L'institution Ségaux aux Lilas

In a previous post I wrote about a school trip to Paris is 1966. I was curious about the establishment where we stayed and set out to see what I could find about it. I presumed it was a boarding school. It occupied several storeys with communal facilities including dining room, washroom and dormitory. There was a yard at the back and a single storey outbuilding with table tennis equipment. There was a general store on the corner opposite. Retracing my steps as best I could recall on Google Street View, I headed south west from Mairie des Lilas Metro along Rue de Paris, then north along Rue Jean Moulin. On the corner at the junction with Rue du Tapis Vert I found the café ‘MELTING POTES’ which seemed a good fit for the old general store. Opposite the café on the west side of Rue Jean Moulin, relatively modern buildings occupying the site.

I could not recall the name of the school, but M. Ségaux was in charge. Google searches led me to L'institution Ségaux, a private school at 23 Rue Jean Martin. I have given some links below for those who would like to know more, but briefly the institution had been in the family for several generations back to the 19^th century. It moved to Rue Jean Martin (then known as Rue De L’Avenir) in 1868 and finally closed in 2004. A notable chapter in the school's history is the concealment of a number of Jewish children during WWII. Jacques, who took over in 1958, was Director at the time of my visit.

The institution features in a number of old postcards. This must be a 19^th century view as the address is given as Rue de L’Avenir and there are detail differences from later images.

Compare it with a view from 2018

Another view from about the same period

The corner shop opposite the institution, about the same period. An extra storey was added later. 

The Institution from Rue du Tapis Vert, 1903

And in 2018, looking towards the current No, 23 

1904

About 1905

The school recreation ground in 1906

Undated, similar to other early 1900’s images but no crescent name board above the gates

 Source gives date as (1945-1960). Various detail differences from earlier views including the lintel above the gates with the inscription ‘INSTITUTION SEGAUX’. 

Links to four images of L'institution Ségaux from 2006. I haven’t reproduced them here since they are accompanied by copyright notices, but the appearance is much the same as the 1945-1960 image. The accompanying captions includes the text ‘Les édifices les plus importants, l’église et l’institut Ségaux, devraient disparaître. La première sera rebâtie, et la réutilisation des terrain du second sont l’objet d’études à l’heure actuelle’. The church, Église Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire des Lilas, will be rebuilt but the institution’s days are numbered. 

https://patrimoine.seinesaintdenis.fr/La-rue-Jean-Moulin-ancien-chemin-de-la-Fontaine-carree-qui-apparait-deja-sur-12830

https://patrimoine.seinesaintdenis.fr/La-rue-Jean-Moulin-ancien-chemin-de-la-Fontaine-carree-qui-apparait-deja-sur-12831

https://patrimoine.seinesaintdenis.fr/La-rue-Jean-Moulin-ancien-chemin-de-la-Fontaine-carree-qui-apparait-deja-sur-12832

https://patrimoine.seinesaintdenis.fr/La-rue-Jean-Moulin-ancien-chemin-de-la-Fontaine-carree-qui-apparait-deja-sur-12833

Other links.

History of the school
http://www.ajpn.org/sauvetage-Institution-Segaux-707.html

https://sites.google.com/site/leslilasavant/infoslilas/infoslilas201804

Links to former pupils and group photos 1956-1991

http://copainsdavant.linternaute.com/e/ecole-institution-segaux-126941

Former pupils' Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/53937763000/

St. Mary's 1965 photo - third year tagged.

An update to previous post of the 1965 panoramic photo . I have added names for boys from my cohort who would have been in the third year at the time. Mostly, these joined in the first year in 1963 and left from the upper sixth in 1970 but some came later or left earlier. One or two stayed later after repeating a year to improve their 'O' or 'A' level grades. I haven't spotted:
Richard Marsh, Desmond Heldt - may have left by now
Michael Upton, Michael Minkiewicz, Tim Hickey, Daniel Taylor (deceased) - may not yet have arrived
Colin Gabel, Malcolm Haley - I'm afraid I can't remember what Malcolm looked like
I can't recall McLaughlin's first name.
If you find anyone I have missed, please leave a comment. I hope to add other tagged versions as time and available information permits.

St. Mary's Sidcup "Oedipus the King" 1964

I found some Kentish Times archive photos lying around on the internet.  Go to:

http://archives.bexley.gov.uk/

Search for "Oedipus"
That should find six results.  Click on the reference, then click on the thumbnail to bring up full size:



2887.  Oedipus's daughters are John Escott (left) and Steve Clark
2888.
2893.
2894.  That is a young Tom Collins leading on the blind man
2897
2898

St. Mary's memorabilia

I knew I had this stuff somewhere.  The other day I was up in the loft looking for something unrelated and found a lot of this in a folder helpfully labelled "miscellanous rubbish".

This is issue 2 dated Summer 1964.  I don't remember any other issues.

A couple of Speech Day programmes from 1967 and 1968.  Here's a page from one of them, including the school hymn.

And a set of programmes for school plays 1964-1970.  Here's the front page from 1970, plus a page listing all previous productions going back to 1957.

I've bundled it all into a handy zip which you can download from here http://www.mediafire.com/download/0qcgu1j93v6643e/St._Mary%27s_memorabilia.zip
Sorry, the link has been dead for a while. Now re-upped 18 January 2016

St. Mary's Grammar School, Chislehurst Road, Sidcup

October, 1965. This is where your blogger spent his formative years from 1963 to 1970. I have had to scan as four overlapping sections. That's me in the fourth section (right hand end of the panorama). I am in the second row down, 13 from the left or 15 from the right.

We were assembled in a semicircle on the playground and the camera panned round. And nobody ran round from one end to the other to appear in the picture twice. Some time after I left, St. Mary's combined with St. Joseph's girls' grammar school in Abbey Wood to become co-educational. The school buildings visible behind us still stand, but extensions now cover the playground. The site is now occupied by St. Luke's sixth form college.

I shall not even attempt to put names to all the faces. It would take up too much space and I cannot remember everyone anyway. If you were there, you will have a good idea of who was who. If you were not, names will probably not mean much to you. But if you do have any questions about identities of the people in the picture, leave a comment or e-mail me and I'll see what I can do.

UPDATE 22 April 2019. I have added as a separate post these photos tagged with the names of those who were in the third year at the time. As time and available information permit, I hope to add other version.

UPDATE 4 August 2020. As you may know, former pupil Matt Eastley is writing a history of St. Mary's and there is now an accompanying website www.inomnibuslabora.co.uk. If you can contribute in any way, please visit the site and make contact.