1964 Visit to Denmark
From the Mayfield Magazine.
School Journey To Denmark, 1964 by J. Wilson
On July 23rd thirty-two boys and three teachers left Mayfield School for Fredensborg, Denmark. After a long, tiring journey we were glad to arrive at Hotel Prinsen and enjoy a delicious meal which proved to be a sample of the good food we were to receive during our stay.
For the first morning we did as we wished, but in the afternoon we toured the Royal Palace gardens at Fredensborg. The following three days were occupied by various excursions, which included a visit to Sweden; an interesting tour of Hamlet’s castle, Kronborg; a day trip to the nearby Hornbaek Beach, and a sight-seeing tour of the capital, Copenhagen. While in the capital we toured Carlsberg Brewery; went up the river to photograph the famous statue called ‘The Little Mermaid’, and completed our visit by going to the world-famous Tivoli Gardens.
Again, we had more interesting trips. There was the tour of North Zealand, the main island of Denmark. During this trip we saw a typical Danish dairy, a horse-riding school, a horse-breeding farm, and a ‘Bone’ museum. We visited the town of Roskilde to see the famous cathedral.
The last tour of the holiday, which I thought was the most fascinating, was to Frederickberg Castle in Hillerod. Not many such beautiful places are so well looked after in the world today. Our last day in Fredensborg was a day of leisure and there was an optional excursion on Lake Esrum by pleasure boat. It was on Monday, August 3rd, that we made our way back to dear old England, but leaving a wonderful country behind – Denmark.
OMG, I remember that trip well. Apart from the brewery, the elephant symbol and the reverse ‘swastika’ inlaid in the atrium floor, I also remember the giant red slugs in the palace gardens and us all getting badly sunburned. Pealing off strips of skin and disposing of them in the sink in the bedroom and Mr Cutting going round putting iodine on us all ….. Ouch!
Bernie Steel
Can you name any of the lads in the photo, Bernie.
Tony Gocke
Grief – I was there and I still have the little Mayfield folder we used to get for the trip, and some old photos some where. The hotel was amazing and I vividly remember the red slugs and the long straight path to the lake shore. It was my last trip before finishing my O levels, and the first two days I had German measles and stayed in bed in a little annexe the hotel had. I also remember falling out with Mr Weetch who went on to become a labour MP – so no wonder – fond memories. I so remember the brewery!
I was also on the Denmark trip. It was my first time abroad and I remember the boat to Ostend and the long train journey. Like others I remember the red slugs and the walk to the lake, as well as the hotel. I also remember the small shop that sold hotdogs near the entrance to the Royal Palace in Friedensburgh.
Other memories are the brewery and the day at the sea.
I have photos somewhere of the day at the beach. I remember us burying the three teachers up to their necks. I think it was Mr Weetch, Mr Cutting and Mr Summers.
Unfortunately, I also remember the horror of a young lad, I think he was Austrian and was on holiday with his mum, being given mouth to mouth to try and revive him on the beach after being pulled from the sea. I seem to remember being told he had died. Above all I remember a hysterical mother. It was not the kind of memory to bring back.
A year later I also went on the school trip to Germany. I think each trip cost around £30 to £35. It doesn’t sound a lot now, but it was probably two weeks wages for an adult at the time.
Another member of the party
The orange and black slugs, the brewery, Tivoli, the trip to Sweden, burying the staff, the ‘Viking’ museum, even the visit to the graveyard etc. etc. its all still quite clear. After reading these posts I had a look on street view, now that was a bit of a surprise. The hotel and the area around is largely unchanged.
I remember walking up towards the palace and taking the first turning on the right which lead past a few shops. I bought some biscuits from a rather natty glass fronted vending machine built into the shop front of a grocer. Later told off by Mr Summers as it might appear ungrateful to the hotel management that we felt inclined to supplement our diet in this way.
The shop and vending machine appear to have gone. I also bought a combination lock for my bike. The lock bolted to the bike adjacent to the rear brake. Most bikes over there seemed to be equipped with them though I had never seen the like in the UK. There is still a bike shop in what appears to be the same location but beyond this either everything changes or I never walked beyond this point.
That said, I do remember walking through a wooded area, with Roger Chapman and others, that appeared at the time to being prepared for development. The area beyond it is now an extensive commercial town centre. Can anyone confirm if this has all this been bolted on to what was once a modest town with a few hotels and shops, or was it there when we visited?
Hi Tony, bit of a late reply! No, sorry, can’t recall the names of any of those in the photo. Malcolm Straight’s comment about the rescue attempt brings back a vague memory of witnessing that same incident. I remember the standing wave that seemed to follow the ferry between Sweden and Denmark during the crossing.
I seem to recall that there was a dance organised and everyone was very awkward, the benefits of attending a Boys school. I made friends too with a local lad, forget his name and he came with us to the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen when we visited there, it was my first time on a big dipper!! The steam trains were also quite impressive in Germany too.
I WAS ON THE DENMARK TRIP