Sub-Series BES/1/16 - Chapmans (The Junior House)

A collection of documents, including photographs and art works, of Chapmans, formerly Junior House, built in 1910. The Georgian-style house stood on a ground of one-and-a-half acres. It consisted of dormitories and classrooms facing south which were “well-lighted and ventilated”. The Junior House had been built initially in order to provide a well-equipped Junior Department for a limited number of boarders. In 1936, a new wing was added to the house, comprising a large dining hall, a leisure room, and a new sick room. Rooms were also designed for a House Tutor. The original house was improved, especially the kitchens where “all wash-basins were fitted with hot and cold water, and baths and lavatories were added”.
In September 1960, the Junior House was set to become a Senior House and was renamed Chapmans, after Frank Emerson Chapman, first Housemaster of the Junior House. In 1961, a wide new wing was built on what was the playground. The boys could now enjoy the comfort of new changing rooms, a common room and studies. Above, a dormitory accommodation and rooms for the House Tutor were also added. The old dining room was expanded into a former common room.