Author Topic: Harry Lucas School  (Read 43970 times)

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #44 on: June 20, 2019, 03:56:36 PM »
Mr Jones was the artmaster during my time at HLS 1960-65, he was not only a good teacher he was a brilliant artist - I remember watching him produce a self-portait over many lunch breaks in oils using a pallet knife, up close it was a bewilderment of the most unlikely blobs of colour but stand a few paces back and it came to life. He was the driving force behind the school movie entitled The Bycycle Thief (1964), many thought its symbolism was right up there with Roman Polanski's Two Men and a Wardrobe (?!). Sadly the movie vanished without trace when the school closed, it's probably locked away in a dusty vault somewhere lying dormant waiting for a future generation to discover, assuming the old 8mm film has not sucumbed to the raviges of time.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #45 on: June 20, 2019, 09:52:49 PM »
Rightly or wrongly I believed the vehicle shown in the pic of the school post #2 is a van (A35 or similar) but Threader AWJD quite rightly questions this on Post #96 on the Industrial Birmingham Thread, I've looked at the pic a number of times (even projected the slide to giant size) but so far the vehicle's identity eludes me, so let's look at the facts, true it is more likely to be a car as the shot was taken June 1961 ie within term time, a tradesman was more likely to be working there out of term. I was at the school then (I started in 1960) and teachers with cars were in very short supply, Mr Jones Artmaster had a white Mini, which he parked in the rear playground near the entrance door closest to the artroom, if any of the other teachers did have cars they did not park them on the school site, the only exception to this was Mr A E Walker, Headmaster who had, during my time at the school, an Austin A55 Cambridge, and he did park it where the vehicle is in the pic - so, mystery solved, right? Not sure, does it look like an A55 Cambridge? The time reference is about right, those cars came on sale in 1957. 
School pic: http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12554.msg655118#msg655118
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

AWJD

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #46 on: June 22, 2019, 11:51:14 AM »
It is a poor image but the vehicle seems to be painted bluey grey in colour and appears to have a white roof. It also seems to also have a flatish rear rather than a projecting boot like that of an Austin A30 or A55. My best guess is that it might well be an Austin Mini.

AWJD

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #47 on: June 22, 2019, 03:31:49 PM »
This 1961 Mini looks to fit the bill!

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #48 on: July 24, 2019, 05:26:49 PM »
I live in Hampshire now and I got a quote for a new front door the other day, the saleman was Czechoslovakian, I greeted him and asked him to come in and sit down, first thing he said to me was Which part of Birmingham are you from?
CSE English Grade 3 -  well worth the effort, right!(?)
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #49 on: July 29, 2019, 06:17:47 AM »
I wonder how much of the school was recycled after closure in 1969? Most schools would probably have had already what they needed so I'm guessing anything useful was sold off, you see the odd example of desks that were in use at that time on Bargain Hunt and other antique programmes.
So nearly all the school must have ended up in a skip - perhaps even the film masterpiece The Bicycle Thief that I keep asking about from time to time.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #50 on: March 20, 2020, 04:10:33 AM »
THE BICYCLE THIEF - This is my regular appeal for information on the whereabouts of the 8mm movie made by pupils c1964, which vanished, without trace, when the school closed, it was shot almost entirely at the school and if found would represent a priceless record of the time, time is our enemy - it's possible even if found the cans contain no more than a gooey gel.  :-[
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #51 on: March 31, 2020, 03:38:26 PM »
I'll post a celebratory note when the number of hits on the school pic reaches a 1000, unless someone beats me to it.
Link HLS pic: https://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12554.msg655118#msg655118
Peg.
P.S. Coronavirus Feb 2020: keep safe.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #52 on: December 30, 2020, 11:23:31 AM »
hello barncrofter would you happen to have any photographs of the school..inside or out as they are very thin on the ground...my brother went to harry lucas and before that my dad the school at that time was called burbury st school
all the best
lyn
Are you still out there Lyn? You're conspicuous by you absence.
Peg
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Bodger

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #53 on: January 22, 2021, 06:02:43 PM »
Used to teach art 1966-1969 when the school closed. My first teaching job, had a great time there.

netty

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Re: Harry Lucas School
« Reply #54 on: January 22, 2021, 06:42:16 PM »
Welcome Bodger, pity you didn't teach there a few years earlier, you could have give us the low down on a certain Mr Peg Monkey.


 

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