Old Nottinghamians

16/10/2026

Click on the link 👇 to hear from the School's Archivist, Emilia Bolton on how to organise and protect your own family archive.

https://sog.org.uk/gold-library/16th-0900/

15/10/2026

are you in the picture? 👇

14/10/2026

The Bridge Cup rehearsals are taking place in School today. This photograph shows the first winners in 1944. Do you remember taking part during your time at the High School? We would love to hear your stories.

01/10/2026

We enjoyed catching up with Richard Brooksbank (ON 1936 -1943) yesterday and hearing more about his time at Nottingham High School.

Richard's father Percy Brooksbank (ON 1889 -1892), and step-brothers Beric Brooksbank (ON 1918-1921) and Lawrence Brooksbank (ON 1919-1923) were pupils at the School.

We'll be featuring Richard's story in a future edition of the ON magazine.

We are also looking forward to celebrating Richard's 100th birthday with him in December.

Richard is holding a photograph of him with his Mother 👇

30/09/2026

The colourful sights of Nottingham's Goose Fair have been captured from the air by a unique hot air balloon club.

Members of Nottingham and Derby Hot Air Balloon Club launched from Nottingham High School on Monday before flying over the annual funfair.

The balloon club started in 1978 and is believed to be the only one in the UK with membership open to the general public.

Monday's flight was extra special for club members Robin Macey (ON 1972-1979) and his son Ashley (ON 2016-2023), as they are both former pupils of Nottingham High School.

"It was very special launching from the High School playground and getting great aerial views of both the school and Goose Fair"

Robin Macey

24/09/2026

If you think you know about the Gunpowder Plot, this talk may make you think again.

It focuses not on Guy Fawkes but arguably someone who had an even more profound impact: Father Henry Garnet, Jesuit priest and the last man to be executed for involvement in the Plot.

Henry was the son of Brian Garnet (Headmaster of Nottingham High School from 1565 – 1575) and the uncle of Saint Thomas Garnet, another executed Jesuit priest.

This talk has grown from a number of extraordinary coincidences. One is that William Ruff owns a rare brass box dating from 1606 and commemorating a miracle which, it was claimed, occurred during Garnet’s ex*****on.

The talk explores one of the most turbulent and tragic times in English history. Religious extremism, government spies, state-sponsored torture, miraculous events: all these and more feature in William’s talk.

Book your tickets here: on.nottinghamhigh.co.uk/events/view/william-ruff-talk

William Ruff

William was for many years Head of English at Nottingham High School. Since 1993 he has been classical music critic of the Nottingham Post and more recently for the ReviewsGate website. Since his retirement from the High School he has been a member of the U3A, teaching a wide range of literary and musical topics. He is also President of the Nottingham Shakespeare Society.

22/09/2026

"At 7:30am on 25 August, I stood on the roof of Africa.

After seven days on Mount Kilimanjaro, I reached Uhuru Peak, 5,895 metres above sea level. The sunrise above the clouds was unforgettable, but the summit represented much more than simply climbing a mountain. It marked the end of a journey that had started many months earlier"

Ethan Lewis (ON 2005-2012)

You can read more about Ethan's adventure in a future edition of the ON magazine.

10/09/2026

08/09/2026

Our Class of 1975 and 1976 reunion is taking place on Saturday 26th September.

There will be a delicious two course hot buffet lunch with w**e or soft drinks.

This will be followed by a nostalgic tour of the School.

You can book your ticket at the link below.

We would like to invite you all back to Nottingham High School for the opportunity to relax, reminisce, share stories and catch up with former classmates and friends. Partners and other guests are welcome to attend too. There will be a delicious two course hot buffet lunch with w**e or soft drinks.....

04/09/2026

At 96, Dr Peter Kendrick (ON 1941-1948) remains one of the most active, and engaged, members of our School community.

A Major Donor to the School, Peter is a wonderful advocate and supporter of our work, and in particular the bursary fund. He has been instrumental in encouraging the digitisation of our archives and championing the importance of collecting and preserving the stories of those connected with the School.

He has also cultivated an incredible network of support for the School among the Scottish community - launching the annual Edinburgh ON Lunch back in 2024.

Our current project is uncovering more about the air-raid shelters built at the School for use during the WW2. Yesterday, we left Peter with the plans, and we are looking forward to hearing more of his memories and stories. Peter remembers lessons actually taking place in the shelters, bringing this fascinating part of the School’s history vividly to life.

We look forward to sharing Peter's memories with you in a future edition of the ON magazine and we'll be back in Edinburgh in Spring 2027 for the ON Lunch.