St Peters R/C Grammar school, Bury old Road, Prestwich

[Collegiateboy]

I heard a lot of bad things about St Chads , I guess was lucky to go the Cheetham Collegiate School on Brideoak St., the teachers there were very good unlike the nuns
I meet Roman & Paul when I was last in Manchester in 1978, Paul was living in a share house in Cheetham with other boys from St Peters.
 

[St Chads Lad]

Tbh while I was there I wasn't aware of anything myself, the building itself did feel oppressive because of the architecture, the nuns definitely had their moments, as did the ones at St Clare's secondary where I subsequently attended, the teachers at Chads were strict but I'm sure there were many schools that had similar "regimes" so I just put it down to the fact it was the sixties and things were hard.

[Muso]

I was at St Peters from 76 - 81.

Hope you've been enjoying the 19 (?) albums published by the Quo since we left in 81.. Wish I'd understood the significance of your experiences there at the time. What a difference 4 decades can  make ! Great to hear that you're in a much better place now.

[Taff]

Ha ha Muso
I saw Quo a few times after leaving school, 20 plus I reckon but I grew out of listening to them.
Do you mind me asking who you are?

[Muso]

Hi Paul - It's Mark Ashley ("Ash Mandrake" these days). Jacked everything in to make music and hats, and take a show on the road (tiny business). Been doing that for 15 years.

[Taff]

Cheers Mark
I used to have a good laugh with you and Reno.
I spent a lot of time at both your houses.
You were the mate who taught me to climb walls.
We went through a phase of climbing the walls behind your house and onto the fields on Waterloo road opposite the post office. I’m not sure why as there was an adequate gate to use.
Good luck with the music Mark
Are you still drawing the thumb men, I remember you were an excellent artist?

[Muso]

Yes used to enjoy climbing - was great having lots of walls close by.  Yes head banging to Top Of The Pops at Reno's All the art stuff has gone into the making of stage hats (definitely not main stream) Do you do Facebook Paul? Please say hello on there if you do (friend request to Ash Mandrake). You'll be able to find Reno on there too. Lot's of thoughts about that time (4 decades !). I'm glad you've remembered good things. Some times I was a git and a prat - and reading what you've written about your time at Pete's makes that seem more important now. I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend to you.
 

[Taff]

I never bothered with Facebook , I’m more of a linked in kind of guy

[Muso]

I'll put a request in there. Great to reconnect Paul !

[Taff]

Don’t be daft
Being a prat is part of growing up.
I only have fond memories of hanging around with you.
😀

[Muso]

Good to hear that !!  (still felt important to say it).
Just tried on LinkedIn, but they want me to use the premium - don't want to get into that. I'm Ash Mandrake on there if you want to connect - but I don't use it very often.
I've got a daughter 24. I lived in Brazil for a time - She's half Brazilian. Over in the UK at the moment. Worked in Sweden and Germany too before changing direction. Are you in contact with Mark - I gave him my embroidered denim way back when (I'm not asking for it back Just asking after him). I often wonder whether Tucker followed his dream career path too ?

[SalfordGed]

Hello to all. I’m ex St. Peter’s, 1970 intake and was in Chadwick. At the first assembly of 1975 in joined my schoolmates in the hall only to be told that I’d been kept down a year due to my persistent absences the previous year. For a number of different family problems, which the school did not enquire about, I accumulated the impressive total of 80 days absence. I was not the only person kept down that year, which I think was probably done so as not to drag the GCE performance of the school down. So to all those out there who may remember the other ne’er do wells and myself, I should like to say I’ve survived the ignominy of that day and done alright.

[Pittsy]

Hi all. Enjoyed reading all of the comments so far. I too was one of the first through the doors in 1966 & remember standing in the quadrangle with the teachers on the upper tier giving the results of the equivalent to the Hogwarts sorting hat & being put in Levaggi's 1C class. In 2016 l contacted the school twice to see if they were doing anything for the 50th anniversary - l left my details both times & heard nothing. May try again this year! It was a shame as l would have liked to find out who had made it big & who ended up in prison!😄. I have kept in touch to this day with 3 of my classmates & still meet up regularly.  I often wonder what happened to Steve Smith. Wasyl Hamen & Steve Harris to name a few. Cheers for now. Tony

[Dingerleydell]

Just been reading back over these great comments it spurred me on to add my own.
I went to St Peters between 1977 - 1982 in Owen Form (blue one I think). For some sad reason I can remember the register... Bagwell, Brady, Cleary, Crausby, Cunningham, Fawthright, Faulkner, Gill, Gray, Grogan, Husak, Mcelholme, Mahon, Manci, Mayes, Mountcastle, Nuttal, Pilling, Potter, Smyth, Villerino, Waldron, Williams (sorry if I missed you out)...I wonder what they are all doing now? I reckon David Williams is either a full time comedian or in prison! As for the teachers the ones that stick in my mind are Mr (Dave)Langston for English ('tell us a story about the war sir,' knowing full well that would take up all 35mins of the lesson), Mrs Curley for RE (used to go bright red when Chris Faulkner asked her about the immaculate conception), Eddie Brierley for History (I played football for his team in Swinton years after leaving school, great guy sadly died a few years ago), Mr Evans Geography and Form Master (had a lovely head of hair that I admired very much), Mr Mollyneux PE (looked like a 1970's porn star with Magnum style moustache and a massive centre parting), Mr Fairbairn Chemistry (always allowed us to blow things up next to the gas taps), I forgot the name of my Maths Teacher but I know he spent many a dinner time in the Ostrich Pub as he always smelled of beer in class. Talking of the Ostrich Pub I also remember Mr Walker the Deputy Head whose Office window was looking out to the Pub, little did I know I would spend many an hour in that same pub only looking back in the opposite direction!