We arrived at Hinton House in August, 1970 with our two black Great Danes, Tyr and Thor, as well as four year old Daena and set to work. Hinton House had a cellar under several feet of water but otherwise was paradise: the garden ablaze with dahlias and the trees heavy with apples which we gathered and stored in the autumn. We found a chrysanthemum garden where the pool now stands, with row upon row of rare varieties which I have never again seen since their sacrifice for the noble cause. We had soft fruit cages with fruit still growing under the nets, asparagus beds and espaliered pear trees. The wild geese flew over honking, as they still do, and Hinton Road, named for our house whose drive it once was, was a quiet country lane (still shaded with elm trees) where we walked without fear. The fields all round us were crisscrossed with hedge rows but the week we moved in we watched them all being ripped out and burned to make bigger, more economical fields. Except for Sylvesters across the road and Hinton Farm House next door we could see no other habitation, for the encroaching estates in Twyford were far in the future. We kept the gates shut during the day and visitors were greeted by two geese (Jessica and Natasha) and escorted to the door by the Danes. Tyr gently held the hand of the visitor in his mouth lest he lose his way.

Hinton House was difficult to find from the A4 turning at Waterers, later Kennedys, and now Wyevale, and we were frequently lost ourselves in the first few weeks. Little did we realise that deals had been struck about the controversial route of the M4, moved from its original path through Michael Heseltine’s Oxford, and the future of the M4 Corridor development already planned in Whitehall. Heseltine cut the ribbon to open part of the M4 in December, a few days after we opened. The final route, which was to change the face of Berkshire, had not been agreed until 1969. But for a very long time it was still under construction and once opened we had an entrance on the A329 for several years. So heavy was the traffic on the M4 that almost immediately a third lane was added.

Although our first intake was not selective, the nature of their families gave us some excellent ‘starter children’. It also meant that we are still close friends with many of the parents and in touch with well over half the children, most of whom have pursued interesting and rewarding careers including medicine, archaeology, journalism, engineering, science, university teaching and merchant banking.

To purchase your own copy of this fascinating account of the early years of Dolphin School contact the school on 0118 934 1277 or send a cheque (made payable to Dolphin School) for £6 together with your name and address, to the school office at Dolphin School, Hurst, Berkshire, RG10 0BP.