I’m always fascinated to learn how others arrived at boarding school and what they think now looking back. As part of my ongoing series of “interviews”, I am pleased to add fellow Pierrepont Elliott Eware.
Q. What’s your name?
A. Elliott Eware
Q. How did you end up at Pierrepont?
A. I ended up at Pierrepont because the local comprehensive school which I was attending at the time was pretty dire so the decision was taken for me to attend a boarding with the intention that it would impart some discipline into me.
Q. When were you there? How long did you stay?
A. 1981-1984 so three years.
Q. What was your first impression of the school? Were you scared, nervous, excited?
A. I was very nervous especially as I knew my parents couldn’t really afford it so the expectations on me were high.
Q. Was the school experience what you thought it was going to be?
A. The experience I put down to this day as perhaps the best 3 years of my life as it taught me the way to be truly independent and I was exposed to peer pressure for the first time.
Q. What was the most fun you had?
A. The most fun at Pierrepont? Can’t really put my finger on it to be honest it was all such a lovely experience. I was thrown into an environment mixing with a bunch of guys of different religions. races and creeds where I learnt so much about life.
Q. What was the least fun you had?
A. The worst experience was leaving and then going to a University which I describe as one of the lowest periods full of racist people in a depressing depraved part of town.
(even though Pierrepont was in England, I ask this because I’m interested in the answer, given that I spent four years in Northern Ireland during the Troubles)
Q. Did you feel the effects of The Troubles or what was to become The Troubles? If so, in what way?
A. The troubles in Northern Ireland did not affect me at all.
