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 11th 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?
