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

P AGE N O : 72

Green Belt building means prolonged discussions with the Oxford City authorities resulting in permission to erect up to three new Boarding Houses no later than 1962, in the Corfe House area. However, there are still some outstanding issues if the School wants to build further within the fields west of the Woodstock Road (November, 1960). The School lodges an objection to the inclusion of St. Edward's ground west of the Woodstock Road as part of the City green belt exclusion area for building despite receiving the permission to build (as above). View taken that the School should reserve the right to build on their own property (subject to building rules) Governors consider plans drawn up by the Warden to build a new Music School (by 1961) and Handicrafts Centre as well as again enlarging the seating in Chapel (Governors’ Meeting, November, 1960). 1961 - School purchases 277 Woodstock Road (Angle House) from ‘Bim’ Barff for £6,500 (£202,800 today) and ‘now owns the houses between the Science Laboratory and the Oakthorpe Road’ (May Chronicle and Box 15) Houses in the vicinity of the School, either rented or owned by St. Edward’s, include three owned in South Parade (for domestic staff), four in the Oakthorpe Road (two owned and two rented), one in Stratfield Road (rented), one in Middle Way (owned) and three in the Woodstock Road (owned) Additionally, a portion of five adjacent gardens in the Oakthorpe Road have been purchased and used (in 1963) mainly for garages and ‘might eventually be used for class rooms’ (Hill, 1963) In the summer holidays a temporary building is erected behind School House to provide studies for senior boys in Apsley and Sing’s. All Houses now have studies instead of Senior Day Rooms Room 19 under Big School will again become a class room, Room 17 will convert to a Sitting Room for School Prefects (September Chronicle) In Warden Fisher’s first seven years a total expenditure of £80,000 (£2,496,000 today) has produced a result that makes a negligible impact externally but an ‘incalculable’ effect on the occupants (Hill, 1963) Unexpected offer made to the School to purchase Field House (Apsley Paddox) by a developer, Span Developments of London. The Governors have to make a considered judgment, as there are now five Masters’ houses in the drive to plan for as well. Against this is the size of this excellent offer, set against the building of a possible new Sing’s House and ‘the provision of two entirely new Boarding Houses at little cost to the School’ (Hill, 1963). The Governors accept the offer of £155,000 (£4,836,000 today) for a 140 years lease School withdraws its objections to the inclusion of the playing fields and the meadow at Wolvercote in the proposed Green Belt, after receiving satisfactory assurances from the City Authorities (General Purposes Meeting, November, 1961) Class Rooms M1 and M2 established (Jack Tate list 1974). 1962 - Tenders received for the new ‘Ferguson’ Music School. Building start date is April 1962 and will take seven months. The site is on the old Outdoor Shooting Range on the north side of South Parade (originally called John’s Quad). Very much the idea of Warden Fisher, it consists of a series of Music Practice Rooms, an Orchestra Practice Room and offices for the Director of Music and his assistant. Extra storage space for the Clerk of Works and better living conditions for the domestic staff will also be provided in the same area A complete new set of cookers are installed in the Kitchens School acquires land at rear of 44 Oakthorpe Road (Box 15)