stratford

	The advance party of Old K's arrived at Stratford on Avon on Friday afternoon & made an early evening visit to Charlecote Park, a National Trust house. We were exceptionally fortunate to have in our midst non-other than our very own Hector Sutherland, raconteur and a senior member of the National Trust, who provided us with an unparalleled escorted tour of the house giving us the benefit of his extraordinary in-depth knowledge of Charlecote Park and it's artifacts. All of us enjoyed it immensely.
Charlecote Park has Royal connections and a is poachers dream ..... not unlike some of those with similar aspirations that were gathered together for the evenings viewing! Both Queen Elizabeth 1 and Shakespeare knew Charlecote well. The Tudor Queen was a regular visitor and it is said that the young Will was not averse to a bit of poaching from time to time.
	There has been a Lucy family home on this site since 1187 and it wasn't until 2005 that the property was given the once over by Nancy Chew. The mellow brickwork and great chimneys of Charlecote seem to sum up the very essence of Tudor England. The rich early Victorian interior contains many important objects from Beckford’s Fonthill Abbey and, outside, the balustraded formal garden opens onto a fine deer park landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown.
The Falcon Hotel is situated in the centre of Stratford on Avon This 16th century inn provided all of the Old K's, with the notable exception of Keith Hall and Marj who found that once more there was no room at the inn, with comfortable, modern facilities and was only a 5 minute walk from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which many took advantage of on Saturday night when trying to catch up on some of their lost education. With its central location, bars with an extensive list of wines at reasonable prices, and many private party function rooms John Brennand found the hotel to be very much to his liking and an ideal choice.
	Whilst some chose to further their education at a modern rendition of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare the rest of the party wined and dined in the excellent facilities at the Falcon Inn. The verdict of attendees on their return from the play was that it was Much Ado About Nothing! .. so to speak! Return to Top of Page
Sunday 24th April 2005
	Would you believe that these guys were the scourge of the Manchester schools football championship. In today's terms they would have been an Academy of football pride. What a pity they never had a chance to show Manu a thing or two, but then, it was Manchester City that were top dog! So here you have it ... the Old Invincible's!!!

This picture was sent to me by Crosbie on his return to New Zealand; it certainly takes a lot of beating, and I must say the faces are even more recognisable
Some are drinking, some are chatting and some just have plain and simple ear ache from a weekend of listening, even so, all are having a ball!
	Now here we have two very smart ladies partaking of tea and chatting freely about their fellow school chums .... oh to be a fly on the wall!! There are times when Ann can seem to be very stern and severe, but behind that facade there is a heart of gold! As for Flora I think she can see right down in to your very soul. I wonder if they're thinking what we're thinking?* *Michael Howard - 2005
How nice it was to see Keith once more after all this time, seen here chatting to Graham Frost on the lawn at the Falcon Inn. The Two Gentlemen of Verona!
	If the devil were to cast his net here what a catch he would have ....... many names here with which to conjure! Walsh, Ash and Fletcher to name just a few!
Ann B in pensive mood
	Malcolm Carrington makes an impassioned speech on behalf of Kingmoors' legacy. Anyone with original material about your old school should let Malcolm have the details and he will either deal with it's preservation or point you in the right direction for having it officially archived.
Once more the bi-annual reunion draws to a close and all that remains is for Hector to make the customary vote of thanks to Ian and his team for making the weekend so successful and enjoyable and to propose a toast on behalf of the ex-pupils and their guests. Very well done Ian and a very big thanks from me for making it such an enjoyable time. I look forward to the next time and to Hector's protestations. Perhaps it's something to do with being in Stratford on Avon, but Hector has the appearance of a ghostly apparition on my screen with a long beard, or is it a mane emanating from his manly chest? Return to Top of Page

	Considering that April 23rd. 2005 was the 441st birthday of William Shakespeare, was also St. Georges Day, it could be said that the chosen venue of Stratford-upon-Avon for a reunion was a Comedy of Errors but as luck would have it was not a Winters Tale, more a Midsummer's Night Dream where Two Noble Kinsmen, Two Gentlemen from Verona, Antony and Cleopatra, the Merry Wives of Windsor set to with the Taming of the Shrew only to find it was As She Liked It. Ah well it only remained for Crosby to find Loves Labour Lost and All Would be Well That Ends Well!! So says King John
The processions involved hundreds of people from near and far in costume and traditional dress. Some exceedingly well known personages such as writer and broadcaster John Sergeant, TV Historian Michael Wood, Professor Stanley Unwin and well known gourmet and aspiring wine taster John Brennand of the Duchy of Lancaster.
	Marks and Spenser have tried Per Uno without success and their market share continues to fall so introduced a new fashion entitled the Pericles, Prince of Tyre range seen here being modeled on the streets of Stratford. It certainly looks a though it could be a winner if the number of people seen wearing it in Stratford is anything to go by!
I can't see Mark and Spenser's turning things around with their latest in men's wear! But who can blame them for blowing their own trumpet and banging the drum. Their one size fits all is not a Measure for Measure.
	Now what's a nice boy like this doing hanging around the streets of Stratford?
Ex-MG Rover employee considers an act of arson at the factory whilst practicing a mode of quick escape from the scene being of the opinion that his company car reliability may not be up to the job.
	If you want to stay slim and feeling young there is nothing like a spot of dancing.
Tranquility! That's what you have at Stratford if you get up early! If you're not an early riser you'll have to take a leaf out of the swans of Stratford who bury their heads in the water until the revelers have gone home!
	THE END Return to Top of Page