What's been happening to C Social? You remember C Social - Batten's, Morgan's, Le Roy's, Featherstone's, Derham's and now Jones's - that strange place which was once the old infirmary, built and designed by Sir Thomas Jackson (who also did the Chapel) but which had some very strange buildings associated with that elegant central one. There was the Wooden Wing, which went in Peter Le Roy's time (lucky the smokers never burned it down!) and that extraordinary concrete Tutor's House (designed by the great Cambridge modernist architect David Roberts, who also designed the dining hall at Marlborough!). Worst of all, however, was the long, low concrete wing put up as a (temporary, I hope) extension to the infirmary in 1948, over the site of the old air-raid shelter. "Worst?" I hear you cry, for if you were in Batten's, Morgan's or....etc. then those concrete wing rooms with their French windows opening out onto the terrace at the edge of Social Patch were the penthouse suites of Radley. Unfortunately things change, and the gilt certainly had rubbed off the gingerbread over the past few years leaving the senior boys in Social with rooms that occasionally leaked (for the building had broken its back, sinking into the remains of that self same air-raid shelter) and had, shall we say eccentric plumbing. So last year, after literally years of planning, the venerable old dear was finally knocked down and a grand new structure built in its place - are we pleased? you bet we are! This new building, currently known as New Concrete despite its brick elevations, is the envy once again of College, and VIth formers in Jones's have the plushest accommodation around. Moreover the change has meant that the Shells have a tremendous set of truly eccentric cubicles both in the Old Infirmary top floor as well as on the top floor of the new building. New Concrete is essentially a two storey building, with the new Shell cubicles fitted into the roof space - as the old top dormitories were - adjacent to the Old Infirmary. On the other two floors there are excellent studies with cleverly designed desks fitted into the window bays, essentially for VIth formers, and a new Sub-Tutor's house at the end opposite the Tutor's house. In the coming summer holiday the work will continue on into the Old Infirmary, remodelling much of the inside and outside - for example that dreadful Shell and Remove bathroom which was tacked on at the back on the first floor will at last go - and the Social will gain a new Matron's flat and a new front door too. Former members of this Social will, however, be pleased to hear that the main stairwell in the central hall of Social will remain, and the ancient post table, upon which someone once fell from the top floor - only damaging the table legs and not himself - will remain as icons of the old era. Currently then, the Social consists of the Old Infirmary, the New Wing (which replaced the Wooden Wing) and New Concrete; I have been pondering the notion that these different parts of the Social should perhaps be renamed as Batten's, LeRoy's, and Morgan's respectively - any thoughts about this to me at the Tutor's House..... Stephen Jones |
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Radley People
