The Building of St Edward's School: A Chronology (1870 - 2020)

P AGE N O : 109

School acquires 281 Woodstock Road for £243,000 (£631,800 today) with the costs offset by the sale of 63 Middle Way, the only remaining property owned by the School which does not border on the School grounds (General Purposes Meeting, June 1996). 63 Middle Way sold for £160,063 (£416,163 today) in November (General Purposes, November 1996) Appeal Fund reaches £797,000 (£2,072,200 today) (Governors’ Meeting, June 1996) Floodlit all-weather field joint - O.U.H.C. and St. Edward’s venture - still not come to fruition despite much activity in the background concerning funding and planning approval over many months. Now the University is re-examining the feasibility of constructing such a pitch at Iffley Road instead, despite the School’s continued interest in a joint venture (Governors’ Meeting, June 1996). After much protracted discussion between the two parties the School now feels the needs of the O.U.H.C. and the School are widening for a whole variety of reasons and with the prospect of a new Leisure Centre at the School also changing many aspects, the talks should be stopped. The possibility of an all-weather pitch could now well be part of the new Sports Complex (together with tennis courts); however, the Governors agree to offer an alternative site to the O.U.H.C. of the School’s rubbish tip at the Wolversote end of the playing fields (Governors’ Meeting, November 1996). The University turn down this possible use of alternative sites on School ground but ‘would not be averse to re-opening negotiations at some future time if ‘it was to the mutual benefit of O.U.H.C. and the School’ (General Purposes, February 1997). There has never been any further progress on this Potential plan suggested for the purchase and development of the Northern House site on the opposite side of South Parade from the School, and next to the “Hollies’. The concept would be to build an Arts/Drama/Community Centre and incorporating School land presently occupied by the ‘Hollies’, Music School and Maintenance Yard. The Georgian-listed Northern House would be retained but all other buildings demolished. This building is currently owned by the Oxfordshire County Council who might be open to an offer (General Purposes, September 1996) Suggestion that £100,000 (£260,000 today) be allocated for Information Technology needs so as to provide a second IT Laboratory and expand IT throughout all academic departments (General Purposes, November 1996) With the accelerated growth of girl numbers coming into the School the decision to convert Macnamara’s House from male to female use is brought forward and should take place in September 1995 (General Purposes, November 1996) City planners have in principle no objection to plans for the redevelopment of the present Douglas Bader Sports Centre (General Purposes, November 1996). The Centre felt now to be ‘outdated’ and the School’s Indoor Pool is now inadequate for the School’s use. The possibility of a joint venture with new developers could be agreed whereby the School would lease the site and the developer would provide the funds for a new leisure centre with a 25 metre swimming pool (Governors’ Meeting, November 1996). 1997 - Major engineering project proceeding on the Lower Fields, as part of the West Oxford Sewer Project in which a 9km sewer is being laid 25ft underground from the Yarnton Sewage Works to Christ Church Meadow Macnamara’s House changes from a boys’ to a girls’ Boarding House, not universally welcomed by O.S.E. and parents. First girls enter into School Shells and IV Form in September ‘Wind in the Willows’ mural painted by Tim Plant (O.S.E.) on the west wall of the Dining Hall (N. Hunter 2013)