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

P AGE N O : 44

Decision taken to further deepen the Outdoor Pool The rather dangerous turning from South Parade into the Woodstock Road improved by the School giving up a ‘fraction of land’ to round off the corner of the School wall New Armoury is ‘very smart and military in appearance’ (May 1927 Chronicle) School Shop opens for business with the legendary Miss Lizzie Johnson in a flat on the first floor. £3,000 (£248,100 today) worth of stock transfers from the old Shop Due to increasing pupil numbers, seating in Chapel now becoming a major issue - extra rows of chairs, the Organ Loft (or the Gallery) and seating in the Ante-Chapel seen as the only possible current solutions (October Chronicle). The costs involved are not insubstantial with 36 Oak Seats costing £568 (£46974 today) (Box 303). H.S. Rogers, the architect, initially closely involved in this work, then ‘withdrew his collaboration’ - nevertheless his scheme ‘for ventilation improvements in Chapel was accepted’ (Committee Meeting, November 1927) Sleeping arrangements also a real problem for the same reason - eleven boarders at Field House and those now staying at Osberton House, on the corner of Osberton Road, under the charge of Jack McMichael (Common Room) (October Chronicle) Field House transformed internally to make the accommodation more useable, though no extra beds are made available in the process The ‘fine room’ at the top of the new Memorial Buildings is now the Senior Dormitory of Sing’s New ‘swills’ between the Changing Rooms and Indoor Bath installed and paid for by the Development Fund, also a new Drying Room (today’s Estates Office) over the Engine House Levelling of Lower Fields completed (Lower 1) Lease of the School Farm land ‘from Mr. Clinhard’ approved (Committee Meeting, February 1927) Teaching Staff Arrangements Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hewetson reside in 309 Woodstock Drive also housing Mr. Reid (paid for by the School) ‘Bim’ Barff and Alan Wilding reside in ‘The Hollies’ The new House Masters reside with their charges as well as other bachelor members of the Common Room, Arthur Tilly and Freddie Yorke in the Main Buildings (Tilly’s and Cowell’s); Philip Whitrow in the Memorial Buildings (Sing’s) together with other Common Room members Lionel Ovenden, John Gauntlett and Aubrey Guest; the Reverend Arthur Macnamara and Rev. Kenneth Menzies are in the New Buildings (Macnamara’s and Menzies’) together with George Mallaby; Walter Dingwall in Field House; Wilfrid Cowell and Rev. A. James in the Lodge; Gerry Segar (Apsley) and John Eardley in the Apsley Paddox (Field House) (October Chronicle) Curtain placed in Big School at the south end to screen off what was later the Classical Fifth Form, likewise another curtain is erected in the Library screening off the Lower Sixth Form Start made on the new Boat House at Godstow in late summer - but delayed due to poor weather conditions