Banstead Village

The Beacon school magazine, 1958

This is the front cover of the 1958 edition of The Beacon – the magazine produced every year in the 1950s by pupils in their final year at Banstead County Junior School in the high street.

Production was overseen by the ever watchful Mr Jones. Not only was he our teacher but also our mentor, guiding us 10-year-olds towards our higher education and, eventually, careers. He was a gentle soul who taught with patience and respect, having no need for punishment.

The Beacon was printed in the Caxton Corner of the classroom. It housed a single-handled press on which we inked our poems, news reports and linocuts for inclusion in the magazine. Mr Jones fostered my love of the English language, for which I am for ever grateful.

See also picture #544, picture #677, picture #685 and picture #692