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

P AGE N O : 71 Warden Fisher submits a Centenary Appeal to the Governors with a goal of £150,000 (£4,755,000 today) with two-thirds expected by 1963 School objects strongly to plans for the ‘Wolvercote Crossing’ - as the Highways Committee have refused to build a foot-bridge that would have allowed safe pedestrian passage over the Crossing. Over 120 St. Edward’s boys use this junction from the School to the School’s Boathouse on five days every week during 13 weeks of the Summer Term. The alternatives offered across the road considered totally unsuitable and the School Governors hope that in the ‘interest of safety’ the Committee will reconsider their decision (Governors’ Meeting, July 1959) - the decision is reversed and a foot bridge is provided (General Purposes Meeting, June 1959) Warden informs Governors that current staff are presently accommodated as follows:-

Married Housemasters in School owned accommodation - 3 Bachelor Housemasters in School owned accommodation - 4 Married Masters living in School owned accommodation - 12 Married Masters living in their own houses - 11 Bachelor Masters living in their own houses - 7 (2 of the above bachelors intend to marry in 1960) Retired or part-time Masters living in School accommodation - 2 Retired or part-time Masters living in their own houses - 2 (Governors’ Meeting, October 1959)

Middle Day-Rooms in Cowell’s and Segar’s converted into studies. The Junior Day-Room in Macnamara’s House is fully equipped and has horse-boxes (Governors’ Meeting, October , 1959). 1960 - In the new field to the north of the Avenue the old allotments are levelled and seeded. It will eventually provide one full sized rugby pitch or two smaller (Junior) fields in winter and for cricket in the summer State of the Pavilion giving cause for concern (not for the first time). Urgent alterations in hand including re-plastering and having a lightweight wood and metal balustrade fitted (February Chronicle). Pavilion finally fully repaired and decorated ‘and we hope that it will prove satisfactory for another few years’ (Governors’ Meeting, May 1960) - it ‘made do’ for the next 49 years School’s Coat of Arms has been included with others at the Town Hall in Oxford, following a decision taken in March by the City Council (May Chronicle) Thorncliffe House, which for many years had accommodated two Masters and nine boys from Cowell’s is sold by the School (October Chronicle) New accommodation being built behind Cowell’s ( P. Bosanquet design ) which will provide more Studies and a Games Room - these will be in the form of wooden huts

School acquires 48 Oakthorpe Road (Box 15) Final pig disappears from the School property

Goals for each House: to accommodate (ideally) 67 inhabitants including 5 Day Boys, the Junior Day Room should hold 22 boys, the Middle 26 and above that all should have studies, preferably in groups of not more than three. Each House would have its own changing-rooms, showers, Trunk Rooms, Reading Rooms and Games Rooms Extra bathroom added to the Warden’s House (General Purposes Meeting, November 1960)