ARCHITECTURAL NOTES OF THE NEW SCHOOL

From a very interesting description of the new School buildings by Mr. Arthur Reeve, the architect, we extract the following notes.

Firstly, with reference to the site chosen for the new School, Mr. Reeve says:-

"When the late Archbishop Temple determined to make over the large field attached to Lambeth Palace, to the London County Council, in order that it might be laid out as a Recreation Ground for the people of Lambeth, the late Rector approached him with a view to securing the curious little triangular piece of ground which formed the south-eastern corner of the field, as a site for the new School.

To this proposal the Archbishop agreed.

Therefore when the bulk of the field passed into the hands of the London County Council, this corner was reserved, and after certain negotiations between Dr. Temple , the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and the Trustees of the Lambeth 8oys' School, it was determined that it should be acquired by the latter body in order that the new School building should be erected upon in, the purchase money being vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and the interest upon it being secured to the Trustees in perpetuity so long as the School might be maintained as a Church School."

Mr. Reeve speaks of the difficulty he experienced in making a perfectly satisfactory use of the ground acquired, to which it was desired to obtain a prominent entrance from the Lambeth Road, owing to the peculiar angles at which the road, the railway and the School site lie to one another, but the most satisfactory arrangement under the circumstances was at length devised, one of the houses on the Glebe property in Lambeth Road was acquired by the Trustees, subject to the consent of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, for the purpose of malting a suitable entrance to the School, and also for providing a residence for the Head Master.

The principal feature of the School is the large Hall with transepts on the ground level, shaped like a cross, but without the head or upper portion, and capable of being divided into two full-sized class rooms.

The floor of the hall is composed of wood blocks, and under the eastern half of the transept is a covered playground for the use of the scholars in wet weather.

In the gables above the windows, and in a similar position in front of the Head Master's house, occur shields, with the arms of the late and present Archbishops, the late and present Rectors, the late Earl of Chichester, Major Lawrence, the See of Rochester, etc., etc.

There are lofty and airy class rooms, a Masters' room, hat and cloak rooms, a manual training room, ample, condors and staircases, a kitchen and lavatories, and a subsidiary or emergency exit from the School Hall.

The whole building is lighted by electricity, and there ,are electric fans in the class rooms and in the great hall, for ventilation.

The general style of the building is Elizabethan, the walls being faced externally with red bricks, and the dressings are composed of Doulton terracotta, with very much the effect of stone. 

A feature which will appeal to all Old Boys is the careful preservation of the ancient figure of the Coade Boy, who with his canopy and pedestal, occupies a position similar to that held by him in front of the old building in Hercules Road.

The late Earl of Chichester. The Right Hon. And Rev. Francis Godolphin Pelham, M.A.