in operation. It sits in the playground that used to separate Sloane from Carlyle, and looks like this -

The flats, known as Milliner House, Chelsea Apartments, are ready for occupation at advertised prices between £785,000 and £2,350,000. Or, if you can afford it, the single penthouse at the top will set you back £5.85 million - and it's being sold as a shell!

It's now known that phase 2 of the project is conversion of the original Edwardian building into loft style apartments and the new owners of the old building, D19 Property, are currently awaiting planning permission. It will be interesting to see how far they're allowed to tamper with the façade under its Grade II listing.

What's also interesting is that the old Chelsea College of Art and Design in Manresa Road, to which Sloane can trace its origins in its guise as the South-Western Polytechnic, is about to make way for a scheme involving 15 apartments and two town houses. There's no stopping 'progress'. 

The view from Fulham Road		The entrance to the apartments on Hortensia Road
A closer view of the apartments		The view of Fulham Road and the old St Mark's College from one of the balconies

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Whatever our own personal reasons for it doing so, the school will still haunt most of us even if it disappears altogether. With that tenuous link, here's a poem that I came across in an old copy of The Cheynean -

The Ghost of Sloane

When London's asleep and the School very quiet,
No sound of footsteps, no sound of a riot,
No sound of even the shuffle of feet,
No sound of the creak of a pupil's seat,
Out of the darkness the ghost of Sloane
Awakes from rest with a sigh and a groan.
Then up he arises to haunt the School
Climbing the stairs in the guise of a ghoul.
He shuffles and clanks down each corridor
Into the classrooms where stand desks galore.
He examines each desk and checks the boys' work,
Allots ghostly marks in the dark and the murk.

If you ever lose books from out of your desk,
And the teacher upbraids you and calls you a pest,
Just tell him my story, however tall,
Of the white shrouded phantom that haunts the School Hall.

                                                    J. Hollingshead (3C)

* * *

As for us, the boys who used to attend our Chelsea school, we probably considered ourselves 'Chelsea men' but I doubt that many of fitted the description in this poem, written when he was in the 5th year by one time Sloane Schoolboy, A R Doubledee. I get the impression he didn't particularly approve of the 'Beatniks' of the late 50s and early 60s that he found himself sharing Chelsea with or, as he called them the 'Weirdies' -

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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FRONT PAGE NEWS !

Ramadam-a Ding-Dong!!

Classmate Stefan Bremner-Morris, from his home near the Thames, has told me even his local councillors are jumping on the Olympics bandwagon.

One Islamist councillor has asked for special dispensation because Ramadan runs from 20th July to 18th August and coincides with the Olympics. This, he says, will delay the journey of devout Muslims to the East London mosque in Whitechapel, so he has asked that all devoted Muslims be allowed to use the lanes and roads that have been restricted to athlete, journalist and celebrity use.

The council have politely told him that everyone had ben warned that there might be travel problems during the Olympics, and that it is therefore their own responsibility to make alternative arrangements.

Send In The Navy!!

Stefan also tells me that with all the talk surrounding security at this year's Olympics he had begun to feel slightly uneasy. However, his mind has been put at rest by the sight he took this photo of near his home -

The Cutty Sark has no doubt been brought in to make pensioners feel safe.

Breaking News!!

News Flash From The Coast!!

The Royal Navy has intercepted three boatloads of people off the Lancashire coast. A spokesman said this had put them in an awkward position as the boats were actually heading away from the Liverpool and contained Scousers of pensionable age. They claim to have been heading for the Middle East in order to be able to return to the country as illegal immigrants and therefore claim farmore benefits than they were receiving as legitimate British pensioners.  Although it hasn't been confirmed, the Navy are believed to have given them food, water and fuel and escorted them on their journey.

Irish Premier's Son Kidnapped!!

A report has just filtered through from Ireland that the Irish Premier's son was kidnapped  by Irish terrorists last week, but there was a happy outcome for all concerned.

Apparently, the terrorists sent him home with a ransom note and his father sent him back with the money.

Teacher's Strike - Latest!

The latest round of teacher's strikes in protest in the cut in their pensions has not been a success. The biggest failure came in Ireland where the strike was held during the school holidays.

Police Stop Elderly Driver at 2 AM

Local police in Streatham stopped an elderly gentleman in the wee small hours of yesterday morning as he was driving erratically.

"Where are you off to at this time of the morning? one officer asked.

He replied,

"I'm on my way to a lecture on alcohol abuse and the effect it has on the human body, as well as smoking and staying out late."

"Really?" the officer asks, "Who is giving that lecture at this time of the night?"

The driver replies,

"That would be my wife then."

Home Front News

My friend Patricia Black, known to everyone as Patty, works in a bank and the other day a frog went into her bank and asked for a loan. Patty couldn't believe what she was seeing or hearing but, like the well-trained employee she is, she listened intently as the frog told her his name was Kermit Jagger, son of Mick, and that he shouldn't have any problem getting a loan as Mick knew the bank manager well.

She explained to the frog that she'd need to see some collateral to support the loan at which point he produced a tiny pink elephant, made out of porcelain. A very confused Patty left the frog and went into the back office to have a word with the manager. She told him,

"There's a frog out front who says he knows you and wants to borrow £20, 000 to go on a holiday cruise. He says his name is Kermit Jagger and he produced this when I asked for collateral."

She held up the tiny, porcelain elephant and continued,

"I mean, what in the world is this!?"

Unfazed by anything he'd heard, her manager looked up at her and said,

"It's a knick-knack, Patty Black, give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

My Polish neighbour also works in a bank and last week realised all the computer work was having its effect on his sight, so he went to the local opticians for glasses. He was asked to sit in a chair, look at the screen ahead and asked to read the line -

C Z W I C N O S T A C Z

"Read it?" he said, "I know the guy."

* * * * *

Jokes of the Week (or until I can find more)

Three Australian blokes, Mongrel, Coot and Bluey, were working up a mobile phone tower in the outback when Coot slips, falls off the tower, and is killed instantly.

As the ambulance takes the body away Mongrel says to Bluey,

"Well someone had better go and tell the poor bloke's wife."

Bluey says,

"OK. I'm pretty good at that sensitive stuff, I'll do it."

He returns two hours later, carrying a case of beer.

"Where'd you get the grog, Bluey?" asked Mongrel.

"Coot's wife gave it me," he replied.

"That's unbelievable! You told the Missus her husband was dead and she gave you a slab of beer?"

"Well, not exactly", said Bluey. "When she answered the door I said to her "you must be Coot's widow?"

"She said to me,

"You must be mistaken... I'm not a widow." 

So I said,

"I'll betcha a case of beer you are..."

Thoughts For The Day (or until the next ones)

 If a Methodist married a Spiritualist would they become a methylated spirit?

Why did Pinky and Perky earn all that money and still live like pigs?

If three towns 'twinned' with each other would that make them triplets?

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! -

"Celebrate 37 years of me this coming 20 October! Send cash, candles and intimate items of underwear to lonely Libran lawyer, Leicester, struggling with some of life's cruellest alliterations. Box no. 5180."

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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Sloane Information at the LMA

London Metropolitan Archives hold some information relating to Sloane. Some of the items are accessible if you visit the LMA at 40, Northampton Road, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 0HB (phoning to make an appointment on 020 7332 3820 is advisable) but you will need to apply for a 'History Card' via their website if you intend printing copies of any of the items.

Go to the website at www.lma.gov.uk for full details. Clicking on the following link,
 

London Metropolitan Archives

will take you to a page on their site where you can enter 'Sloane School' in the Search Terms box and click on 'Run Search'. This will bring up all available items.

These include - 

Admission and Discharge Registers 1904-48, 1958-61 and 1964-66, a 1938 Plan of the school, drawings relating to Building Act case files 1935-57, and 23 photos of various school activities 1924-69, though some of these are listed as 'missing'.

Other items they hold are 'closed' under the 65 year rule that protects the confidentiality of living individuals. In other words, they can't be accessed for 65 years from the school's closure so will be available to the public in 2035.

However, these 'closed' items can be consulted by the LMA on behalf of individuals under the provisions of the Data Protection Act, so contact them direct if you're interested.

The 'closed' items are -

Log Book 1967-70 (Ref: LCC/EO/DIV01/SLO/LB/001)

Punishment Book 1962-70 (Ref: LCC/EO/DIV01/SLO/MISC/001)

Staff Registers -
1895-1963; 1965-70 (Ref: LCC/EO/DIV01/SLO/MISC/002-004)
 

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 CALENDAR OF EVENTS


All Forthcoming Events, And The Ones You Missed, Can Be Seen On The Calendar Below:-
 

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.