This week we held our 150th Birthday Celebration and Awards Evening at the Bridgewater Hall. The guest speaker was Harini Iyengar MA, BCL, class of 1992, now a barrister at 11KBW Chambers in London.
Our first public Speech Day was held in 1892 in the Free Trade Hall. In the early days of Manchester High, there was no school uniform, but for formal occasions girls wore white dresses with yellow sashes over the right shoulder, as you can see in this photo from the 1890s. In the archive collection, we still have some examples of the sashes. Yellow or ‘maize’ was the school colour chosen by the girls in the 1880s.
A pupil from the 1940s remembers that those receiving prizes were expected to curtsey to the distinguished guest presenting the awards, so time was spent perfecting this skill. Girls were expected to sit properly, straight backs, knees and ankles together. Woe betide any girl caught slouching in her seat on Speech Day!
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