It’s not every day that you celebrate a 300-year anniversary, so we were delighted to help Andrews’ Endowed school, Alton in their preparations for this notable event. Some works were needed to repair and restore this much-loved Grade 2* listed building, both in readiness for this historic occasion and to help conserve it for generations to come.
Technical staff with specialist expertise from across Property Services and beyond came together to ensure the necessary works were completed in time for the year long celebration which started in September 2019, beginning with a re-roofing project to replace the aged and broken tiles.
The school commissioned Building Surveyors from our Property Services team for this project. It turned out however, that it’s not just staff and students, past and present, who have a special place in their hearts for this building. A survey revealed a family of bats had also taken up residence! A bat licence was obtained for the works and with an ecologist present during the stripping of the roof, everyone, bats included, were happy.
Our Landscape Architecture team were also involved with this project. They designed a replanting scheme sympathetic to how the planting may have looked when the school was built, showcasing the building in its former glory for the celebrations.
And what better way to mark this anniversary than by ringing the school bell? With the help of our Structural Engineering team, the wooden bell tower was assessed to ensure this could happen for the school, by sourcing a new bell rope so that the school can proudly ring the bell to mark it’s 300th year.
Originally called “Holybourne Free School”, the building was constructed in 1721-30, founded and endowed under the will of Thomas Andrews who left money in his will for a school to be established for `the poor children’ of Holybourne and the surrounding villages.