A Boarder's Thoughts From The '60s

A Memory of Rudgwick.

What an unexpected but pleasant surprise to have come across this picture of Pennthorpe Preparatory School in Rudgwick. Ironically I left the year it appears to have been taken and I remember my dormitory was on the far left on the ground floor. Although not in favour of children being separated from their parents at an early age sometimes needs must, and I can honestly say that I have nothing but happy memories of my three year stay as a boarder - even when I went down with mumps on the day of my mock common entrance exam! My parents worked abroad during those years and believed I needed a British/English education, so I arrived at Pennthorpe as a 10-year-old with a lot of catching up to do. I'm not so sure I ever did, but my old school reports, kept intact by my late mother, reveal that the masters certainly did their best, even if I didn't! All I know is that, led by headmaster DS White and the "fearsome" Victor Hubbard, they somehow pulled and pushed me through the common entrance exam that enabled me to further my education. Looking back at that picture of Pennthorpe makes me realise the debt I owe them.