Canonsgrove in November 2022
Left: Similar to our day, but the wall where so many of our photos were taken has been replaced by a temporary green fence. Yuk!
Right: A new building in the centre. The end of Ray Robinson’s house has been replaced with a new accommodation block.
Left: How many hours did we spend stood here waiting for a taxi? Cecil Dredge’s office on the left. What would he make of how it now looks? All very depressing.
Right: Pretty much the same expect that Terry Cheek’s house has been replaced by another accommodation block
Left: The bushes have grown a bit and the table tennis area that joined Blocks 2 and 3 has been built on (lighter bricks).
Right: All three houses used by the training staff now replaced with student accomodation.
Left: Ground floor of Block 3 - Dave Butcher’s and my old rooms visable above the bushes on the left. New block covering the table tennis area on the left (See the Then & Now page for a photo of me stood outside my window, looking about 10!)
Right: Not much different, if you ignore the new accommodation block.
Left: The tress have grown but still a pleasant outlook
Right: Does anyone remember this plaque? I don’t! (It’s positioned directly behind where I was stood for the left hand photo)
Left: The stand has been removed and the area immediately behind has been fenced off to seperate it from the grounds of the House
Right: The scene of my ‘fall from disgrace’! Luckily the cargo net has been removed to prevent some other idiot from falling off of it!
Left: The back of the gym and the start of the obstacle course (now all removed)
Right: Did we actually appreciate what a lovely place Canonsgrove was?
Left: Did we really absail off of the top of the gym. It now seems very high, but I guess we were young and fearless!
Right: Foyer of the gym being used as an office for the staff who ran the site for the homeless (who were moved in during Covid).
Left: It looks even higher from this angle!
Right: The TV Room - remember the rush to get to watch Top of the Pops!
Left: The garages have been replaced by yet another accommodation block
Right: Cecil would not be happy with the current state of the gym floor!
Left: My room on the left and Dave Butchers on the right. If you look closely, its all very tatty and unloved! We didn’t need door locks!
Right: The ground floor of Block 3, from just inside the door (nearest to the Gym). Turn left at the far end to play table tennis (but not any more)
Left: Block 3 - looking towards the exit leading to the gym
Right: Further along the same corridor (Block 3 was the only one I managed to sneek in to!)
Left: Entrance to Block 1 and the start of the covered walkway to the House (now blocked off by a fence behind me)
Right: A view from close to the gym entrance back towards the House