Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Mount Scar

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

http://mountscar.blogspot.com/

The 'official' day to day history of Mount Scar - fascinating.

Sadly there doesn't seem to be a 'post' function.

For me it'll get really interesting around 1965.



Posted by Anonymous to swanageview at 10:52 AM

15 comments:

Manuel said...

What ARE you writing about?

Anonymous said...

Sorry Manuel, but I don't really understand your question. Perhaps you could repost stating rather more directly what you want to know?

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I think this sort of local history story is fascinating. Manuel, you do not have to read it if you don't want to.

Manuel said...

Sorry, ignore me. I wasn't even on the right topic!

Anonymous said...

It reads a bit like the Python sketch of the rich guys outdoing each other with stories about the poverty of their childhood. A saga of snowstorms, cold and air-raids with the occasional epidemic to spice things up. Sometimes they all happened at once! Interesting that DCC refused to build air-raid shelters at schools. Typically parsimonious.

Anonymous said...

Interesting that you detect a Python-esque flavour to the blog, seeing as Monty Python opening credits were filmed on Studland Beach, and John Cleese's alter ego Basil Fawlty was born and bred in Swanage (and may well have gone to Mt. Scar! He certainly went to Swanage Grammar!).

Funny in'it, how the County Council wasn't that interested in providing air raid shelters for the kiddies, leaving them to huddle in soggy trenches or under school desks instead. The County Council treats Swanage the same way these days, so it seems! Full marks for continuity if not for morality.

Anonymous said...

Interesting!

DCC didn't build any bomb shelters, OK, how many kiddies and or staff died, um, let me think, um, zero.

I'd've thought that it'd've been far wiser to build bomb shelters at places like Bovvie, Blandford and Poole, y'know, places that were more likely to be bombed.

Also, most of the bombing of Swanage was those demned Germans dumping unused ordinance on their way back home. Think about it - when it was still dark. Most of the kiddies and or staff would've been at home, or mebbie doin' a bit of OT down the quarr.

Next topic - why didn't DCC build a nuclear bunker for the people of Swanage when Winfrith had a nuclear power station?

Back to the thread, yeah it's fascinating, written by people who had an entirely different outlook on and expectation of life to what we have now.

Mind you, it did inspire the invention of TV and then MP, so not too shabby!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what shelters air raid there were? The loos that used to stand by the chippies off the square began as a shelter and I seem to recall a similar structure at the top of Court Road. The artillery bunkers at Peveril point and the top of the Downs are another thing though.

Anonymous said...

This gave me a chuckle - reminiscences of another local school. I cannot tell if it is real, or a spoof, it all seems so Billy Bunter-ish!!

http://spywayschool.blogspot.com/

One wonders if the antics down at Dancing Ledge would pass muster with today's Dorset Social Services??

Anonymous said...

Amusing and a bit sad. Let's be thankful that times have changed.

Real or spoof? It certainly has some reality, Reg Saville is mentioned.

I wonder if anyone is brave enough to do a blog of when it became Langton House?

Anyone remember that? A school for those with psychiatric problems. I think it opened in '83(ish), closed in '91.

Anonymous said...

There was an amazing number of private schools round here in the 50s. I can remember these in Swanage:-
Toronto (preprep) Cranborne Rd
Hillcrest (prep)
Steepways
One between the Grand and the Pines hotels
Newton Manor (girls prep)
Forres (prep)
There was a tiny one in a house in Kings Road East that we called Miss Bean's after the teacher/owner.

Can anyone add to the list. Durlston Court had become the Warwickshire miners convalescent home by this time, subsequently a hotel.

StixWeb Studio - Website Designers said...

Thee prep schools I remember in Swanage around 1950-55 (when I was at Hill Crest)were:
Forres
Hill Crest
Leeson
Old Malthouse
Spyway

Mike Stickland

StixWeb Studio - Website Designers said...

When I was aged about 11 or 12 several of us prep school boys from Hill Crest used to escape in an evening and go down to Peveril Point where there was an old air raid shelter. It was locked and unused, but we could squeeze in through the windows. There were things like old army belts in there. Fascinating to us.

StixWeb Studio - Website Designers said...

When I was 12, there was a girl called Meryl whose parents owned the Tilly Whim Inn. We used to meet in the shrubbery of the school! !954.

Lesley Reynolds said...

My aunt Joy Weston taught at Miss Beans prep. school in Swanage during the 1950's . The Weston family lived at 57 Ulwell Road , and I would visit them there . Looking at a photo of Miss. Bean surrounded by her pupils it looks an idyllic childhood in the school garden . I wonder if any reader knew of pupils who attended the school ? Did Miss. Bean spend all of her days in Swanage ?