Life at the boarding school I attended in Belgium from the age of 9 to 16 was very quiet and excursions outside its walls extremely rare -  theatre trips and visits to the opticians and dentist were the limit.

When my family moved to Bristol in 1966 and I went to La Retraite Convent, Clifton, to do my A levels, I could not believe my luck. Sixth form students were able to leave the school at lunchtime and there were dozens of shops, antique markets and second hand bookshops to choose from to browse through in an hour.

I thoroughly enjoyed my new found  “freedom” of  taking my sandwiches and apple to munch on while I walked through the beautiful crescents and streets of Clifton.

I soon developed the collector’s bug for picking up bargains ranging from an old copy of The Hobbit, which I still have and which, as far as I can remember, cost me about 1s, to amber necklaces which would cost just a couple of shillings.

One sunny day, I stood and watched a group of workmen taking down the old pub sign hanging outside The Portcullis, off Royal York Crescent.

Although it was a bit faded, the portcullis was beautifully painted in gold on a bright red background but the fittings were in danger of coming loose so the sign was to be dumped.

I asked if I could have the old sign and, before the foreman changed his mind, carried it back with great difficulty to school where I was allowed to put it in the hallway until the bell went at 3.30pm.

I then carried the sign which was about 4ft by 3ft and extremely heavy, from Clifton to Whiteladies Road and from there I took it home to Westbury on Trym on the bus.

Sadly, my parents thought it might have woodworm so it was not allowed in the house but its future was saved when friends from the newly formed youth club at The Sacred Heart Church, Westbury, saw the sign.

The club was looking for a name and from then on it was called The Portcullis. The sign was given a new lease of life and apparently hung in the youth club for many years.