St Bede's School

A Memory of Wolseley Plain.

Wolseley Bridge has some memories for me going back to late 1968 and throughout 1969 as I was a pupil at St Bede’s School in nearby Bishton Hall.

My mother was matron at the time and as we were mother and son (father died in 1964 and no brother or sister) our belongings were in store while we both resided at the school and at a nearby house during the school holidays.

Mrs Greatbatch was the cook and she had a daughter Paula. There were the Stafford Northcotes as well (Amyas ASN, Hugh HSN, Julia JSN and the two senior Northcotes FSN and CSN).

I haven’t been able to link up with any past pupils but the closest one was Peter James Wood who was originally from Chichester in West Sussex and had an uncle who was a policeman in nearby Brocton. I was taken to visit the family in Brook Lane in Brocton but cannot find anyone linked to the family now.

I used to go on long walks on my own when I was eight years old from going to Rugeley via Colton, then to Colwich, Little Haywood, Great Haywood and Milford where there used to be a funfair every year on the common opposite The Barley Mow pub. I became familiar with most roads within a three mile radius.

I didn’t get chance to venture too far away but now regularly visit the area and take a look at other villages nearby. I also drop in to the different pubs as sometimes I can get a conversation going with locals and find out more. At one pub the locals referred to the children from St Bede’s as “the children in little red blazers” and when I told them I was once a pupil there they were surprised.

No doubt I shall visit the area again as I travel south – I don’t keep to the M6 but go along the A34 and A51 as there are some nice country places in parallel with the M6 such as Woore, Baldwyn’s Gate for Slater’s Craft Centre and pub/hotel, Sandon, Weston and other places where we can stop for a meal or a break.

A nice area to visit and very welcoming.