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On a rain-swept day - April 4th - a party from the upper forms of the school left Harrow Weald in a modern, tidy coach for a few days' visit to Chester. The boys, who were seen off by Fr. Dominic, who seemed happy at their departure, were bravely accompanied by Frs. Louis, Aloysius, Brendan and Mr. Comes. After travelling for two hours, they arrived at the cultural centre of England - Oxford - where they made a stop to visit the fine buildings of the city, visiting Magdalene and Nuffield Colleges, (Marks & Spencer's, Boots, and Woolworths). Leaving Oxford at 1.30 p.m. they travelled to Stratford, where another short stop was made to view and visit the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, the Wimpey Bar and a brief, but hazardous row on the Avon. It was found that everyone had managed to scramble to the shore and arrive back at the coach without any small souvenirs like canoes and boats. And so they continued their momentous journey of pillage and destruction on the main route to Chester. This wonderful group of wags managed to arrive, with the coach, intact, and looking ‘rather lovely’, if slightly grubby, at Christleton Hall at 6.34 p.m. The boys were welcomed most cordially by the Fathers and students at the College and installed quickly into their various dormitories. The boys soon felt at home, as was seen by the way they ate at the supper table.
Then the boys BEGAN to settle down for the night, but the Fathers felt it was a shame that they did not quite finish.
The next morning was bright and fresh but the same cannot be said for the boys who seemed to be suffering from lack of sleep, for some unknown reason. After breakfast, the time for the long-awaited encounter between the students of the College and the School's team arrived. The game turned out to be a tremendously tense and hard-fought battle, in which the school put up a magnificent performance in drawing 1-1 with a mature and experienced scholastics' team.
The afternoon was spent touring the famous City of Chester, viewing the Roman Wall and the Cathedral, but it is feared that most of the boys spent the afternoon in or around the river. After supper the older boys of the party paid their last visit to the historic city.
Thursday was the day arranged for the educational visit to Blackpool. Everyone was up nice and early, completely refreshed by a few minutes' sleep during the previous night. Added to the riotous party from the school was a comparatively sedate group of students from the College. After journeying through the Mersey Tunnel, the huge party arrived at the famed Blackpool health resort. A number of the boys enjoyed a two hour conducted tour of Blackpool Football Club, because the Manager was somehow under the impression that they were a professional club's junior side. The rest of the day was spent in various pastimes, too numerous to comment upon.
The most enjoyable part of the trip to Chester was on the Thursday evening when the school party joined the students in a get-together after supper, at which the school captain presented the students with a football and thanked all those at Christleton for their wonderful hospitality. It is not true that the boys accidentally tried to leave with the ball hidden under a coat.
After photographs and farewells the school party left the College after a most enjoyable stay. Stopping only at Lichfield on the return journey to view the cathedral and various hostelries, the party arrived back at Harrow Weald in a rather begrimed coach, early on the Friday evening.
The boys wish to thank Fr. Louis and Fr. Aloysius for giving them a wonderful few days away from home.
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