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

P AGE N O : 112

Apsley refurbished and Corfe ( Paul Swart design ) has a ‘further conversion’ Second all-weather pitch unveiled, originally called the Bader Field and later changed (in 2003) to the ‘Lawless Field’ named after Chris Lawless (O.S.E.), a former Captain of Hockey and an Oxford University Hockey Blue, who died in 2003 School decides to offer to sell land (0.58 acres) at the corner of the old ‘Piggeries Field’ and the Golf Course to residents of the houses in Woodstock Road and Blenheim Drive (Governors’ Meeting, November 2001). 2002 – Avenue House building (1st Phase) completed in September. Intention is that the second phase will completed ‘before 2005/6’. In the meantime two year groups from this House will be accommodated in Avenue Lodge (formerly known as Cooper Lodge and before that the old Sanatorium) The protractions regarding the refurbishment of Cowell’s and Segar’s taking too much time and now bring a new proposal to the table. The 5 year plan reserved £1,450,000 (£3,248.000 today) for the update of the two Houses and the provision of new class rooms, but the plans to date have proven the two Houses are too small for today’s needs without significant sums being spent and an alternative is needed. The possibility now put forward is to have one Boarding House (Cowell’s) taking the top floors of the whole current building and to convert the ground floor to accommodate Class Rooms. Segar’s House to move to a completely new building close by. This plan already has the support of the Director of Studies and Head of English who feel the space identified on the ground floor would provide ‘more than adequate facilities for a large teaching department’. Both Housemasters are also in agreement and there is sufficient space on the Oakthorpe Road car park to build the new Segar’s Boarding House ( Paul Swart design ). Cost estimates for the refurbishment are £100,000 -£200,000 (£224,000- £448,000 today) and the new House will cost £1,000,000 (£2,240,000 today) before VAT and furnishings (Governors’ Meeting, February 2002). 2003 - Opening of the new English Classrooms ( Paul Swart design ) in the old Segar’s House building. In February Jon Snow (O.S.E.) opens the new facility The first phase of the restructuring of Cowell’s and Segar’s ( which opens 12 th October ) under way and the second phase of the Apsley refurbishment completed - the east wing gutted and rebuilt to match the recent developments in the House Plans for the redevelopment of the ‘North Wall’ site ( Paul Swart design ) progressing ( the area from the indoor pool to the laundry ). Budgeted at £3.8 million (£8,360,000 today) School in process of registering the School’s title to its land west of the Woodstock Road. Once complete, this will ensure that there is no further encroachment on its property by neighbours extending their gardens (General Purposes, February 2003) List of sixteen properties owned by the School, September 2003: four in Oakthorpe Road, five in the Woodstock Road, two in South Parade and five in Stratfield Road (General Purposes, November 2003). 2004 - Andrew Trotman appointed School’s twelfth Warden Five-Year plan includes (i) the acceleration of building the Performing Arts Centre with a commencement date set for the summer of 2005 and (ii) an ‘architectural scheme’ to build a new Science Block