My Old Schools & College

Whilst not exactly saying that schooldays were the best days of my life, I consider myself fortunate to have been a pupil at two excellent institutions, strong in tradition and achievement, both founded by James Baines circa 1717. Mr Baines ran a successful woollen drapery business from the Market Square in Poulton Le Fylde, Lancashire, and left provision in his will to found three schools referred to as the Free Fylde Schools. Of the three schools two were junior, at Thornton and Marton, and the other a Grammar school at Hardhorn on the outskirts of Poulton. I joined the Thornton school in September 1962 and finally left the Grammar School in July 1977, a 15 year association that had a profound influence on my bumpy journey into adulthood and beyond.

At the second attempt I obtained the required A Level grades and enrolled at Ox ford Polytechnic in September 1977, 200 miles away from the Fylde and my roots. Oxford College of Technology, Art and Commerce had moved to a new site in Gipsy Lane, Headington in the late 1950s and became Oxford Polytechnic in 1970. The old village of Headington is nowadays a suburb of Oxford, lying north of the City, it is mainly a pleasant residential area with its own shops and still retains a significant number of older buildings. Away from the security of the family home it was sink or swim, time to grow up.

Looking back more than 30 years and wondering "Whatever happened to......?" I decided to devote a few pages of Webspace to my old schools and college, and hopefully provide a few memories for any old boys or girls who happen to surf this way.

		Baines' Endowed School, Thornton. 1962-69
		Baines' Grammar School, Poulton Le Fylde. 1969-77
		Oxford Polytechnic, Headington, Oxford. 1977-80

Have a look at the Photo Galleries and features below to see the way we were and the way some of us are now!

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