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

P AGE N O : 60

unless convertible accommodation nearer at hand can be acquired’. Also the Day-Room accommodation of School House (Main Buildings) should be ‘enlarged as practicable’. Finally the possibility should be kept in mind of purchasing small houses near the School as opportunity arises ‘when prices become more reasonable’ and that ‘new houses for married Masters be built on the Apsley property when required’ St. Bede’s School, Eastbourne live Oxford for their own home with the fear of invasion over. 1945 - School receives its ‘greatest bequest ever of £34,000 (£2,040,000 today), in the form of valuable stamp and coin collections, silver, books and pictures, from Edmund Brewer-Williams (O.S.E.)’ and eventually used mainly to ‘redeem the final debentures owed by St. Edward’s’ (Oxley, 2015) A small flat on the top floor of No. 32 Oakthorpe Road altered to accommodate a married teacher (Governors’ Meeting, November 1945) Munition Hut converted for use as a Laboratory and later a Geography Room (Jack Tate list 1955). 1946 - With mounting difficulties in housing married members of the teaching staff, the School seeks approval to build two semi-detached cottages on land adjoins the Apsley Orchard house ‘providing that they are built of suitable material for future enlargement’ (Governors’ Meeting, March 1946) School receives a £25,000 (£1,460 000 today) donation from an anonymous O.S.E. as well as £3,000 (£175,200 today) from the will of Sir Russell Bencraft (O.S.E.) - in total £1,635,200 in today’s money (April 1946 Chronicle) School acquires 45 Stratfield Road (Box 15) for £1,000 (£58,400 today), including the furniture (General Purposes Meeting, October 1946) Sole survivor of the previous ‘Jungle’ excavation in the middle of the Quad, a Golden Yew, is heavily pruned; when later this does not work, Dwarf Maples are planted and then in turn Roses ( donated by Dick Balfour O.S.E. forty years later displace these also) Two new flats to be built at Apsley Orchard with work commencing end of June. Also Apsley Gate Lodge, under the rental possession of Jack McMichael, will be converted into two flats (General Purposes Meeting, June 1946) One flat will be added for the newly marrieds - the new House Master of Macnamara’s, Roger Northcote-Green and Joan (née Greswell) the House Nurse at Field House, in the New Buildings on the first floor at a rental of £40 (£2,336 today) per year Rents for all the new flats at Apsley Paddox to be charged out at £60 (£3,504 today) per year inclusive of rates but other charges to be divided between all the tenants ‘by agreement’ (General Purposes Meeting, June 1946) School taking action to ‘regain the use of Nos. 27 and 28 South Parade for the use of married staff; also new arrangements made with the owner of 42 Oakthorpe Road where five School maids and the family of the duty carpenter and his family reside’. Finally, the School is urgently requiring the full use of No. 32 Oakthorpe Road which entails making alternative arrangements for the existing tenant (General Purposes Meeting, June 1946) Plans for the completion of the kitchen upgrade, agreed before the war, completed by Best & Sons at an estimated cost of £3,000 (£175,200 today) (Governors’ Meeting, June 1946). This work is delayed later in the year as the Ministry of Works had turned down the appropriate license (General Purposes Meeting, October 1946)