School Cloakrooms

[WealdenMac]

It's raining fairly steadily down here in the beautiful south this morning and it's got me remembering going to my mixed primary school on days like this in the 1950's. Our cloakrooms were in the main body of the building and were heated by a pretty fearsome, coal-fired, radiator system. Most children wore "regulation" navy blue gaberdine macs in the rain but there was the occasional rubber-lined example and one little girl even had an SBR (I kid you not-and by the time she reached 13 she was really "hot").

The teachers, mainly women-some of whom it was rumoured had been quarried rather than born and others who were sweet young things-wore a more mixed bag of rainwear. The older ones often had woolly or tweedy coats with some sort of added rubber, while the young ones mostly wore more traditional plastic macs or yellow cycling capes.

Since in those days it often seemed to rain all day, this all made for a rather heady mixture around the cloakrooms and in the adjoining corridors. One of those aromas that stays with you for ever. And then, of course, there was a veritable fashion parade of macs when the children's mothers picked them up in the afternoon. No insulated, comfy, motorised, school runs in Chelsea tractors in those days!

[hotwilly]

Raining steadily here in Lincolnshire - just the day to be out walking the dog - dressed for the weather - instead of being in an office working.

Remember those school Cloak Rooms - but in the 60's - ours had hot water pipes running thro them to keep them warm. My peiod at school 59 - 70 Gaberdine macs was the thing - at least until Anoraks were discovered in late 60's - I cant remember anybody wearing SBC or even palstic macs at school - they maybe did but I cant recollect.

Yellow plastic cycle capes (slightly see thro') had replaced the heavier oil skin ones, oh how one of those yellow capes felt on my young naked

[plasphil]

School days, ahh now you've got the childhood memories going. I was at school in the sixties and I guess like many of us, discovered my 'interest' in rainwear though it was obviously a big secret as I had no idea why I found the feel of plastic so exciting.
I have many vivid memories of my teenage school years as thankfully plastic rainwear was still relatively common. I particularly remember a girl who I think was from France and only with our class for a couple of terms. When it was raining she would wear a very glossy red PVC mac with matching hat. I think it had white trim around the edges, cuffs and collar, she looked fabulous. Another girl who rode a bike would wear a semi-see through yellow plastic cape with galoshes over her shoes. I remember watching her put the cape on one day, ooooohh!

I hated school, every day of it, unless it was raining of course!

Phil.

[PVCLOVER]

In the mid to late 60s I wore a navy blue gaberdine to school if it was wet. At one school I went to,the girls went to their own part of school,and they wore gaberdines whatever the weather. I loved watching them arrive,all macked up,happy days! I liked to wear my gaberdine,but my plastic mac was better. Sometimes I put my plastic mac on first,then the gaberdine over it!

[neil]

I like the thought of a school where girls wore gaberdines whatever the weather!I'd love to hear more about this!
I was very much at the end of the gaberdine era and never had one myself,although I do recall some boys and girls wearing them at primary school.
I had quilted nylon anoraks,but what I recall most fondly was the NB3 parka;firstly the buff coloured canvas ones with the red lining;later the nylon snorkel versions with the orange lining.I still wear these today.My favourite was to wear one all zipped up over my blazer,jumper and nylon shirt on a hot day.This had to be done discreetly;I didn't want any friends seeing me and thinking I was a bit strange...!
The girls coats I most remember were junior versions of fashionable womens plastic coats of the early 70's.I loved seeing these worn done up to the neck and belted.One I especially remember was styled like a parka with a zip,but had a shiny dark blue outer coating.This started to flake off after a few months,but when it was new it looked great.
When I was a bit older a few girls had hooded Rukkas,both the shiny unlined version and the dull plastic with the quilted lining.
Remember the hooded girls "Reporter"coats?Stud fastened,usually with a red fleece lining and a belt.
Whilst not exactly a rain coat,one girl I knew had a coat which was a sort of imitation wool,but the material was foam backed,fairly waterproof,and quite heavy.I guess it was almost like carpet underlay.
I had a dark blue nylon packamac too,which was always in my briefcase.

[mrbassman101]

I remeber my school cloakroom in the early 60's in Sunderland.
Lots of gray or blue gaberdine raincoats bur the best of all was
a maroon mac with a blue and pink tartan lining owned by a
girl called Gwen.It had a rubber lined hood too and I used to
sneak away occasionally and go down to the cloakroom and
sniff her mac and feel the cold smooth rubber lining.
A delicious memory after all these years
regards mrbassman101

[PVCLOVER]

Maybe I was stretching a point a bit when I said girls wore gaberdines whatever the weather. They were worn from around possibly October to April even on non rainy days,which covered a chunk of the school year. I wore mine on wet days only. Girls looked really good to me as a young boy wearing these coats fully fastened up to the neck and tightly belted! Now I love to see women wearing pvc. I ought to get myself some unisex pvc rainwear again soon.Thanks for your comment Neil.

[neil]

And here's me imagining gaberdines in a heatwave!
Your description is sort of how I remember things too;I think there were terms when cirtain types of clothing had to be worn,although by my time uniform requirements were quickly being relaxed as comprehensives took over.
I do remember double and single breasted coats PVC coats in the style of gaberdines being common in the late 60's/early 70's.
One of the primary schools I went to in Lancashire had exposed pipes in the cloakroom that were so hot in winter you could barely touch them!The room was probobly the warmest place in the whole school.The paint(no doubt lead based!) was all flaking off too.Yes,I remember that steamy mix of damp cloth,hot iron,and body odur well.Even if your coat was a bit damp it was always warm to go out in at playtime.
I'm not sure schools have cloakrooms any more.

[hotwilly]

Boys - weren't those the days! I left Secondaty school in the summer of 70, it had gone from Grammar to Comprehensive in the 3rd of 5 yrs.
Our Grammar school uniform was Green Gaberdine Coats for boys & girls - I remember only having the one I was bought when I started as an 11 yo. When I grew out of that it was replaced by a series of Anoraks, fabric not PVC / Plastic. I cant remember what the girls wore after Gaberdine- shame. Our cloakrooms had exposed pipes running thro' them.

[pvcmac]

ah fond memories of school macs. both my junior and secondary schools were mixed. in junior school there were a mix of gaberdine macs and some girls had lovely rubber lined macs, one mac i remember well was a little red rubber lined mac. it belonged to a girl in my class and i was in love with her and her mac.
in secondary school most wore gaberdine macs both boys and girls, i hated the boys macs including mine but the girls macs were lovely. my first girlfriend had a blue gaberdine mac with a hood and i loved her in it, she wore it till we left school and she replaced it with a gorgous red pvc mac and sadly she threw her blue school mac away.
my cousin had the most wonderful green school mac lined with green rubber and a hood, she hated the green mac but i loved it and always wanted it.
i pleaded with her to let me have her mac but she took great pleasure in burning it.
how i wish that i could get hold of one of those lovely old girls school macs, especially a rubber lined mac like that green one.