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

P AGE N O : 6 that the land chosen can be enclosed and he seeks out fixtures and fittings including furniture. His relationship with Simeon is a strained and often distant affair, with the architect’s clerk handling most of the correspondence between them, usually about disputed bills. 1872 - First turf cut by Simeon and his confidante Felicity Skene in a daisy and onion field School enters into a contract with Thomas & Steven Orchard of Banbury for the building of the new School following the ‘plans and specifications of Mr. William Wilkinson of Oxford, Architect’ for the sum of £8,659 (£1,385,440 today) before ‘any alterations and reductions’. Six other building companies will join Orchard during the first years of construction (Oxley, 2015) The terms of the contract stipulate that the Main Buildings be finished by May 1st - in fact on that date the building still has no roof (Simeon, 1898 Roll) Initial buildings planned for accommodating 135 boys, a figure not actually reached until 1915 (Oxley 2013) Thomas Chamberlain lays foundation stone of first buildings on 15 th July 1872. Work commences on the School House (Main Buildings) and Warden’s House ( both William Wilkinson designs ). 1873 - School (80 pupils) migrates to the new site from New Inn Hall Street, Oxford in August despite the building work being by no means complete. Simeon himself lives in the Servants’ Hall for the first term. ‘The place was full of workmen; doors and even some windows were not in. It was a desperate condition. Unspeakable muddle and confusion everywhere, and nothing ready’ (Simeon Biography). Nevertheless the June 1881 Chronicle reports that ‘the first block of buildings was formally opened on 25 th November 1873, in the presence of a large company’ School rent ‘Watcombe Cottage, 13 Banbury Road’ as the first Sanatorium - initial contract is for two years. Eventually succeeded by the ‘The Hollies’ in South Parade, purchased by the School in 1878 (Boxes 15 and 30) Good progress made with the new build during the fine weather in the early part of the year. ‘The West Wing (Warden’s House) is roofed in and preparations are made for beginning the Headmaster’s House’ (New Buildings)’ (February 1925 Chronicle) In the later part of the year the weather changes and so does Simeon’s mood, not helped by his bad health; from his sick-bed he conducts a correspondence with Wilkinson and his clerk in an attempt to hasten completion, but by 22 August ‘the site is still awash with workmen and their concomitant paraphernalia and some of the doors and windows were still to be fitted’ (Hill, 1963) ‘I swept out dormitories, throwing chips and lime out of the windows - there was not time to scrub them. I worked like a navvy from morning to night to get the absolute necessities of life, beds into the rooms before the boys came in August 22. The first morning after their arrival the new stove would not draw. We could not get any hot water for a long time and the poor boys had to wait for their breakfast, confusion - nothing ready. One boy fell into the well that had been dug for building purposes’ (Simeon Diary) (Hill, 1963) Foundation Stone laid for the Chapel ( William Wilkinson design ) by the Bishop of Oxford, John Mackarness and Lord Beauchamp (School Trustee) on 25 th November. Expected costs for building the Chapel are £10,000 (£1,600,000 today), with half coming from donations (N. Hunter, St. Edward’s, 150 Years -2013) The School (and certain named Trustees) purchase a plot of land adjacent to the Chapel site to be used as a future burial ground. Measuring 52ft by 16ft, the vendor is a Robert Blackford Mansfield of Southampton