Boys Puzzle

Thanks UJ - yes, the variety of dress is a puzzle...including a sailor suit...yet they all look fairly smart and scrubbed up

[Langley Vale Sue]

Originally Posted by Uncle John

Fashion experts - when did square-ended ties go out of fashion?

When I first started school in 1954 my tie was a square ended striped knitted type. We moved house from SW London to Surrey in 1957 and my new school tie was the type children wear today with the pointed ends.

[Kit]

Originally Posted by Uncle John

Fashion experts - when did square-ended ties go out of fashion?

I didn't know ties ever had square ends. lol

If it was a school photo wouldn't it have a sign or something to say what class or year?

I've not seen a school photo without a sign.

Joan

The person you're interested in - do you know which boy he is?

I think its a school photo and like some others have said they may have in those days took the boys and girls photos separately.

I remember in my primary school there were two entrances one for BOYS and one for GIRLS although by then in 1964 they weren't used as such. But perhaps back then they were and also thought photos should be separate too!

Originally Posted by maggie_4_7

Joan

The person you're interested in - do you know which boy he is?

I think its a school photo and like some others have said they may have in those days took the boys and girls photos separately.

I remember in my primary school there were two entrances one for BOYS and one for GIRLS although by then in 1964 they weren't used as such. But perhaps back then they were and also thought photos should be separate too!

Thanks Maggie

The person I am interested in is the front row on the right hand end (hope I can say that) It's unmistakeable.

They all look a bit dressed-up for school - although maybe they were told to come to school in their best clothes because the photographer was coming in!

Its probably impossible to say - but do you think the photo could have been taken at Eccleshall Bierlow Workhouse? There are photos of it here http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.h...lBierlow.shtml

- with the boys all dressed up for some sort of publicity stunt?

[Rosie Knees]

what are their faces like Joan? I would have though if a school picture they would be moderately cheerful. Workhouse picture I would have though they'd look rather more glum?

I hadn't thought about that, Rosie - thanks

Looking at the original, it's quite a mixture - some look hapy, some look quite dejected.

One is wearing glasses - I don't know whether workhouse children would have been issued with glasses.

Also the boys I would guess range in age from about 6 to 12.

[Merry]

All the photos in the link to the workhouse page are of stone buildings, but the photo of the boys shows them lined up against a brick building. I notised there is an interesting pattern with the window ledges, where there is a divide between the left window ledge and the middle one, but a continuous ledge between the middle window and the one on the right. There's also a plinth running along roughly half way between the windows and the ground. So, a search of all the buildings in the country you should be able to draw up a shortlist! (as long as it hasn't been demolished!!) It's a pity there's not more detail of the (sash?) windows in the photo.

[Uncle John]

For architectural "students", the brickwork looks like bog-standard late Victorian English bond brickwork. But the window sills are interesting, being made in 4 sections where a more modern one would be a single lump of pre-cast concrete. The colour of the bricks would give us a clue if they weren't just variegated grey!