Old Thorntonians Association (CLAPHAM)
Henry Thornton School, Clapham, South London
9he date of this year's reunion, agreed by the Management Committee, is Wednesday 12 November 2025, from 1 until around 4pm.. (The annual reunions are open to all OTs, whether or not they are Association members. )
Here's a summary of the main items discussed or reported at the last AGM, held at Elms Academy on 29 March 2025 and chaired by Ted Hayward, Acting Secretary/Chairman, with four other OTs present: [to follow]
Please note: the next Annual General Meeting will be held, on this occasion, at The Windmill, from 2pm until around 3pm on Monday 9 March 2026..
Other news...
In October 2022 Lambeth Council received an application from developers to demolish both Lambeth College (which fronts South Side) and - possibly at a later date - Elms Academy, formerly Lambeth Academy, in nearby Elms Road, to provide mainly additional housing in a series of tower blocks across both sites. As OTs may be aware, both the College and the Academy house various HTS-related memorabilia on wall-mounted display, including pupil honours boards spanning the years 1918 to 1963; the memorial to former pupils who lost their lives during the Second World War; and the school crest. The Association's Management Committee is naturally anxious that these historic items should continue to be carefully preserved and remain available for OTs to view on the Clapham site. One option favoured by the Committee is to transfer the College-based collection to Elms Academy, subject to prior agreement with the Academy Principal. UPDATE: the Council's Planning Committee approved the developers' proposals at its meeting in February 2024. Any further significant developments since that decision was taken will be reported here.
Did you join the school in 1955 or 1958? If so, head down the page and click on the Cohorts site link for more details.
Association tie: a limited supply is still available for purchase by all OTs; the price, including postage, is £15. Please contact Ted Hayward, using the website contact form, if you're interested. An image of the tie is displayed in the Miscellaneous gallery - in the second row from the top - which is accessed by clicking on Memorabilia.
Do you know of any OTs living outside the UK (whether or not they're likely to wisht to join the Association)? If so, use the same form to pass this information on to Ted, with their prior consent.
Ray Lampard (1944-9 ),now living in Paris, writes about his childhood experiences in wartime London: [ful text of memoir to follow]:
I was 6 years old when the war started. I was playing in the gardenof my house in Herne Hill, South London. At 11am I heard the broadcaste by the trhen Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain,who delcared solemnly "we are now at war with Germany£"/ b/
Newsletters
A reminder that the Newsletters page is available for viewing by OTs and all other visitors to the site.
Links
The following sites may also be of interest.
Old Thorntonians Football Club (Founded in 1928 and still going strong)
Amateur Football Combination (For OTFC 1st XI fixtures and tables, go to Inter South column and click on Inter South; for 2nd XI go to column 5.South West, and 6.South West for the 3rd XI)
Lambeth College (South Side, Clapham Common)
Lambeth Academy (Occupies site of the 1929 HTS building off Elms Road; now renamed Elms Academy
Clapham Society (Registered charity actively involved in a wide range of local issues, including planning and conservation)
Landmark.lambeth.gov.uk (Lambeth Council's archives site, with 7000+ photographs of local buildings etc, including a few of HTS and others, such as Holy Trinity Church)
The Windmill on the Common (Current venue for reunions and other Association meetings)
The Old Cicestrians - representing former pupils and staff of Chichester High School for Boys
HTScohorts.uk website - website representing those who joined HTS in 1955 and 1958.