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for a location, however well appointed, which
is not in central Oxford. In addition, there
were financial and commercial aspects to
consider. In order to attract a varied enough
programme to be financially viable, the
concert hall would have to compete directly
with other Oxford venues and, even if
successful in this regard, would need a
significant annual subsidy to remain solvent.
For these reasons, the School’s Governors
decided to shelve this scheme.
Other Matters
• The School’s decision to replace resident
house matrons with those that live out
has resulted in the need for the surgery
in Cowell’s to be remodelled and the
surgery in Sing’s to be relocated to the
heart of the House.
• To accommodate additional staff, the
Bursary has been remodelled. As part of
this project, a small meeting room has
been created which is becoming an
increasingly popular venue for people
from all areas of the School.
• The establishment of a development office
for The North Wall’s outreach activities
gave the School the opportunity to
rationalise the space allocated to its
administrative staff by taking on the lease
of an office behind South Parade.
• Due to the generosity of the School
Society, the Cowell Memorial Gateway
has been repaired, repainted, and
regilded so that the gates are now as they
were when they were originally opened
by HRH The Princess Royal in 1939
(see page 116). The Gateway remains
wide enough for modern cars which
means that the gates still do not join in
the middle.
• The grounds and gardens remain as
wonderful as ever. We have lost a few
trees that have been, or will be, replaced.
The magnolia bush that has adorned or
hidden the front of the Library
depending on your view has been
removed, and we continue with our
project to de-municipalise the grounds
by the introduction of some wild flowers
and by allowing some grass to be mown a
little less than before.