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Description: | The building was designed by Thomas Stopher (the younger) in 1878 and opened as Winchester Modern School in the spring of 1880.This was a day fee-paying school for 'the lower middle classes and respectable working classes' of Winchester and surrounding district. It had been founded out of the philanthropy of Lord Northbrook, a local landlord of considerable wealth who had been Viceroy of India. He bore the entire cost of building. Unfortunately the school did thrive and closed after seven years.
For two years it was then a preparatory school called Westfields, but this too closed.
In 1897 it became West Downs Preparatory School, founded by Lionel Helbert, and opened with only four pupils paying 45 guineas a term, but by 1909 it had over 80 pupils and the building was extended, the architect for the extension was John Simpson who was also the architect for Roedean School, Brighton, and Wembley Stadium. The school closed in 1988 and after lying empty for some years the building was acquired by King Alfred's College. It has now been converted into student accommodation and other uses for the college.
References:
1. Quick Information Index, Winchester Local Studies
2. Hichens, M. (1992) West Downs: a portrait of an English Prep School. p.7, 13.
Copy photograph made by Derek Dine, 1970-80. | Format: | image/jpeg | License: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=gateway&f=generic_sitetext%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&cms_con_core_subtype%3acms_con_text_what=copyright&%3acms_sys_group=%22sopse%22 | Rights holder: | Hampshire Library and Information Service - Hampshire County Council | Subjects: | building school West Downs Prep School West Downs Romsey Road prep school | Temporal: | start=1900-01-01; end=1920-12-31; | Source: | Sense of place SE | Creator: | Copied by: Dine, Derek; Hampshire County Council | Identifier: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | image/jpeg | Go to resource |
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