Photographic memory
Flash, bang, wallop, what a picture… By Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin When the receivers held an auction after West Heath closed its doors in 1997, it seemed anything and everything connected to the school went under the hammer. Even items like…
Ruth Rudge remembers when it was so cold in bed she had to wrap herself in newspaper!
The story of how Ruth Rudge (pictured) found herself teaching Latin at West Heath in the mid-1950s, before she became headmistress (1965 – 1988), was told in her own words in an old school magazine (see full account below). It…
Historic Ash Grove House name makes a comeback
The original name of ‘West Heath School’ was preserved when the charity, that took over the estate in 1998, changed its name from ‘The New School at West Heath’ to West Heath School in 2015. Now another name from the…
Ski trip film stars
Who do you recognise in this month’s film footage? It is from a school ski trip in the late 80s (or possibly early 90s). The first ski trip was to Les Arcs, and this was followed by Les Deux Alpes,…
Caught on camera… in the old gym
Take a look at this video film of a games lesson in the old gym, which also doubled as a dance studio. It was also used for the occasional play performed on a stage made of large boxes. There are…
Memories of West Heath from the 1940s
by Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin Griselda Gifford (nee Willoughby) became a pupil at West Heath just after the second world war. Here, Griselda takes us back to her schooldays when she remembers, among other things, sneaking into Sevenoaks to watch a…
Christmas – a time of excitement
Here is a delightful photo of former headmistress Ruth Rudge during one of the West Heath Christmas lunches held just before the end of term when you could feel the excitement as pupils and staff prepared to head home to…
The drama hall has gone – long live the new hall…
by Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin Do you have memories of performing plays or music recitals on the large stage in the West Heath Drama Hall? Maybe you remember morning assemblies, or sitting at a desk anxiously waiting to start an exam….
Grease is the word
The West Heath drama hall was transformed into the fictional Rydell High School for a performance of the musical ‘Grease’ back in the 90s. A video of the show has come to light and a full length version appears on…
Staff’s Queen performance caught on camera!
50 years ago this month, on 31 October 1975, Queen released their ground-breaking single Bohemian Rhapsody. About 10 years later in 1985, Queen performed the song at the Live Aid charity concert at Wembley when the band stole the show….