Brentwood Preparatory School Magazine

Brentwood School Preparatory 23 What house were you in? Heseltine - still definitely the best. Our House Master was John Hatt who was the music master at the prep for a long time - I think Mr Barber took over from him. I’m pretty certain we won everything but suppose we may have let another house win something occasionally! What were school lunches like?! I don’t really remember the food but I do remember the Matron standing by the dining hall door and checking your plate to make sure you’d eaten everything. I remember boys trying to sneak brussel sprouts past her underneath their knives and forks and getting sent back to their chairs to finish everything off when they got caught. Where was the Headmaster’s office and dining room when you attended the school? The Headmaster’s office was underneath the stairs (not that I ever got called in there!) I think it is Mr Holtby’s office now. The dining hall was in the same place although my memory is that it was a lot bigger. I’m pretty sure it hasn’t changed shape so my memory is probably just confused. Maybe it just looked like a big room as I was only a little lad. What sport did you play? Cricket mainly. I remember we played Hutton Park which is now closed but was where my Mum taught at the time. I remember Steve Fenton on our team got 100 and we got a massive score and then bowled them out for 10. I gave my Mum a bit of stick about that. What is your happiest memory of Brentwood Prep School? I remember collecting carrier bag fulls of conkers, loads more than you could ever use to play with and you would tip them all out over the playground and shout “conker scramble”. All the other children then ran around trying to pick up as many as they could fit in their pockets. It was chaos for a few minutes whilst everyone rushed to collect the biggest ones. It’s great to see that conkers is still being played today by the children and occasionally Mr Whiskerd. Another memory is when I smashed my front teeth out when I fell over on a huge ice slide near where the cricket stumps are on the wall in the Prep playground. The walled garden area has changed a lot and it’s quite difficult to work out where things used to be. There was an air raid shelter near the end of the walled garden which has now been pulled down and filled in. We weren’t allowed anywhere near it but I think we snuck in once to have look. There was also an outdoor swimming pool in the walled garden, I think we only used it in summer but it always seemed to be freezing cold. The changing rooms were near the tennis courts behind the walled garden and that building is still there but I don’t think it is used for anything now. I made loads of friends in both the prep and the main school, many of whom I’m still friends with today and I’m sure will remain friends for life. Usman Sharif When did you attend the Prep School? September 1994-June 1998 Who was your Headmaster? Mr. Marchant What house were you in? Heseltine What were school lunches like?! I don’t remember much about them really. I went to Brentwood before the days of halal meals being offered so I used to have vegetarian meals. I remember even now that I used to dread quiche days and loved desserts! Things haven’t changed much in 23 years… Where was the Headmaster’s office and dining room when you attended the school? The dining room was in the main building. It was the first room in front of you as you walked in past the bell from the playground. What sport did you play? I used to go to Gymnastics club twice a week with Mrs. Woodford before school. What is your happiest memory of Brentwood Prep School? Going on a ski trip was my happiest memory of Brentwood School. I had never been skiing before and haven’t since but it was so much fun – I can’t wait to take my own sons. Simon Doran This was the final of a chess competition in 1971, which unfortunately we lost. It was refereed by Harry Golombek who was a British and International Grandmaster. He also refereed the Boris Spassky / Bobby Fisher final in 1972 which is known as the most famous chess match of all time.