{"product_id":"9781806340040","title":"From Wine to Water : The Rise and Fall of an Endangered Species - the British Preparatory School by James Christopher","description":"For well over a century, the British preparatory school stood in a distinctive world of its own - shaping generations of pupils, demanding discipline, and `preparing' them for their public schools. Many prep schools flourished, others faded, and a few, like Northaw (later Norman Court), lived several lives across different names and settings before finally lapsing into extinction. More than the story of a single incarnation, it is that of an educational species: rare, resilient, but vulnerable to the changing social and economic climate. Drawing on the familiar rituals of boarding prep schools - their locations and buildings, ethos and traditions, timetables and routines, music and worship, food, discipline, dormitories, games and the arts - this study illuminates what made these places at once formidable, formative and unforgettable. Rich with anecdotes, historical insight, first-hand recollections and over 300 evocative photographs, this book traces the lives shaped within these institutions - including a post-war Labour prime minister - and remembers the 86 former pupils and teachers who lost their lives in the two World Wars. This is a history for former prep school pupils, their families, and anyone curious about how one very British phenomenon rose, thrived and ultimately declined.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56420024746357,"sku":"9781806340040","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781806340040.jpg?v=1764604755","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781806340040","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}