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

P AGE N O : 21 Lodge downstairs room now utilised as a Masters’ Common Room, with existing incumbent moving to the upper floor. This change made possible by several Masters now ‘living out’ in School-owned or leased properties close by Original Cricket Pavilion, having served as a cowshed then pigsties in the field next to the canal, is finally demolished Big School follows the example of the Chapel, and installs incandescent burners to replace the original gas jets in the roof (Hill, 1963) In the Main Buildings, the old Third Form is extended into the playground and becomes a changing and drying room, relieving the congestion in the Box-Room and under the stairs, where changing had previously taken place and clothes had been stored. At the same time some of the old Form Rooms are now chiefly used as living rooms. All Day Rooms except ‘Ceylon’ are fitted with ‘Horse Boxes’ (or ‘Toys’) in the next three years. The Fifth Form Room and the Remove remain in the New Buildings (Hill, 1963) The ‘Hollies’ (the old Sick- House) converted into Masters’ Rooms. 1911 - A third stretch of chestnut panelling in Dining Hall completed along the lower eastern end Outer Wall facing the Woodstock Road extended to incorporate the southern plot of land behind the New Buildings. 1912 - Small museum created by Wilfrid Cowell in the New Buildings - open to the School on Sundays ‘between school and dinner’ Roof of Gymnasium covered with corrugated iron, which is later painted School acquires ‘Land at Summertown, between railway line and canal and Upper Playing Field’ from H.C. Gibbs (School Trustee) for £6,822 (£1,084,698 today). Included are 18 Acres and 3 Perches (Box 303 and 15). This land is principally required for cricket fields School’s Fire Insurance Policy taken out with the Law Fire Insurance Society of London; the amount insured is £5305 (£843,495 today) Main School Property Deeds, presently with the National Provident Institution, will transfer to Barclays Bank, Oxford (Box 303) The Woodstock Road asphalted for the first time (Oxley, 2015). 1913 - Big School completely refurbished, likewise the Fifth Form and Sanatorium in the New Buildings Hot water provided to certain parts of the School for the first time; the Pupils’ Common Room disbanded in the long room at the eastern end of the Main Buildings Reverend William Ferguson appointed the fifth Warden. 1914 - The Chapel makes major internal changes for the first time, mainly to the Altar, Chancel steps and congregational seating. The walls also ‘distempered with a wash of pale cream colour’. The Vestry and Ante-Chapel also thoroughly cleaned and painted. Seating changed to the re-named ‘Jubilee Memorial Chairs’. Cost estimated at £85 (£13,175 today) - all entrusted to Harold Rogers as the designer