From March 9, 1990

Many school pupils down the years have created time capsules with their classmates, but this one had a hi-tech twist.

A time capsule containing a robotic impression of a New Malden accent was buried in the grounds of Coombe Girls’ School for future generations to find.

The capsule, which was full of information about 1990-era Kingston, was put together by pupils that week for the school’s technology day.

The 11- and 12-year-olds were being prepared for the 90s – hailed as the decade for women – by being taught to use computers as naturally as paper and pen.

Futuristic methods were used to capture the present reality, as pupils took on different aspects of the local environment and recorded them using voice synthesizers, videos, computers and databases.

Maps showing population patterns were made with the help of computer information, and video pictures of the school were turned into silk screen prints.

Children also designed a tea-cosy which would keep a drink warm at the North Pole.

Actresses showed how they saw the past with a videoed play about the myths of legends 1,000 years ago, accompanied by dramatic music composed on electronic keyboards.

And pupils programmed a voice synthesizer to reflect their own pronunciation.

An intimate picture of the girls’ lives in Kingston was also beamed off by satellite to schools in Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Japan.

Newshound pupils put together a package and sent it off. It provided “a cultural link for us and a language link for the foreign schools”, according to a teacher.

The technology day was part of an industry week held at the school, in which businesses made contact with the pupils by putting up displays.

50 YEARS AGO

March 10, 1965

Kingstonian football club publicly thanked the volunteers who toiled for two days to clear the club’s Richmond Road pitch of 6in of snow before an Amateur Cup game. The message was broadcast over the loudspeakers before the game, which Ks lost.
 

25 YEARS AGO

March 9, 1990

Inefficiency and poor money management were to blame for problems on Kingston’s rail network, a watchdog said. The London Regional Passengers Committee said passengers on some services faced cancellations due to staff shortages, but predicted even higher demand.


10 YEARS AGO

March 9, 2005

This week 10 years ago it was announced Kingston’s old post office had a new owner – developer Hammerson. Hammerson planned to bring the building back into community use after it was closed in 1984. But its town centre vision faltered in the mid-noughties.