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

P AGE N O : 99 A fire in the Junior Common Room is extinguished by ‘three alert boys with fire extinguishers’. The cause is put down to ‘the use of a locked room as a smoking den’ (General Purposes Meeting, February 1979) Governors interested in a new ‘Studies Centre’ as long as space could be provided, the necessary finance made available and ‘a form of control of such a Centre found acceptable to the Governing Body’. The architects chosen to look into this possibility are Sir Giles Scott Son & Partner (Governors’ Meeting, November 1979). The idea ‘has not been rapturously received in Hong Kong’ (Governors’ Meeting, February 1980). ‘Warden to pursue contact with Hong Kong and if there seemed good reason, he and Mrs. Phillips could be sent there at the School’s expense to organise support for a Studies Centre’ (General Purposes, June 1980). 1980 - Bader-led Appeal reaches £319,500 (£2,188,575 today) with 758 contributors; work on the Sports Hall due for completion by the start of the Winter Term 1981 - a further £100,000 (£685,000 today) needed so that the Technology Centre can become viable The plans for an eighth Boarding House and the Studies Centre now ‘hanging fire’ (General Purposes, June 1980) Major alterations made to Tilly’s House (War Memorial Buildings) including study-bedrooms, multiple shower units and ‘fire doors galore’. The result, after a year’s work, means the boys now live in study bedrooms, first in groups of eight or ten, then four or five man rooms, next in pairs and finally in single bedsitters in their last year. Work again done by T.H. Kingerlee & Son, St. Edward’s long-time builders (Winter 1980 Chronicle) The lack of a ‘School Bookshop’ is regretted by the Warden (General Purposes, November 1980). 1981 - Appeal now reached £360,000 (£2,091,600 today) and the Sports Hall officially opened by Richard ‘Dickie’ Jeeps, Chairman of the Sports Council, on 20 th March 1982. The builders are T.H. Kingerlee & Son and the Architect is Ian McRiner of the Falconer Partnership (Summer 1982 Chronicle) The new Technology Centre at last making progress ‘with metal work and wood work booming’ Costs of the planned modernisation of Cowell’s/Segar’s Houses is now expected to be £250,000 (£1,452,500 today) (Governors’ Meeting, March 1981) With all the Boarding Houses now full, a project to add Corfe as a new House is put to Governors. Plan would be a limited number of Junior boys (12/15) and four Senior boys from Sing’s and Field House would be introduced early in 1982. David Drake-Brockman will be the ‘Housemaster’ for the time being. A definitive move to a recognised eighth House is the goal as otherwise parents might feel their boys are being treated as ‘second rate’ (General Purposes, November 1981). 1982 - Goal of an eighth House ‘being achieved gradually by the development of Corfe’ - which will be opened as a Junior House (H) under Housemaster David Drake-Brockman. ‘After renovations at 236/238 Woodstock Road, it will accommodate 68 boys on the two sites by September 1983’ (Summer 1982 Chronicle). The changes at Corfe include a new extension due for completion by September 1983 (Autumn 1982 Chronicle). The estimated total costs for the Corfe extension and renovation amount to £256,000 (£1,328,640 today) (General Purposes, June 1982). Costs for Corfe House cannot exceed £270,000 (£1,401,300 today) - Kingerlee would be appointed the builders ‘without resorting to tender’ (Governors’ Meeting, June 1982) Modernisation being carried out in Cowell’s and Segar’s, to be followed by the building of a new three storey service block - ‘this will create more space within the existing building, and will extend the showers and changing rooms’