Mark Radcliffe left Bolton School in 1976. He went on to
become one of the country's most respected music broadcasters on
radio and television.
He recently returned to his old school to judge the annual
battle of the bands competition and was reunited with his favourite
teacher, Charles Winder, who is now President of the Old
Boltonians' Association. Here are his reflections on his
schooldays:
"I joined Bolton School Boys' Division Junior School, Park Road
as it was known, aged 7 and moved up to Senior School, leaving
after my A levels. I have very fond memories of growing up in
Bolton and of my schooldays.
The Headmaster was a Mr Baggley but my favourite teacher was Mr
Charles Winder who taught us English. What made him special
was his sheer enthusiasm for his subject, which rubbed off on all
the boys, well, it did on me anyway! Through the poems of
Gerard Manley Hopkins, he inspired in me a love of words that I
carry with me to this day. He also instilled in me an
enduring appreciation of Thomas Hardy. If I am honest, he
probably wasn't the trendiest of teachers but this didn't matter as
he transcended this with an irrepressible passion for the English
language.
My school report said that my academic studies were suffering as
a result of my over-healthy interest in music. That was
certainly true, but I think I did alright by it! After
leaving Bolton School, I went onto Manchester University. All
the time I harboured the ambition of being in a band, I still do if
I am honest! My band at school was called The Berlin Airlift
and it was great to recently meet up with my old bandmates, Ross
Warburton and Andy Wright. The memories certainly came
flooding back when we made a nostalgic visit to Lostock Tennis
Club, where we played our first gig.
I was a thoroughly happy lad growing up in Bolton. I lived
10 minutes away from school, we ran wild in the nearby countryside
and, as a large town, I got to see a good number of bands in the
Albert Halls and the Institute. I look at the town
centre now and wonder why the market is full of established brands
and shops outside the market are all charity shops? I
preferred it when there were stalls in the market and the big name
shops were scattered around the town centre.
I revisited Bolton School for the first time four years ago for
an old boys' reunion and it brought back a range of conflicting
emotions - what immediately struck me was how the dining room still
had the same aroma that it had 30 years ago!
I think my Bolton School education gave me a sense of fair play
and a good grounding in life. There was a part of me which
wanted to be anti-establishment and that's partly what inspired my
love of music. I liked to see my going to gigs as being
separate from school and a chance to indulge a rebellious streak in
me. But, to be fair to Bolton School, they accommodated my
interests and the establishment bit of me saw me taking up a
position of Monitor (prefect) at the school. What the school
did well was allow you to pursue a range of interests.