Administration Block, Lord Wandsworth College

Administration Block, Lord Wandsworth College

This administration block was built in 1915 to the designs of architect Guy Dawber. It is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond with stone dressings and a clay tile roof.

The building follows a rectangular, single-storey plan with a series of office rooms facing south, and secondary offices running north behind these. It is set within a small area of lawn to the south, divided by a central path leading to the main entrance.

The southern elevation is the principal facade, formed of five bays. Multi-pane arched sash windows flank the main entrance on either side, each surrounded by stone architraves adorned with classical female heads—possibly representing the Greek Goddesses Athena and Demeter, with their respective associations with learning and agriculture. The entrance and the two adjacent sash windows are recessed beneath a shallow tetrastyle Doric portico with pilasters set behind each column, leading to a plain entablature. Above this rises a stepped stone pediment bearing Lord Wandsworth's heraldic shield at its centre. A brick parapet runs behind, following the returns to both sides of the building. At either end of the hipped roof sits a brick chimney stack to the ridge. The central double-door entrance within the portico comprises three-panelled wooden doors set beneath a leaded fanlight formed of interlocking circles, all encased by a stone dentilated architrave.

The eastern elevation consists of eight bays with sash windows set under flat-gauged brick arches with keystones, topped by a brick parapet. The northernmost bay contains a wooden and glazed door within a stone architrave, with a six-light window above.

The northern elevation is plainer, with two sash windows set under flat-gauged brick arches with keystones, beneath a brick parapet. To the west is a tripartite sash window with an ocular window set within the gable above. A series of steps leads to a recessed rear entrance to the offices. At this point, the administration block connects via a porte-cochère to the Errington Block to the north (excluded from this listing).

The western elevation matches the eastern in having eight bays with sash windows. The two outermost bays project slightly with windows enclosed by stone architraves; the remaining six have flat-gauged arches with keystones, all set beneath a brick parapet running the full length of the elevation.

Internally, the main entrance from the south leads through part-glazed wooden doors into offices, a reception area, and an east-west corridor. Further offices to the north retain their part-glazed wooden doors and architraves. A second central north-south corridor provides access to additional offices and the rear entrance. The offices facing south feature greater levels of decoration, including wooden panelling (added around the 1990s but possibly relating to an earlier scheme), fireplaces, and egg-and-dart cornice moulding. The offices running to the rear of the main southern range are less ornate, with plain part-glazed doors set in glazed-brick surrounds. These rooms have been modernised internally to provide office facilities.

A brick and stone capped wall runs perpendicular to the east elevation, with an orb finial-capped gate pier supporting a timber gate, positioned between the flanking wall to the Humanities Block to the east.