INGENIOUS adaptations were given full marks from former residents when old boys of Richmond School were welcomed back to look around their one-time boarding house, now the new Friary hospital, in Richmond.

The party of 140 old boys, partners and friends spanned the years from 1925 to 1970.

During the visit, part of the association's millennium reunion weekend, a plaque was unveiled recording the former use by the school.

In 1900, the boarding house was opened, the older wing becoming the headmaster's house.

The gymnasium and Friary field were added later and were to serve until 1991 as the main focus for out-of-school activities for the whole school.

The unveiling was performed by Frank Dickinson, who joined the staff in 1935 with responsibility for physics teaching, but who for many years also coached rugby and cricket teams, retiring in 1976 as deputy head.

The reunion weekend also included a video record of last September's visit to Santiago de Compostela, presented by Keith Jackson, of Reeth.