Old West Downs Society
Newsletter & Information
West Downs School, Winchester — 1897–1988
The next dinner will be on Monday 9th October 2023, at Brooks's Club, St James's Street, London SW1A 1LN. Dress is a lounge suit or black tie as you wish. The timing will be 6:30 for 7:00 p.m. The cost of the dinner has not yet been decided, but it should be around the 85 pound mark. Emails will be sent out in 2023 asking you to book if you want to come. Payment will be by credit transfer and not by cheque. The dinner is being managed by the committee which consists of Hugh Tottenham (1970), Ted Wake (1973), Michael Mackenzie (1965) and Andrew Parker-Jervis (1968).
If you wish to use the West Downs site of Winchester University for a personal event of your own, such as a wedding reception, contact the University of Winchester Conferences Manager at conferences@winchester.ac.uk
WD Record 1965-72
Some pictures of walks, etc, by Lionel Kay - slideshow
West Downs in about 1912 - slideshow
Interesting collection of West Downs items supplied by Nick Bloxam (1948-54)
Andrew Selous, MP, speaking at the 2006 dinner
Corbett Macadam, Daniel Hodson and John Cornes listen to Andrew Selous, 2006
Links to members’ websites
Has anyone done a MacNab?
Harry Risbridger – Instructor – came to the School after the War, when we returned from Scotland to Winchester, and took charge of PE and swimming. He also took charge of shooting, and here he is during a Founder’s Day shooting match between Old Boys and the School.
Click on any of the following to get more information:-
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- Some pictures sent in by Matthew Bates (1980-83) — Views of the school, the 1980 and 1981 school pictures, and leavers 1983
- Some pictures taken by Nick Hodson (1943-47) — The Grand Opening of the new West Downs Conference and Performing Arts Centre, 2nd May 2001
- Some pictures taken by Anthony Hawks (1947-53) — Griffith, Jacques, Severn, Kitchen, etc.
- Some pictures taken at the Dinner at Brooks’s, March 2003.
- A short history of the OWD Society
- A brief history of West Downs School
- The West Downs Roll of Honour
- Books about the School
- Memorials to Lionel Helbert (11.4 Mb, so broadband users only)
- Publications available from the Society
- Letters from Old Boys and Girls about the School (The Source Material for the book by Mark Hichens}
- The Masters’ Plays — by Kenneth Tindall
- The Life of Jesus — by Kenneth Tindall
- The West Downs School Prayers
- OWD Society Membership
- More pictures of the School
OWD Society Members’ business and personal sites
- Nick FitzHerbert; The Rules of Magic applied to Business Presentations
- David Lewis, Spain, Promotion of artists
- Simon Collings, Reading, designer
- Alan Petrides, Audiobook Publisher
Anyone done a MacNab? Richard Paget writes: I have just started a company producing audio books on different country sports and pastimes. The first ones are Fly Fishing Tales 1 and 2 — in each tape 6 top fishermen recall their most memorable catch and we include the actual flies they used ... We are exploring other topics and are currently looking for people who have achieved a MacNab to interview. I am sure there must be some among OWDs who either have achieved, or aspire to achieve, the ‘Grand Slam’ of the Highlands. Richard Paget