The end of an age?

Many moons ago, when the world was yet young and the nationalistic, right-wing, racist, lower than vermin cretins had not taken over the levers of power a neophyte, newly trained teacher was scanning the pages of the TES (the Times Educational Supplement) and looking for a tasty job to apply for

.

The first job application (and he sent out many) to offer him an interview was in Kettering.  He had never heard of Kettering and consultation of the AA Handbook (these were the days before the web and mobile phones) did not give much information to flesh out the unknown name.

But, an interview was an interview, and so he was determined to take up the opportunity to visit Kettering Boys Grammar School and see what was what.

Being his mother’s son in matters of commerce he stipulated one simple rule: if there was no M&S in the place then he would walk away.

He booked into the hotel that the AA recommended and set off on his adventure.

Kettering, he discovered, not only had a fine parish church, but also had the essential M&S.  It also turned out that there was a branch of Sainsbury’s and, in those dark days, there was not a single store of that name in Cardiff, or indeed in Wales.  So, that was alright.

To apply that simple rule in Kettering on Monday would mean that that young man would have spurned the opportunity.  Today, Saturday 11^th of August 2018, is the last day of trading for the M&S that I used - for as long as the money lasted and then I downgraded to Sainsbury’s!

I had had evening teaching jobs previously.  Indeed, during my training year in Cardiff University (when that university had an education department) I was teaching four evenings a week – but Kettering was my first ‘real’ teaching appointment.

I worked as though possessed during my first year with my lunchtimes and after schools effortlessly filling up with all the things you do until you discover that most of it is wasted effort.  I did insist on one thing: a (working) overhead projector in my classroom.  I must be one of the ¡very few English teachers who from his training year until he retired used an overhead projector.  I have yet to hear of any others!  If there are any of you out there then let me know, it would be good to know that I was not alone!

But my greatest achievement in my first year of teaching was my address:

          Saint Botolph’s House,

          Saint Botolph’s Road,

          Barton Seagrave,

          Northamptonshire.

In the days when you had to write your address on the back of your cheques, that olde-worlde sounding domicile gave the right air of solidity and rectitude!

Although Northamptonshire is now in the news because of the almost (!?) criminal mismanagement of the council finances by the lower than vermin Conservatives who now bleat that they cannot fulfil their statutory obligations to the disadvantaged without immediate national government help – Northamptonshire itself is the home of some very rich individuals, not least among whom is the Duke of Buccleuch with his little residence of Boughton House, and believe you me, ‘house’ it is not!

Although no one else matches the duke for filthy richness, there are a lot of wealthy people and notable pieces of architecture in the county – some of which (the houses not the filthy rich) I discovered with the authoritative aid of my trusty Pevsner during my stay in the county.

Money is certainly there, but not in the hands of those who can help the young, the disabled, the disadvantaged, the chronically sick, the needy.  And now there is no M&S: truly Northamptonshire is becoming known as The Dark County!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, I passed my probationary year and moved on to Cardiff where I spent the rest of my career.  Well, until the little bits added on in Sitges, Castelldefels and Barcelona!

In order of importance (though not necessarily in order of use) I would rank the following stores:

1                  M&S

2                  Boots

3                  Tesco

4                  W H Smith

5                  BHS

6                  Howells (Cardiff - House of Fraser)

7                  David Morgan’s (Cardiff independent store)

8                  Second Hand Book Shops (Cardiff – I knew them all!)

9                  Comet etc

10             Other supermarkets

11             Thayer’s Ice Cream (City Road)

12             Local bread shops

As I was typing that list, so I was becoming more maudlin.  So stopped.  Things are not the same.  Some of those shops have closed down, some are struggling.

 

You will notice that Amazon (the scourge of retail) is not mentioned at all and, anyway, I’m living in Catalonia - where they do things differently?