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

P AGE N O : 63 1950 - Two Commemorative Windows ( Hugh Easton design ) installed in the west end of Chapel and dedicated by the Rt. Reverend Noel Hudson (O.S.E.), between the Ante-Chapel and Nave. The north side is given to the Founder, the Arms and Crest of the Reverend Thomas Chamberlain. On the south side are the arms and crest of John Millington Sing, the School’s fourth Warden Allocation at Apsley Paddox for married Masters’ houses have been individually submitted where ‘licenses are likely to be approved’ (General Purposes Meeting, February 1950) Warden concerned at a rumour that land to the north of the School would be subject to compulsory purchase in order to build a new nursery school. However, the City Archivist is unhappy about the project and it is therefore under review (General Purposes Meeting, February 1950) The original site plan for Masters’ houses at Apsley Paddox has now been rejected by the Planning Committee on the grounds that by-laws required a ‘finished roadway of 200 yards to Squitchey Lane’. This is contrary to what the School had been led to believe heretofore by the City Engineer and City Architect. Following various meetings between the School and the City authorities, agreement reached for a temporary access to the Woodstock Road and provision made only for the by-law street to Squitchey Lane to be constructed when further development made it necessary. The rough estimate for this alternative is £2,500 (£122,225 today) and licenses for the three houses are being applied for at the maximum permissible amount of £2,557 (£81,000 today) each. These figures are considered excessive and ‘further consideration of the matter would be necessary when the builders’ final estimates were received’ (General Purposes Meeting, November 1950) The Outdoor Swimming Bath will need reconstruction and chlorination and this will hopefully be done during the next Summer Holiday period (General Purposes Meeting, November, 1950) Provision first made for bicycle shelters (Jack Tate list 1955). 1951 - Corfe House now serves as a ‘waiting’ House for twenty boys whose chosen House has no space for them. Living also in the house is one unmarried and one married Master (General Purposes Meeting, February 1950) Ground being cleared in Field House Drive for three new houses for married Masters, after all the initial planning difficulties have been overcome. These will be finally occupied in September 1952 (September Chronicle) at a cost of £10,641 (£492,678 today) The City Architect points out to the School that two areas of the School’s present property of some 6 acres each, adjoining Wolvercote, have been earmarked as possible sites for a future Secondary School. One of these sites is ‘detached from the School’ and therefore considered as not essential but the other is part of a field that it has always been intended to level so as to provide three rugby football pitches and two cricket pitches above flood level and ‘would be a serious loss’. However the City Engineer had not previously been aware that the playing fields were liable to flood and that this could mean that there would only be two playable surfaces for 470 boys. The City Architect had been asked to voice the School’s serious concerns to the Education Committee (General Purposes Meeting, February 1951) The School’s house ‘Willowfield’ at Steeple Aston sold to Mr. Howard White, currently on the School’s teaching staff (General Purposes Meeting, February 1951) Plot of land near the Boat House leased for 7 years to the Territorial Association for the erection of a hut for the exclusive use of the Naval Section of the C.C.F. (General Purposes Meeting, February 1951) School rent No. 41 Stratfield Road at a cost of £100 (£4,630 today) per year for the use of Arthur Jeffrey, the Warden’s butler (General Purposes Meeting, February 1951)