Middlesbrough, Hugh Bell School 1896

Photo ref: 37557

I went to MBHS in 1960/64 when it was up at Prissick Base, just moved up from the town adjacent to the Gazette Office and Teesside Poly or Constantine College as it was then. They have knocked down the schools at Prissick, as they did for Marton Road juniors where I attended previously. At least the old clock tower entrance of the original High School still survives. My teachers at MBHS were Pop ...see more

I remember my time at Hugh Bell Grammer School, it was a great school, I well remember the typing teacher he was ex Airforce and had a handlebar moustache. If anyone spoke during his lessons a blackboard rubber would come flying down the classroom. Another teacher we had used to dye her hair the same colour as the clothes she was wearing. The school was just down the road from Old Mans Park ...see more

A nice memory of Hugh Bell School was that at assembly each morning when the weather was fine, the old men would sit in the park outside to listen to our hymn singing. Hence "Old Man's Park". They had no money and their scruffy dogs were on bits of string while they filled in their time with nothing to do. Could you imagine old men these days listening to children sing hymns? Not everything has changed for the better.

My grandma lived in Stovin Street and I attended Westbourne Grove Methodist Church from about 1948 until 1956ish. I remember the hospital and the wonderful markets where we used to buy a penny bag of winkles. I also remember the Gem cinema (local flee pit but fabulous). Above the Gem was Central Mission, a very happy religious place, I don't know what denomination but it was great fun (no sermon). St ...see more