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| Cardiff High School for Boys |
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Hi! Glad you could drop in to my website.
On these web pages you'll learn about me and some of the things I got up to at Cardiff High School
for Boys when I was there between 1963 and 1968, what I did before going there, and what I did afterwards. I also write about
growing up in Cardiff in the 50s and 60s (and 'growing up' itself) and about things and people that have come to mean a lot
to me over the years - my mum and dad, the rest of my family, friends, politics, music, books, the meaning of life, my
travels in the merchant navy, my ... (well, you'll find out!) and much else besides. I crack some of the oldest and worst
jokes in the English language along the way too. You have been warned!
I've decided to set up this site as 'FriendsReunited' keep censoring my content on that site.
About Cardiff High School for Boys
The school was located in Newport Road, Cardiff, South Wales, UK, just opposite Roath (Cardiff) Branch Public
Library. Its approximate latitude and longitude, for those of you, like George 'Dubya', not familiar with the geography
of Cardiff and Wales, was 51 degrees 29 minutes 12 seconds N; 3 degrees 9 minutes 40 seconds W. Some of the buildings I
knew are still there, and it is still functioning as a school, but now a primary school called St Peter's Primary School.
(You can't miss it, there is a new petrol filling station right next to it, which replaced the 'Merretts' bakery, which
was demolished. Now which idiot planner in Cardiff City Planning Department let that application through? Those poor kids!
The pollution levels from the traffic in Newport Road must be bad enough as it is, without the extra from the station.)
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| Me in the school uniform of Cardiff High School for Boys, in 1964, a few days after my 12th birthday |
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Cardiff High School for Boys when I entered it was a grammar school (i.e. for 'bright' kids), who had
to pass an exam (called the 11+) to get in, and catered for boys from 11 to 18 years. The 11+ was done away with about 1966,
so it changed then to being nominally 'non-selective' with an altered intake of 13-18 years, but still all boys. The number
of pupils at any one time was roughly around 450. I attended there between September 1963, aged 11, to July 1968. I left then
for the world of work, aged 16, with 3 firm job offers even before my O' Level results were in. You don't find that these
days!
The school, with its companion girls' school some distance away, closed in 1970. While there is still a secondary
school called 'Cardiff High School' in Cardiff, located in the 'middle class' heartland of Cyncoed, in Llandennis Road,
this is not a new 'Cardiff High School' risen from the ashes, but an imposter. It is, in fact if not in name, a pre-existing
secondary High School that used to be called 'Ty Celyn'. They just stole the name.
No, Cardiff High School is now consigned to history, like the boyhood and youth of us boys that
attended there. But like those things, fondly remembered (mostly!). So if it's OK by you, I'm going to do some reminiscing.
You can come along for the ride if you like.
You can read more about me and the schools I went to, especially Cardiff High School, on the rest of these
web pages. Hope you enjoy it.
And if you did, why not do the same for your life? We all have stories to tell!
Please get in touch with any comments or reactions to my site.
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