The kids have finally gone back to school and so have I – and what
a voyage of rediscovery it has been.
I couldn’t find
my old school tie, and those teenage trousers would be a tight
squeeze now, but what an amazing trip down memory lane it was when I
returned to The Ecclesbourne School in Duffield.
I was a pupil
there from the age of 11 in 1989 to the age of 18 in 1996 – seven
fun and fascinating formative years. I arrived at Ecclesbourne, a
fresh-faced shy boy – believe it or not! – straight from a
primary school with only 30 pupils. Consequently, to find myself in
big school with 1,200 students was quite a shock.
I felt
trepidation and schoolboy nerves back then, and that old familiar
knot in my stomach emerged yet again as I travelled back in time to
revisit Ecclesbourne.
But this time
duty called – professional duty that is. I had been called in to
assess and clear the contents of an old science block for auction.
Hansons often carries out home visit valuations but this was a home
visit like no other. My old school was like a ‘home’ for a large
chunk of my life, as it is for everyone. The place where you learn,
forge friendships and make memories.
Whether you loved
or hated school, it’s an enormous part in your life and nostalgia
overwhelmed me – especially when I was greeted by two former
teachers, Mr Minton and Mr Nichols.
I was absolutely
thrilled to meet staff who were there in my day. As soon as I was
back inside the school building, I lost all sense of time and fell
straight back into the late 1980s, particularly when I met my old RE
teacher, Miss Owen, who taught me all those years ago
.
As well as being
very shy at school, I was not particularly academic. Perhaps that’s
why, as I approached Ecclesbourne, that familiar twist of anxiety
returned, just like the old days.
It was certainly
nerve-racking entering the B Block of our science department. I was
awful at science and fortunate to scrape two Cs at GCSE. I remember
struggling with the Bunsen burner. The first room we went into was my
old classroom, my form room for two years in the early 1990s.
It was strange to
see those familiar school desks and take in the sights and sounds of
the classroom where teachers battled to make this young Hanson
improve his grades – not an easy task!
These were the
days before mobile phones and the internet took up every minute of
our time. My eyes took in all the old science equipment, including
vintage microscopes which Hansons has now cleared ready for auction.
Perhaps some
former Ecclesbourne pupils might like the idea of owning a piece of
nostalgia from the school. Fancy sitting at your old school desk?
Well, it’s not an impossibility. Desks bearing that oh so familiar
school-day graffiti, even the remnants of chewing gum stuck out of
view – apologies if that was me – are going under the hammer
along with vintage science equipment and science lab stools.
Before I left, I
popped into the headmaster’s office – but not because I was in
trouble, just to say hello. I once had dreams of being a history
teacher and one day I’d love to take a history lesson at my old
school.
It’s an honour
to be asked to manage the sale of items from Ecclesbourne. I hope
former students, friends and acquaintances from those memorable
school days may wish to acquire some retro memorabilia, particularly
from those dizzy days of the late 80s and early 90s.
If they do, they
can bid now. A timed auction is already under way featuring 27
furniture lots from Ecclesbourne’s science block. Items have been
grouped together such as a set of three school science lab
workstation tables, estimate £30-£50, or a set of six pine
workstation stools, £30-£50. The scientific equipment is due to be
auctioned in Hansons’ April 15-20 Antiques and Collectors Auction.
If you would like
to buy a slice of Ecclesbourne nostalgia, please visit
www.the-saleroom.com
and browse a catalogue entitled: ‘Hansons Timed Auction including
items at Bishton Hall’. This sale is due to end on March 29 at 8pm.
