THE hands of the clock were turned back to focus on a section of a manor house's history for a special school reunion.

National Trust-owned Croome Court near Pershore hosted the fifth annual gathering of more than 60 former pupils who attended the court when it was St Joseph’s School for Disadvantaged Boys from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Alice Padley, Croome’s finance co-ordinator, who organised the reunion, said: "The reunion was a chance for the boys to visit their old school, meet each other and exchange experiences and memories. The event gets bigger and better each year and the staff and volunteers are honoured to be included in the day and learn more about the history of the school era.

"The ex-pupils played a large part in the organisation of the day and we’re now looking forward to our Hidden Heritage event on September 12 and 13 where visitors can chat to pupils and hear their stories.”

In 1948 Croome Court was bought by the Archdiocese of Birmingham Catholic Church to be run as St Joseph’s School. For more than 30 years, the school housed up to 150 boys at a time who lived with and were taught by the resident nuns in Croome Court, the Red Wing and the stables.

The boys who came to Croome were 10 years old and had a broad range of disadvantages.

Some had suffered neglect in the family home, had learning difficulties, disruptive behaviour or illness.

Vincent Conlan, who was a pupil at St Joseph’s School in 1967, said: "I was chuffed to bits with the event as numbers have gone up by 20 per cent from last year. I was especially grateful to all of Croome’s volunteers and staff who helped make the day a success.”