Nostalgic memories of Shute's local history

Share your own memories of Shute and read what others have said

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.

Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.

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Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 12 in total

My sister and I were at Shute between 1949 and 1952, and I hardly recognise some of the memories here! For us it was a happy place, where we rode ponies and made dens in the woods. We learned about wildflowers - Mrs. Clapp was very particular about that, and I still remember their names - we climbed the magnificent cedar tree, we played rounders on the lawns, were coached in tennis by Mr. Roupell and there was a ...see more
I was only there for two and a half years, but it is still very memorable. I traveled to the school from London and there would be a separate carriage for the school. From Axminster station we rode a bus up to the school. We always sang the Vietnam song ("And it's 1,2,3 What're you fighting for") as it seemed like our last moments of freedom. We also rode the bus in the summer term, once a week, to go ...see more
Shute was a very strict English boarding school, which we were told was once the home of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for nine days, at which time she was beheaded. The long standing rumor was that on a full moon, you could she the ghost of Lady Jane Grey walk up the hill, infront of the school at midnight, carrying her head. I looked a few times but never saw her! Some rules and shenanigans were: - ...see more
It may seem strange for a male to offer these memories but boys were accepted in junior forms and I was at Shute School from the summer of 1939 until the Easter term 1941. I and my sister, known as Ba Gauld, joined after returning from three years in India. During that first term I remember lunch on the lawn sitting on benches and eating at low tables, discovering the foul taste of beetroot which had ...see more
I remember arriving fresh from Singapore and having to visit the loo during the night. It was absolutely freezing and one of the windows in the bathroom was broken letting in a vicious cold blast of air! I staggered back to a lumpy bed thinking I had landed in the jaws of hell! I remember more of the older girls, one with a wonderful name - Audrey Doreen Dennison-Wiggins I believe! Mardi was my guardian as my ...see more
Hi, I never expected to see anything related to Shute School. Yes there was cold porridge and great midnight feasts and if you were one of the lacrosse team, and won, a "lovely" tea. I do remember, because of the cold, having a hot water bottle under my jumper during classes and, hold on there, all the girls lying on Mahdi's floor in her beautiful office with view to the sea, listening to ...see more
Anne must have left Shute School a few years before I started there!! I remember a fantastic cold spring with an old fashioned pump in the "grounds" of the gate house. Always very welcome when we had biked to Colyton and back on a Saturday afternoon!! And the water was always ice cold even on the hottest day.
As Anne Tilbrook, I was a pupil at Pippins and then Shute, from 1950-53. I vividly remember Feb. 6, 1952, when the girl who rang the bell for change of classes brought us the news that King George VI had died. We all cried and Mrs. Clapp, our math teacher, led a spirited lesson on lung cancer. Few linked it to smoking in those days. I had a pash on a girl called Helen Roth - all very innocent in those days. ...see more
I attended Pippins the Shute prep school in 1946, we used to go to Shute school occasionally, once for a May Day play when I had to carry a doll. we swam in the river in Axminster and went on the train to Lyme Regis on a Sunday. Can anyone tell me when Shute School closed? Lesley Manning
I was at Shute from 1969 to 1974, when it closed. In fact, I was the final head girl. But only by default! My sister and school pals have spent hours over the years telling the same old stories and so I have finally decided to write a memoir. It won't be frightfully flattering, but I think our experience is the closest you will find to a real St. Trinians. If anyone out there remembers me or my sister Judy, it would be great to hear from you. Carolyn