School Refurbishment
History of the Buildings
The original buildings on the Horsham site were designed by Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell in 1894.
The aim was to create an environment reminiscent of the London School, while simultaneously crafting architecture
both of its time and unique within the Sussex landscape.
Restoration and Refurbishment
Stewardship of the Christ's Hospital buildings (many Grade II listed) requires careful planning and the use of many skilled tradesmen. We also liaise closely with Horsham District Council's Conservation Department whose guidance and assistance we greatly appreciate.
A ten-year restoration plan is currently underway which aims to put the buildings and services into good repair. The scope of the project is very wide and encompasses not only external redecoration and repairs needed to replace or restore the timeworn fabric, masonry, leadwork, windows and gutters but also to arrest decay of the hidden structures and replace the miles of cabling and pipework running underground and throughout its hidden tunnel network.
Recent Works
The Doyle School of Design & Technology was formally opened in October 2007; newly refurbished thanks to a generous donation of £200,000 from Old Blue Jack Doyle. The pupils now benefit from a state-of-the-art facility incorporating interconnecting ground floor workshops, fabrication spaces, computing facilities and an upgraded foundry.
Significant work has been carried out on the fabric of Big School over the past two years. This has included initial restoration work on the historic Wren façade, external brick and stonework repairs, and essential work on the clock tower.
The old Prep Block has now been substantially remodelled to allow for the relocation of Wardrobe and the Facilities Management offices from the old Catering Block.
Other projects recently completed include the replacement of the Servery Corridor roof; external repairs to the West Classroom Block and Maine B attached house; and the welcome refurbishment of the Music School providing lighter and brighter class and practice rooms.
The Boarding Houses
Running alongside
the restoration works has been a major programme of refurbishment and upgrading of the 8 Victorian boarding houses to meet modern standards and to create
much improved living and social space for the pupils. At the same time, staff accommodation has been extended and improved wherever possible. This seven-year
project was completed in 2008 with the re-opening of Middleton to accommodate 90 boys, with adjacent new housing for houseparents.
During the reburbishment, for the first time in the history of Christ's Hospital, one of the houses was transformed from a boys' house to a girls' house to fulfil the School's aim of educating an equal number of girls and boys.
Current Projects
Renovation of the Catering Block, to upgrade the kitchen wing to current standards, is an ambitious project that will be phased across the next 3-4 years. Groundworks began in February 2009 to construct a fully provisioned temporary commercial kitchen which was up-and-running by the end of the Easter holidays, on-time and within budget.
Rehabilitation of the existing Catering Block is the next stage of the project and will require extensive investigative work by surveyors and structural engineers before any works can commence.
At the beginning of 2009, stuctural engineers and building surveyors arrived to examine the wooden cupolas on the top of the Chapel and external restoration work to the north façade is ongoing. At the same time, boilers in the Art School and Health Centre are being replaced and we are in the final phase of a site-wide window replacement programme.
The restoration programme and other refurbishment projects are being managed by consultant building surveyors Tuffin Ferraby Taylor, in conjunction with specialist engineers and cost consultants and Christ Hospital's Masterplan architect, Architects Design Partnership.
The whole refurbishment programme has required considerable financial planning by the Trustees (Council of Almoners) of Christ's Hospital who are charged with ensuring the project is affordable and sufficient funds are raised over a period of time to maintain and restore the site for Christ's Hospital to continue as the last truly charitable boarding school.