Gate Lodge, Christ's Hospital

This octagonal gate lodge forms one entrance into the extensive and famous Public School of Christ's Hospital. The buildings are vastly different to those I work in and have extensive grounds and playing fields.

Christ's Hospital was founded in London in 1552 by Edward VI. The main buildings today were opened in 1902 and designed by Sir Aston Webb. The London school was closed at this time and boys from both there and from Hertford moved into these new buildings. The Hertford School remained open to girls only until 1985 when this was closed and the girls moved into the Horsham site. The buildings include a large hall, chapel, classrooms, boarding houses, and an arts centre (where I have seen the Medieval Baebes perform - but that's another story!). To help fund the school, the management bought acres and acres of land in the parish of Itchingfield that included several farms. These were all improved with what were then up to date farm buildings. A water reservoir was built on Sharpenhurst Hill to supply the school. Staff houses were built and a number built along Two Mile Ash Road.

In readiness for the school's opening a station was opened on the Mid Sussex Line (Now known as the Arun Valley Line) in 1899 by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Company. The station was very lavish with generous main line platforms and bay platforms for the Horsham to Guildford line. A huge Goods Shed was built along with two signal boxes. The LBSCR anticipated westward expansion of Horsham and older maps also refer to the station as West Horsham in brackets. The development never came but it is now not too far away on the other side of the Horsham bypass. The station was pulled down in 1972 and the only old building left is the Goods Shed and Railway Cottages.

This lodge with it's ornate gate piers is in the same style as the main buildings of the school, utilising Tudor and Renaissance elements to create a very attractive group of buildings.