LOOKING BACK - November 23, 2017 edition

Pictures from the Elborow School reunion, 60 years since the last one and this time celebrating the school’s 310th anniversary. Many thanks to Howard Trillo for this week’s column.

The first ‘formal’ Reunion in 60 years for the Old Boys of Elborow School (closed 1960) was held last week at the Manor Hotel, Hillmorton.

In 1957, the Reunion was to mark the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the school; this year it was the 310th! Fourteen people attended the event, each representing pupils from different eras: the boys from the 1880s and ‘90s were represented by Lorraine Hardiman, the granddaughter/grand-niece of two boys from that time; David Howe stood-in for his father who attended in the 1920s; Ray Tailby, who was at the school from 1932-37, is the oldest known ‘Elborowtonian’ (at 94) and came along to the event; three Old Boys from the 1940s (Bob Fell, Keith Coughlin and Steve Rate) were there, and five (including two wives) from the 1950s (John Cooper, Martin Dytham, Bob & Vale Hargie, Colin & Barbara Duffy and Howard Trillo. The staff of Elborow were honourably represented by Miss Mary Hinde, who taught at the school from 1947-51, later becoming Headmistress of St. Oswald’s School.

In his after-dinner address, Howard Trillo, the ‘historian’ of the school, paid tribute to the Founder, Richard Elborowe (1646/7 – 1707), Rugby-born and educated, Haberdasher of London and Benefactor to the poor boys and girls of his home town, and was able to announce a ‘permanent’ commemoration of the school’s existence in the form of a new housing development at Cawston bearing the street names of the first teacher at the school in 1707 (Richard Hodgkinson Close), three Headmasters (Richard Walker Way, William Simmonds Close and Ernest Harvey Close), one Headmistress of the 19thC. Girls’ School (Hannah Twining Crescent), a 19th C. ‘Master’ (Luke Jeayes Close) and a Pupil/Pupil-Teacher/Teacher and WW1 hero (Sidney Wolfe Close); ‘Elborow Way’ and ‘Trustees Close’ confirm the link with the school itself.

Despite many attendees not knowing each other, everyone ‘melded together’ in a matter of moments, memories flowed back and forth, and the whole occasion was declared a ‘roaring success’, with many requests for a repeat performance in 2018!