Ickenham High School

My sister Janet Davies and I went to Ickenham High School for girls. Ickenham High School for girls was a private school for girls from 5 or 6 to at least 11. My sister left there at 11 but I'm not sure if she was in the top class. I'm afraid I don't know how many pupils there were. The building is sadly now demolished, and houses built on the land.

I used to go to school by the 223 bus by myself. The fare was a halfpenny, for which I was given a tan-coloured paper ticket. The 1d ticket, on the other hand, was white and one day I bought one of those on my journey home. When I got off the bus outside the Orchard Hotel, the bus conductor spoke to me severely for wasting my parents' money...This must have been in around 1951 or so.

Although we lived in Ruislip, my mother was, frankly, a snob and wanted us to go to private school, which Ickenham High School was. The headmistress was Miss Howard; the first class teacher was Mrs Tucker, the second class Mrs Webster. I learnt to read in Mrs Tucker's class. She was rather short and I remember her stretching on tiptoes to light the gas mantle. There was a sweeping staircase up to our classroom, and all pupils had to stand still to one side of the stairs if a member of staff was walking up. In retrospect, this must have been very daunting with all those eyes following.

I left when I was eight to go to Bishop Winnington but my sister stayed on until she was eleven. I don't think we were the only girls from Ruislip who went there, but details have failed me now.

I attended Ickenham High School from January 1939 until Spring of 1944. They took pupils from aged 4 through Matriculation or School Certificate. I lived in Ruislip and used to cycle to the school. Many pupil lived in Ruislip. If it was very bad weather then I would take the 223 bus from Ruislip outside the Rivoli cinema. There was a shortage of teachers during the war but I do remember Mrs. Tucker, Miss Dean, Mrs. Rutherford (very strict) and Miss Howard the principal taught math. I hated that.

Shelia

My Mother Avis Allinson was there until Christmas 1951, she remembers Jackie Mawson who lived nearby in Eastcote. Other friends were Annette L'Mon, Stella Bugler also from Eastcote.

Then moved to Ruislip.

I went to Ickenham High in September 1939 and left in summer 1943, when I was 16. It was not a primary school at that time.

The main school was in the fine old Georgian house, there was also a pavilion where we had morning assembly and which accommodated some of the junior classes, as I recall.

The driveway had beautiful old chestnut trees. There was a large playing field and tennis courts; a donkey lived in a corner of the field. We played hockey, cricket, tennis and netball, and the younger girls played rounders.

There were four 'houses' - Nelson, Drake, Raleigh and, I think, Shackleton.

We had no sewing class but learned Latin.

Mrs Rutherford was my favourite teacher, she was strict but had a good sense of humour and would sometimes bring us coconut ice.   She also took us for hockey and I can remember her running up and down the field in her Wellington Boots, exhorting us to 'stay on the ball'.    Some years after I left I heard that she was ill, I believe she may have had a stroke.

When I went to England on a visit from Canada in 1967 with my children, I happened to meet her with her husband at some forgotten event. She was in a wheel chair and didn't remember me at all. When I heard that she had died I wrote to her husband, who told me that the school had been demolished, the trees cut down and a housing development built on the playing field.

June (Seal) Paterson

It was my mother's express wish I went to Ickenham High School in 1957, which provided Private Education for girls, that she wanted me to have, after failing the eleven plus twice, and not getting to Grammar School. The Principal was Miss Howard, remembered for her upright manner, and beautiful snowy-white hair. A figure of authority, obeyed at all times, but extremely pleasant to me whilst in her school.

My favourite teacher was Mrs Rutherford, strict, but always kind and fair, as well as multi-talented. She was disabled when walking (I never knew why) but accepted 'as she was'. She taught English Language and Literature, Geography (which was only UK and North America) and Maths (i.e. Arithmetic Algebra, Geometry Trigonometry...and Logarithms...who can survive without those?

School houses were Raleigh, Nelson and Drake - green red and yellow - and coloured bands were worn on Sports Days to show allegiance. I was in Raleigh, and loved beanbag team games, as well as hockey, cricket and rounders. I didn't like tennis or running, although we had ample private grounds and courts available for use. The quirky things done on Sports Days included the slow-bicycle race (...last one over the line won!..) and throwing the cricket ball, both my favourites!

The awful-tasting/smelly dinners were eaten off equally smelly oilcloth table coverings, spread over desks in classrooms. Every Friday afternoon we had to pick up litter in the grounds (which I hated) and since then litter-louts have always been my pet hate!
We had smelly gas lamps throughout the school, and only three horrible, cold and awful outside toilets to serve everyone, but we managed. I remember Mrs Webster, who was tough, and Mrs Fennimore who 'played' the piano for assembly, and we all had to 'march' into a large outdoor wooden building for that every day! Miss Howard (otherwise Mrs. Rose) had a daughter, Mrs. Keys who taught Art in my time!

Tho' Health and Safety didn't exist then, and facilities were Spartan, we survived, none the worse. It's a shame, though, the beautiful Georgian house no longer exists. It was fun reading your site.

Susan Blocksidge
1957-1961

I was interested to read in Susan Blocksigde's memories of Ickenham High, that Miss Howard's daughter, Mrs Keys, taught art at the school when she was there. Anne Rose, as she was then, was a pupil at the school when I was there and is in the front of the small photo at the top of the page.

I remember she was very good at art. She left Ickenham while I was still there and was sent to another school, St. Paul's I believe.

June Paterson

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