On Wednesday, 12th March, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Class of 1973 back to Francis Holland, Regent's Park for a very special reunion.

The event was beautifully organised by Jennifer Purchase (née Shier), Quondam Committee member and part of the Class of 1973, who gathered a wonderful group of Polished Corners for the occasion.

The day began with a warm welcome from Mrs Woodcock, Head of FHRP, as our alumnae reminisced about school days and fond memories of former teachers. One alumna even brought along an old class photo to share with Mrs Woodcock, which was a touching moment for everyone.

The group reflected on how much the school has evolved while still holding onto the same cherished values. Mrs Woodcock gifted each Polished Corner a copy of the FHS Polished Corner book, which captures the rich history of the school from its founding to the present day.

This was followed by a tour of the school, including visits to Ivor Place and Linhope House. As they wandered through the familiar corridors, they were warmly greeted by current students and enjoyed seeing how the classrooms and spaces had changed over the years. The group was particularly fascinated to discover that the old VI Form Common Room is now the Art Room on the top floor of Ivor Place.

When visiting Linhope House, the Class of 1973 was amazed by the impressive new facilities for VI Formers, including their own canteen, common room, and study areas.

The reunion concluded with the additonal members of the Class of 1973 joining for a relaxed pub lunch nearby, where stories were shared, memories were revisited, and laughter filled the room.

It was a true joy to welcome the Class of 1973 back to Francis Holland.

If you would like to organise your own reunion, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch at via alumni@fhs-nw1.org.uk 

We share below a few words from Jennifer Purchase who organised the school 1973 Quondam school reunion:

"A group of ten of us who left the sixth form of FHS in 1973 arranged a gathering on 12 March 2025 to mark the year in which we all celebrate our 70th birthdays!

Five of us had a very thorough and interesting tour of the School, kindly arranged by Dina Maktabi, after a meeting with Mrs Woodcock at which we enjoyed discussing the aspects that have changed since our schooldays, and those that have remained very much the same.

Those who were returning for the first time in over 50 years were impressed by the many changes and improvements since our day, but we all felt that the unique character, ethos and atmosphere of FHS remains as it always has been.

After the tour we joined the rest of our contemporaries for a convivial lunch nearby. We all had a lovely time reminiscing and catching up, and very much enjoyed the day".