The Society of Old Priceans

Remembering our Founder, William Price and his Charity, Price's Grammar School and Price's College, Park Lane, Fareham
Founded by his Will Dated 24th August 1721. The Park Lane site was closed and demolished in 1989






Notice of
Annual General Meeting
Friday, October 7th 2022 at 11.00am

Notice is hereby given that the Society's Annual General Meeting and lunch will be held at Fareham College, Bishopsfield Road, Fareham, PO14 1NH on Friday, 7th October 2022.

The meeting will commence at 11.00am and will be expected to close by 12.30 after which drinks will be available in the bar followed by a sit-down lunch commencing at about 1.00pm.

Full details and booking form may be found here...




Dates for your diary (subject to confirmation!)

Christmas Lunch - Saturday, 3rd December 2022 at 12.00pm at the RAF Club, Piccadilly



The Will of William Price 1721 300th Anniversary Luncheon

Celebrated on Saturday 21st and Sunday, 22nd May 2022



Our intended Guest Speakers
Nader Fekri and Dr. Alan E. Smith CBE FRS had booked to travel to attend from Buenos Airies and Boston, US
respectively and both were unfortunately prohibited from travelling because of covid.
Here are their speeches and Bishop Martin Seeley's Sermon:

Reynolds

Nader's speech may be found here

bishops

Sermon of Bishop Martin Seeley (r) (with Bishop Peter Hancock) here

Ashton

Dr Alan Smith's speech may be found here



Our inimitable President, Patrick Nobes reviews the WP300 event


There was a sound of revelry by night" as three score and ten or even more Old Priceans, recent or remote in time, gathered for a convivial glass on Saturday 21st May 2022, precursor to the main event on Sunday at the Solent Hotel. For some of these, Sunday's dawn was too brightly rosy-fingered as it gave kept-promise of a hot and sunny day; nevertheless some of them were numbered among another seventy or so who gathered round the newly-cleaned Founder's tomb, and saw the Mayor lay the wreath after the prayers. The great WP300 anniversary proceedings had begun.

The service that followed in the parish church of St Peter and St Paul was extremely well-attended, moving, and much appreciated. Lord Bishop Martin Seeley gave a fine address; Bishop Peter Hancock the final blessing. The retiring collection was donated to Naomi House.

Most retired to the Solent Hotel after the service to join the many others already there. Over one hundred guests and OPs sat down to lunch. Before they were served "All were silent and turned intently towards the lofty lectern" from which the Honourable President welcomed them all. Bishop Peter said Grace, lunch was served and much enjoyed. The Loyal Toast was proposed by Vice President Charles Evans; the toast to William Price by Victor Hughes, the oldest OP present. Vice President Derek Marlow gave an impressive account of the William Price Trust, of which he is is Chairman.

The four nonagenarians present were brought together, and champagne was presented, and some noisiness ensued.

Chairman Phillip Reynolds brought the proceedings to an apt conclusion by thanking all concerned for their various contributions, especially V.P. Derek for his organization of the lunch, and David Goldring for his massive achievement with "Lion Pride".

Click, click, click, times five hundred times went Matt's camera throughout the day, and finally from the roof-top. The results will be available soon.

Thanks and congratulations for the WP300 week-end have poured in.


All 533 professionally produced photos of the event may be viewed and downloaded here...

WP300 Contact Sheet 1 WP300 Contact Sheet 2 WP300 Contact Sheet 3 WP300 Contact Sheet 4 WP300 Contact Sheet 5


Lion Pride

Important Update: Please note that the memory card distributed at the Lunch was a sampler and may include errors as it had not been subject to final editing.
Also last call out for anybody to send their personal experiences of the school to David Goldring to complete the final chapters of the book which will include the WP300 Celebration weekend.





Celebrating 301 years

The Society celebrated in 2022 the three hundred and first anniversary of the
Will of William Price jnr
A series of Newsletters was produced Latest newsletters here...

Membership

Membership is £10pa and is open to anyone with a connection to the School or College.   
To complete an application form please follow the link below.

Membership Constitution Finance
The History of William Price
His Family Tree and Will

Excellent and detailed research into the life and Will of William Price together with a family tree can be viewed here: 
WikiDot




Peter Watkins, Headmaster and Principal of Prices School and College

Mr Peter R Watkins, Principal of Price's Sixth Form College 1979 - 1984, has died aged 89.



Reynolds

Phillip Reynolds - Chairman of the Society

Ashton

George Ashton, Headmaster of Prices 1934-1959
Photos from George Ashton

Nobes

President Patrick Nobes (r) with Eric Poyner

Johnson Archives
Black Lion, The Grunt, poetry and more...

The Johnson files...

The Roy Daysh Archives
Some of the extensive records preserved by Roy Daysh

Roy's collection...

Prices College Magazines 1976-80

Black Lion and The Grunt from Roy Daysh Archives

Mrs Dierdre Buckley
Prices in the sixties and seventies

Memories of one of the few female members of staff

The earliest known photo of Prices Boys from Roy's collection - a trip to Hill Head c1910

The Black Lion Kevan Bundell provides a full set which Neale Fray has scanned:
The Black Lion archive
Robin Ward examines the origin of the project

Richard Hedley, Biology master from 1961 until retirement who died in 2016
Tony Johnson remembers Richard Hedley...

Tony Johnson, English master from 1965
recalls Prices in transition...

More recent stories and events

Further stories here...

Society of Old Priceans

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