Styal Open Air School

I was at styal open air school at that time my name is Annette Terry I remember nurse pinfold and remember library body's we wore and are Sunday dress and going to church I also remember a girl called rose who live in long site and my memory's of styal was good

i lived there for 4 years in hawthorn house ,nurse wilks was head of our house,i left when i was 10 i wish i could have stayed there ,i was not abused there atall,
its sad how theres not much i can read or look at i,e,pics ,about now,when i went there it was for kids who had asthma or other illnesses

I was at Styal in 1948-1951 it was the best days of my younger days.The nurses were great and the teachers were just as good the one nurse I remember was nurse Lyons she was great sorry it has all gone now

Hi I was there in the 60s and remember nurse Lyons with affection, nurse Potts and many others . I was in Peter Pan house and remember the great times I had. Sunday morning smell of bacon ! Getting all dress up for church ! Walking in to wilmslow on a Saturday morning to spend at Woolworths! Walking through blue bell woods! Going for Days out with packed lunch all in a paper bag! The school the teachers the playing the smell of the flowers ! I remember it all ! The best time of my life.

I was at style over two periods in the 50s and early sixties rember nurse hurst and nurse evens we all had health problems those years of a stable routine was good , we use to get up go for exercise , then breakfast and across the yard to the school . Recall our teacher mr Owens it was strict but fair , I never saw. Any abuse and doubt if there was any , all the staff I saw were caring and strict we had set routines but so what it brought us up , my family had t b. And father was at rose hill mother in hospital
It was far better than the smoggy streets of Manchester where we lived next to the English steel those years there set my standard of upbringing and my future for which I doubt I would have had without that chance of been sent there , recall the Sunday walk into style village to go to church and a Saturday walk in to wilmslow to spend our spends at Woolworths . We all walked in file along the road

Hi I don't know if anyone will read this but myself julie and my brother Norman also went to styal open air school between 1965- 1971 not sure I remember many names but some I do remember are Yasmine Ali who I shared a room with as we were the only 2 girls at that time I also remember Brian Derbyshire Ian siddall Wilfred Savile , and also fond memories of my best friend Gerald Smith who sadly drowned in styal woods river when all the lads went out for an afternoon , Nurse Hall and I think it was Nurse Potts who saved 2 of the lads but sadly it was too late for Gerald . This affected me badly. I remember Nurse Everington (not a nice nurse, made my brother walk round with a potty round his neck on string for wetting the bed he was about 6 at the time. But on the whole I remember most of the nurses were nice. Also the Matron a biggish lady who had a gorgeous sandy coloured dog who later died. They lived in the Admin house where you went if you were ill or hurt yourself . I remember the swings as you went to the houses on the left and the orchard that separated us from the woman's prison, if I'd have known it was a prison then, I don't think I would have slept. Memories eh ? .

Hi my name is George I was in style from 1962 till 1964 I was in Robin Hood house I remember nurse hurst very well she knitted us all hats and gloves if you remember the winter of 62 63 was bad .I will keep this short hope to hear from you

Hi julie,
I was at styal the same time as you, my name was Antony Codling.
I was one of the boys that nurse Potts saved, that day has haunted me all my life.
I live in Blackpool now but all my family live in and around Manchester.
I remember being all alone in the dorms I was 5 years old at the time.
We use to watch the bats at night flying around the grounds at dusk.
Lots of memories some good but some bad sad memories.

Hi,
I was at Styal open air from 1967 until 1969. My name was Shirley Hargreaves back then and I was in Hawthorne House. I have a few memories of my time there. The dorms, cold with counterpanes on the beds which had to be folded the correct way when making them in the morning., if they weren’t done correctly then you’d have to do them again. The large windows with bats hanging upside down from the tops. The 2 private bedrooms each end of the dorm, whereby if you were really well behaved you’d get a stint in one for a while. The blue crimplene pinafores were our winter outfit and the yellow and white gingham dress I always chose for my summer uniform. The Sunday communal bath where the nurse would line you up to inspect your head for lice. The Derbac soap the pink powdery toothpaste in a tin. The washrooms with our little bags hanging up on pegs. I remember the Matron who had a daughter who I became friends with, she’d invite me over occasionally on a Saturday and we would have sweets and watch tv, that was a real treat! Nurse Carter who was so kind to us kids, she got married while I was there and a few of us kids were allowed to go to the little church to watch. The no salt policy which today I still adhere to. Pownall park and Woollies where we’d get sweets. Single file walking to both Wilmslow and Styal church. I went to brownies while I was there and I remember it was at a little Hut in Handforth. I didn’t witness any abuse nor suffered any myself while I was there. The only downside was missing my family and some of the nurses where quite cold with us kids and very strict. I remember peter Cummings, Gillian and Adele, Gillian has been badly burned but her sister Adele was ok. The boys/girls exits in school, the afternoon stories while we lay down with our little bottles of milk . I could go on and on lol.., anyway if anyone’s reading this who was there around the same time as me, please get in touch. X

Hi Shirley I remember you and if you can cast your mind back a few years ago we met purely by accident outside the old shop near styal village I think you were with your daughter and we spoke. And I said I went to the open air school and you said you had and I said to you what a small world we live in if you would still like to chat sometime please come and say hello. My email is coachman365@yahoo.co.uk. Ps I think I was working on the coaches hence waiting for some people who had gone to styal mill please come and say hello

Hi Antony , I am so sorry I didn’t get back to you, I was new in iPads n stuff so couldn’t get back on it. I don’t think I know you properly but remember that day so vividly, like it happened yesterday. Nurse Hall if I remember had polio, but was such a lovely nurse ( as my brother Norman Edwards told me) as she was in the boys house and I was in Hawthorne house with Yasmine Ali . But she apparently looked after you lads as if it wasn’t a home , but home from home. Gerald always made me laugh as young as we were, and am sorry I didn’t know you as well. If Norman talks about Styal ( as he does a lot) the first thought is that awful day. I can still remember crying And thinking some thing awful had happened, then I heard the nurses talking about Gerald drowning , which as young as I was I knew what it meant. Please get in touch again X

Hi don't know if you remember me back then I had 2 names Steven ward or Steven talbot can't remember what one my parents used I remember a Mr Holland as my teacher and also remember a girl called Lesley Potts and Caroline rivers but can't remover some of the lads names if anyone remembers me please get in touch my email is steventalbot573@yahoo.com

I was there in 65 ,68 my name was Carole Hoarey i loved it there I have great memories i had a good friend called Carole she lived near me great times