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

P AGE N O : 76 Yard, conversion of main boilers to oil, conversion of Class Room block and Macnamara’s House to oil, re-equipment of kitchen, lavatories in Masters’ Common Room, South Quadrangle opened up and garages for Masters built. Building in hand includes two new Boarding Houses, new Armoury and two adjacent bungalows, conversion of the old Armoury to a Gymnasium, new Workshops, conversion of School House and a projected extension in Chapel (Governors’ Meeting, October 1964). 1965 - Anxiety being raised due to slow progress of the new House building in Kendall Quad and a subsequent meeting with builders and architects agree the following completion dates:- Field House Housemaster’s house - end of July, rest of Field House ( Johnson Marshall design ) - by mid September, Sing’s Housemaster’s house - by mid September and rest of Sing’s House ( Johnson Marshall design ) by end of September (Governors’ Meeting, May 1965) Sing’s will move from School House to the Kendall Quad November 1965 (Governors’ Meeting, October 1965) St. Edward’s leave Field House (Apsley Paddox) in November 1965, forty years after its original purchase, much mourned among O.S.E. Major renovations made on Main Buildings with the departure of Sing’s to Kendall Quad, due to start early in 1966 (January 1966 Chronicle). The estimated cost is expected to be £30,000 (£822,000 today) (General Purposes, November 1964) Rt. Hon. Harold Macmillan, the former Prime Minister, officially opens the new Sing’s and Field House complex ( Johnson Marshall & Partners design ) in Kendall Quad on 27 th November School purchases 11 Thorncliffe Road (General Purposes, February 1965) New Groundsman’s Hut erected ( H.P. Little design ) New Armoury and two new bungalows ( H.P. Little design) handed over in May (Governors’ Meeting, June 1965) New Metalwork Workshop building begun in June with ‘quite a useful amount of equipment from Pressed Steel thanks to the interest of Mr. Bellhouse, a parent and director of the firm’ (Governors’ Meeting June 1965) An expenditure of £2,300 (£63,020 today) agreed to evacuate the basement of the ‘Hollies’ for habitation and the splitting of the house into a four bedroom Maisonette with bathroom and six good bedrooms with a second bathroom - the aim is to include the modernisation of the hot water system (Governors’ Meeting, November 1965) New Gymnasium in use September 1965 (Governors’ Meeting, October 1965) Projects considered as ‘desirable’ include extra studies for Segar’s House, improved accommodation in Macnamara’s House, a Language Laboratory, additional teaching aids, new class rooms to replace the old huts, improvement in facilities in the Laboratories and a Theatre (Governors’ Meeting, October 1965) Agreement reached to proceed with the Biology extension with an expected cost of £17,500 (£479,500 today) to include the conversion of the old Biology Department to Chemistry needs (General Purposes, November 1965) School purchases 41 Stratfield Road (£3,250 (£89,050 today) ), 34 Oakthorpe Road (£7,500 (£205,500 today) including fees and improvements) for the use of the Chaplain (Reverend Paul Drake). Also