Cockfosters, Heddon Court Parade c.1965

Photo ref: C579016

Trent Park was an amazing place to go in the 60’s, after my three years studying music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After busy London it was beautiful to take a year studying philosophy, psychology, sociology and the history of educational ideas, as well as the lovely music wing with other pro music students. We all came here to complete a cert Ed to enable us to teach in ...see more

Whether it was 1965 or a year or two later, I'm not sure. Again all of us used to swim here in the summer holidays, when the college was closed. It was near sunset and we'd dried and changed in the orangery to the rear. We were sitting on the steps watching a film crew setting up where the cameraman of this photo was standing. Intrigued, we hung around waiting to see what happened. Eventually several actors were ...see more

Ah this rear 3/4 view of the big house stirs some memories. We (the estate children) would often congregate on the lawn here mainly during long heady summer evenings. It was actually an old tennis court, the lines then still being visible. Below we believed were the "dungeons" where German pow's were housed during the Second World War. It was here I had my first (or maybe second) spooky experience. I shall reveal that in my Trent Park memoirs elsewhere.

I remember the day we moved to Rookery Cottages, Trent Park. A fine warm spring day. I had just turned 7 years old and the date was 7th May 1959. At least I'm sure it was the seventh. Dad opened the door and the smell of dust and suchlike filled the air. The cottage stood close to a big reddish coloured building which I learned was the gymnasium for the college. Opposite a large steel clad building ...see more