Gower Peninsula Community

Post: #1 (ID: 18)

Hi.

My name is Adrian Parker and I was at Emmanuel for a short ('83-'85) but memorable time (the best school days of my life). Is there anybody out there who would like to reminisce, etc about 'the good old days'?

e-mail me as adrian@coinmaster-gaming.com

Thanks

Post: #2 (ID: 28)

Hi there Adrian !!
(And anyone else from Emmanuel Grammar)

I came across your message in the Mumbles Forum. If you're looking for old friends from Emmanuel, why not click to The Emmanuel Grammar School Ex-Students Website at:

http://emmanuelgrammarschool.cjb.net

(If you haven't already done so that is).

Look forward to seeing you there.....

Martin Owens
Webmaster
Emmanuel Grammar School Ex-Students Website
ncc@iinet.net.au

Post: #3 (ID: 61)

Hi, anyone from Emmanuel out there. I can't get onto the website that Martin is mentioning. Is there another one?

cheers, Justine

Post: #4 (ID: 67)

Hi Justine.... sorry for taking so long to reply... I sure hope you get this.
The site is still located at:
http://emmanuelgrammarschool.cjb.net

however, if you still can't get to it using that address, try this one:
http://www.iinet.net.au/~ncc/emmanuel/

Good Luck !!
Martin Owens
ncc@iinet.net.au

Post: #5 (ID: 126)

Hey Adrian (and everyone else who went to Emmanuel),
I just got the old Emmanuel Students Web Site back up and running. It's been down for nearly 3 years, but it's back now.

Come and say hello and help make the site bigger and better for everyone !!

Cheers ! Smile

Martin Owens

Post: #6 (ID: 127)

The Emmanuel Grammar School Reunion Web Site

http://emmanuelgrammarschool.cjb.net

See you there !!

Post: #7 (ID: 128)

I would love to get in touch with as many Ex-pupils from Emmanuel as possible. Please if you're one of us send a message. The more the merrier!

Matthew Coombes
www.matthewandshannon.com

Post: #8 (ID: 129)

The EGS site is down and will stay down, as I don't have the time to maintain it right now. Perhaps in the future I will put it back up, but there doesnt seem much point really, as I got very little input from anyone. Oh well.... let's wait a while and see if nostalgia wins out and there becomes a need to have it again.

In the meantime, I can be contacted at chibimcginty@hotmail.com

Cheers !!
Martin Owens

Post: #9 (ID: 415)

I'm probably of a different era to most of you, but I was a pupil at Emmanuel from 1955 to 1962. I now live in SE England and have two children, Alison 33, and Jamie (also ex-Emmanuel) 37. In the past few weeks I have had emails from Mike Carter, Steven Carter, Norman Brierley and John Kimmel. Haven't been back in the Swansea area for many years, but I understand the school site has now been flattened. Anyone able to confirm?~
Best wishes
Andrew McClelland

Post: #10 (ID: 440)

Recently downl in Swansea and was really upset to see that the scool had been totally knocked down. Wish now I'd made the effort to have a walk around before they did it. Each time I visit Swansea I say I'm going to do it and now it's too late. The land must be worth a fortune. Does anybody know what they are going to do with it. Hundreds of houses!!!
Jill Haley (1963-1970)

Post: #11 (ID: 441)

Post: #12 (ID: 442)

Did they knock the upper level mansion houses down as well? Last time I was there (a couple of years ago) they had torn down the labs and buildings next to the stream. You can get a good view of what's left on Google earth.

Post: #13 (ID: 443)

Post: #14 (ID: 465)

Every building that was on the Grammar School site has now gone, with the exception of Shiloh and the gym, but that building is covered with graffiti. It would appear that the Bible College finally pulled out of the site and sold it. The Bible College is still open up the road and still has its very fine buildings and gardens. The last time I drove through the school grounds I spoke to Mrs Brend who had been buying fish and chips for Mr Brend! The old gardens were no longer in the pristine state they once were and it was really rather a sad sight, so run down. I'm so pleased that I was sent there by my parents.

Post: #15 (ID: 466)

Post: #16 (ID: 467)

I was there last about 6 or 7 weeks ago- it was difficult to get in as there is a fence up at the main gate. I have also heard that the old site is now to be used for housing. It seems such a shame as it is also one of the few estates that is left in Swansea and the thought of it being broken up is dreadful. It's a tragedy that the school ever closed, but it did!

Post: #17 (ID: 468)

Thanks for the reply, Gareth. I haven't been in the Swansea area for many years, but thought if I did get that way in the near future I would take a look. Doesn't look, however, if I'd be able to access the site. As boarders we greatly appreciated the area "across the stream". The jungle of "rhubarbs" offered us a natural adventure playground in our younger years, and later on the "pill box" offered us shelter in our romantic associations!!! I was a pupil at the school 1955 - 1962, and my son, Jamie, was there in the early 80s. There was a lot wrong with the school, but there was also a lot right with it! I think it was inevitable that it closed down with pressures from OFSTED and Health and Safety. The changing ethos of missionaries almost certainly led to the curtailment of the boarding side quite a while before the school itself actually closed.
Good to chat to you.
Kind regards,
Andrew McClelland

Post: #18 (ID: 469)

Hi, Andrew,
thanks for responding to the message. The school closed down in the middle of a recession actually and it was due neither to OFSTED (ESTYN in Wales) nor health and safety regulations. The Bible college seemed as if it no longer wanted to run the school and failed to support it financially through a rather tough period, a period which also saw the earlier closure of Dumbarton House School. To compound the falling rolls associated with recession, there were also rumours that the school was closing beofre any official announcement was made. The Bible College then went on to announce the school's closure before governors had decided! Naturally, many parents withdrew their children at this time in an attempt to ensure a good education with few disruptions.

I spoke to Mr and Mrs Brend one day when I was there and they were thrilled to have a contact with the past, but they are now in a nursing home. Miss Sherwood is, apparently, still going strong. If you visit the Bible College website you will notice that it is now being run by a group of local Christains with a definite charismatic influence. I don't think they are using Golden Bells any longer!

I was at Emmanuel from 1975 to 1983 and remember the name of your son, but cannot put a face to it. I used to play the piano in assemblies.

It has been good to chat

Gareth

Post: #19 (ID: 470)

Thanks for coming back, Gareth, and putting me straight re closure of Emmanuel. I was never quite sure how the Bible College viewed the school! Seems a little precipitous of the college to have announced the closure of the school before the governors had deliberated. As boarders we did have some contact with the college. All the boarders were required to perform domestic chores, and one of the most sought-after was "errands", which entailed pushing a hand-cart up to the college each morning to collect the day's provisions (this included peeling the potatoes in the college's peeling machine), bread from the bakery, and the mail! The great bonus of this chore was that it often took so long that we might miss assembly or even part of first lesson! We also had to walk up (crocodile-fashion in our early years) to the college chapel for the Sunday evening service. The quality of these services varied immensely. You could get a visiting missionary with blood-curdling stories or a dry-as-dust theologian - we used to get one that was nick-named "square circles" because no-one understood what he was on about! I also had to attend the college twice a week for my piano lessons with Miss Raven. When it was time for the LRAM exams we were examined in the "inner sanctum" of the college - the "blue room", which was part of the Director's accommodation, and which appeared to be somewhat luxurious and opulent in comparison with the boarders' barracks down the road! In actual fact, my late father had been a college student before WW2 but he was never particularly forthcoming about his time there!
Please don't get the wrong impression - I do have some very positive memories of my time at the school, particularly of certain members of staff. My favourite teacher was Don Pavey, the geography master. He really made his subject come alive. He had been a medic in WW2 and had dropped with the Paras at Arnhem, and he used to keep us fascinated lesson after lesson with his stories. He also used to take us on field trips to places like the Dan-Yr-Ogof caves. As a retired teacher I am very aware of how teachers can inspire a love of their subjects in students. It's significant that the subjects I took at "A" level (French and Geography) were those taught by teachers I really respected. Another ex-serviceman was Mr Hopkins, the woodwork master. Rumour had it that he had been a rear gunner with the Dambusters, but I don't know if that is true. He certainly had a terrific aim, and could hit you behind the ear with a board duster from the other side of the woodwork shop if you were not paying attention! A very dear teacher was Judith FitzHerbert, who taught French. She had a most austere appearance (at least to us kids) but had a heart of gold. If we ever upset her she would threarten to "take a stick" to us but, of couse, she didn't! That was the preserve of Dr Priddy, the headmaster. I lost count of the number of times I was sent to him for a caning. I have to say, though, some 45 or 50 years later, that he was a very fair man and I know it upset him as much to punish me as it did me to receive the punishment! On the boarding side there were the dear Brends who sought to give us a little taste of home comfort. I had heard that they were still alive; I believe they are now in the Mumbles area? You also mentioned Miss Sherwood. She was one of my English teachers, but I believe she later became Headmistress. Mike Carter, who was best man at my wedding, lodged with Miss Sherwood's parents in Sketty when he was in the first form, whilst waiting for a boarding place.
Good old Golden Bells! I actually picked up a copy of the music edition quite cheaply on eBay the other week. Now the family will have to put up with my attempts at banging out carols on the keyboard this Christmas! Who needs DVDs?
Sorry, Gareth, for going on at such length - I hadn't intended to; the memories just came flooding back! Perhaps one day I'll get round to writing "Confessions of an Emmanuelite"!
All the best,
Andrew
PS I'm not surprised you can't put a face to my son's name - I think you were probably just about to leave the school when he started. He did manage to continue his father's reputation for getting into scrapes!

Post: #20 (ID: 471)

Hi, it's been a long while since I posted here, but I used to run the Emmanuel Grammar School Ex-Students web site some years ago. That site is obviously long gone (much like the school itself), but I wanted to drop in and let you know that there are a couple of really great Emmanuel Grammar School pages on Facebook.

Click the following links to visit them:

The Emmanuel Grammar School Re-Union Group

Emmanuel Grammar School & Emmanuel Preparatory School

Hope you enjoy these groups (and any others you come across). If you're not already a member on Facebook, SIGN UP !! It's incredible just how many people from your past you can dig up (not literally DIG THEM UP of course... that would just be weird).

Enjoy !!

Martin Owens
martinowens2006@hotmail.com