The program will be on Saturday, October 22 from 10-11 a.m. It is free and all are welcome.
"I will discuss the history of the English nanny, from the original wet nurse to today's highly paid college trained nannies, the training in the 1950's at my college,the lives of the children who lived there,and some of my most memorable experiences in the field."
Below is a photo of her graduating class at St Christopher's Nursery Training College in Tunbridge Wells.
I grew up in St Christopher's as a child. The main building was called Ravensdale and had been built by a man called William Alfred Willicombe he was known as the Cubit of Tunbridge Wells. Miss May Hilton was the Principal at the time and her Deputy was Sister Kathleen whom I was later told was very fond of me. Miss Hilton raised me as her child, when she could, out of her own pocket to prevent me going into foster homes. And I lived with her on the top floor of Ravensdale. I feel today, she is being written out of history, as in later years she was part of the project to build flats on this large Estate for single mothers so that they didn't have to give away their babies. She also pioneered work in Child Care that is still widely used today. Miss Hilton also brought to the attention of Tunbridge Wells that it had it's own poor.. something that had not been acknowledged.The late Queen Elizabeth II awarded her two medals for her work with children. Miss Hilton lived to be nearly one hundred and one years. Also St Christopher's in my time consisted of 100 Nannies (they came with two tiers regarding their status and were known as the blues or pinks re: the colour of their uniform dresses. One paid a less fee to train if they did some light domestic work and the others paid the regular fee and therefore didn't do this additional work) and 100 children aged 0-7yrs. There were also seven gardeners, five beehives, fruit and vegetable gardens, a five hundred year old oak tree and ancient woods...these woods still exist. There were four Mansions...The Dell, Sandrock, Larchwood and Ravensdale...it was a huge complex. Those first three Mansions no longer exist. And their histories have died with them.There was even a pony (Tango) there and I had a little dog (Patsy) I am sad that the history of this wonderful place is being edited out and in some cases rewritten with important evidence removed . It was my childhood safe place and a place I have returned to again and again throughout my life. I am a retired Psychodynamic Counsellor. Sandra.
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