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

P AGE N O : 74 Span Developments unexpectedly withdraw their original offer for Apsley Paddox. The explanation given is that the original offer was based on building six three-storey blocks of flats ‘but in the changed financial climate these were thought difficult to sell’. It was now proposed instead to build four bedroom houses and a few flats. Whatever the feelings within the School at this change of mind so late the negotiations, in view of the fact that two other high density schemes in the area had recently failed to obtain the necessary planning permission, this decision ‘might well have been enforced on the developers and the School at a later date anyway’. Span make a new offer of £130,000 (£3,913,000 today) together with the provision of handing over two of the new houses to the School or an increase of £500 (£15,050 today) to the purchase price. It is not clear whether this new offer includes the £2,100 (£63,210 today) previously agreed as additional for the plot at 10 Squitchey Lane (Governors’ Meeting, March 1962). Legal opinion for the School suggests that, the original offer being ‘quite outstanding’, it was in the interest of the School to accept the lower bid. The lower offer is accepted (Governors’ Meeting, March 1962). Planning Consent given to erect 6 three-storey houses, 12 Maisonettes, 24 flats and 134 garages (Governors’ Meeting, November 1962) The original proposal for an extension to Big School with a better stage and new class rooms proves too costly at £60,000 (£1,806,000 today) and is abandoned ‘for the time being’ (Governors’ Meeting, November 1962) Miles Peregrine (Common Room) and his family now occupy 46 Oakthorpe Road, with Colonel Gilkes (Common Room) using two rooms (Governors’ meeting, June 1962) Governors support the Development Plan which includes the new Music School, renovated domestic staff quarters and additional storage, conversion of Room 18 into a Reading Room, addition of married quarters to both Tilly’s and Cowell's Houses, new Sing’s and Field House buildings, conversion of the Main Buildings to provide a modernised Apsley, extra Dining Room space, extra Common Room space and an extension to the Chapel. Other developments (when monies become available) include an extension to School Shop, a new Theatre, new workshops, new class rooms, a pipe organ, a ‘hard’ hockey pitch and running track, filtration plants for both Swimming Baths and a new pavilion (Governors’ Meeting, July 1962) Workshops Maintenance Building (built in 1875) extended ( P. Bosanquet design ). 1963 - On the death of long time Warden Henry Kendall in 1963 the ‘Chronicle’ summarises his era as follows: ‘Old buildings were renewed, new buildings added, many acres of land bought. Included were the School Shop, the Armoury, the Boathouse, the purchase and later sale of Apsley Paddox, the extension of the Dining Hall, the Subway, the Laboratories, the Work Block, the Chapel extension, the Squash Courts, the Cowell’s and Segar’s new block and a good many lesser alterations and extensions’ The Centenary Development Fund Campaign reaches £90,100 (£2,603,890 today) in July 1963 and is renamed ‘The Improvement Fund’ (Oxley, 2015) The original Isolation Block in the Sanatorium converted into two class rooms for the Geography Department (September Chronicle) Four grass tennis courts near the Outdoor Swimming Pool converted into hard weather courts (opened Commemoration 1963) at a cost of £2,000 (£57,800 today) School acquires 45 (cost £3,300 (£95,370 today) 46 Oakthorpe Road and 57 Stratfield Road (Box 15 and Governors’ Meeting, June 1962) Apsley Paddox finally sold