It was silly, it was dangerous -- but the greatest fun.
Four of us: Spratley, Kemp, Hartland and Palmer,
found a trapdoor leading to the roof space above the old school. We decided to meet after school, wait till dark
in a restaurant, go back and climb into the roof space to explore, get onto the roof, leave evidence of our exploits,
and return home late and dirty. Come the dawn, all would be revealed to our unsuspecting fellow pupils and irate staff. Spratley had a car, and Kemp had camera and flash to record our exploits. We decided to leave chairs sprinkled around the Hall roof, and one near the top of the Belfry. Thank God no-one fell off the roof, or through the ceiling, and we weren't caught or discovered later. The Headmaster's wife heard a noise above her bedroom, but thought it was rats. The Expedition was a success, a feat of organization, to be remembered vividly 55 years later by those concerned. But was it worth the risk? It was the sort of thing 16 year old boys get up to, be warned!
Thanks to Roger Kemp for all these photos. They are melded into a whole from at least 3 exploratory expeditions.
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