What was school really like in Britain in the early 1960s?

Richard Perceval Graves’ latest memoir looks back at growing up and going to school in Britain in the early 1960s, offering a fascinating glimpse into an education system and society undergoing dramatic change.

What was it really like to grow up in Britain during the early 1960s? Long before smartphones, social media and SATs, school life followed a very different rhythm, one that reflected a country still coming to terms with the end of empire.

Acclaimed biographer Richard Perceval Graves explores that world in his latest memoir, Imperial Dreams (1959-1964), offering a fascinating glimpse into childhood, education and British society during a period of huge change.

The third instalment in a planned five-volume memoir series, the book moves beyond personal recollections to paint a vivid social history of post-war Britain.

At its heart is Richard’s experience as a pupil at Charterhouse, one of Britain’s best-known public schools, where traditions, expectations and values were still shaped by an imperial outlook that was rapidly disappearing.

For today’s students, the contrast is striking. While classrooms now encourage critical thinking, collaboration and global citizenship, Richard recalls an education that, in many ways, was still preparing young people for careers administering an empire that had largely ceased to exist. His memories extend far beyond the school gates.

Readers are transported back to family holidays, favourite books, newspapers and the television programmes that captivated a generation.

Alongside these everyday moments, the memoir captures defining events that shaped modern Britain, from the publication of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and the Profumo Affair to the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy’s assassination and Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space.

Richard also reflects on deeply personal experiences, including witnessing death for the first time, creating a thoughtful portrait of adolescence during a rapidly changing era.

Already well-known for his biographies of figures including T.E. Lawrence, A.E. Housman and his uncle, poet Robert Graves, the author brings the same meticulous research and eye for historical detail to his own story.

More than a memoir, Imperial Dreams invites readers to consider how education reflects the society around it – and how schools both preserve traditions and adapt to changing times. For parents, teachers and older readers, it offers an engaging opportunity to compare generations.

For younger readers, it’s a reminder that history isn’t only found in textbooks – it also lives in the memories of those who experienced it.

Imperial Dreams (1959-1964) is published on 28th August by Troubador Publishing.

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