Did you have elocution lessons ?

No I didn’t, but I have no accent although I come from a part of the world with a heavy country accents so can only presume we were taught along the way within each lesson I was a day pupil at a boarding school ( not private) and there were girls from all over so guess we all merged into a non accent way of speech

'Fraid so for my sins. Twice a week if I remember. I did LAMDA and Guildhall exams too. Also competitions all over London - verse speaking, prose, acting, miming, even Bible reading! I have a drawer full of engraved medals my DGC play with.
I went to an inner London comprehensive and no way did I use my elocution voice at school.

My children didn’t have elocution nor did I, but it seemed to be more common years ago.
I had a school friend who went to elocution lessons in the early 60 s when she was about 12.
She still speaks ‘nicely’.

God, no

I had them. My parents also paid for extra ones, not because of my speaking voice, but because I was painfully shy, and they thought standing up in front of people speaking poetry and prose would help. Hated them with a passion but my parents were only trying to help.
Don't think they helped, I just grew out of my shyness as I became older.

btw I am really not a fan of Miriam Margoyles at all, so won't be reading her book. Find her very blunt bordering on rude. But hope you enjoyed the book

Yes, it was part of the curriculum at the school I attended but it was done as a whole class and not individual tuition.
I loved it as we did choral speaking and it wasn't meant to make us "posh" but to speak clearly and improve our confidence

LOL no. But for kids from rural, and especially northern regions, passing the 11+ and going to Grammar School required them to change accent and even syntax, or they would be bullied mercilessly. Melvyn Bragg, who grew up in Lancashire explains that very well in his book on the English language.

Yes, but not private ones. We had elocution lessons in the first year at senior school.
Can't have our gels letting the school down with their local accents!