Junior House, Lord Wandsworth College

Junior House, Lord Wandsworth College

A boarding house constructed between 1928 and 1929, designed by Guy Dawber. The building is constructed of red and dark brown brick with stone dressings and a clay pan tile roof.

The plan is broadly symmetrical, consisting of a central range connected to cross wings projecting at either end to both front (east) and rear (west). The central block of the main range rises over three storeys above a basement containing store and boiler room. The central range steps down to two storeys where it meets the cross wings, which maintain this height. Single-storey front blocks at the north and south ends originally enclosed small courtyards but have since been filled in.

The east elevation forms the main frontage to Hyde Farm Lane and is designed in a free Neo-Georgian manner with restrained detailing and Mediterranean influence, reflected in the deep-eaved, hipped-roof form with pan tiles and finials. The central range features a projecting double-storey frontispiece with a garlanded broken pediment framing a large sash window with a balcony above the entrance. The main entrance has a decorative carved stone architrave with a faceted arch integrating a fanlight above double doors with fielded panels. Flanking the doors are sections of raised brick creating the effect of piers supporting the pediment. The remainder of the central block has multi-paned sashes set under flat-gauged headers (with keystones to the ground floor) and a single ocular window to the centre of the upper storey. Paired stair towers mark where the central range meets the cross wings, each featuring narrow double-height oriel windows crowned with small ocular windows and set beneath a finial-capped hipped roof. The end bays of the projecting cross wings to north and south each have a trio of arch-headed sashes to the ground floor with large sashes and balconies above. The returns of the cross and side wings are simply arranged with sashes evenly distributed under flat-gauged headers.

The rear (west) elevation is stripped of applied ornamentation, with glazed double doors opening to the gardens set beneath a double-height oriel window in the centre of the range. This is flanked by paired sash windows with segmental headers to the ground and first floors of the central portion, with flat-gauged headers to the remaining sashes. The two-storey bays of the central range have two bay windows with sashes to the ground floor and paired sashes above. The end bays of the rear projecting cross wings to north and south each have a trio of sashes with glazed doors to external steel escape stairs above.

The north and south end elevations are more utilitarian, mostly with smaller replacement uPVC windows under simple brick headers. The south elevation features a notable pan-tiled door hood set on shaped wooden brackets above the entrance to the kitchens and southern service rooms. A later flat-roofed block is attached to the front of the north end range.

Internally, the main corridors on ground and first floors connect the cross wings and staircases at either end, with smaller rooms set off to the west side of the central range; this arrangement has remained largely unaltered although room uses have changed. The main entrance leads to a small tiled lobby with a secondary set of part-glazed double doors aligned with rear doors to the garden. This opens to the central corridor running between the northern and southern stairs. The stairs retain iron balusters and raised and turned wooden handrails. The corridors have parquet floors to both levels, with access to a run of smaller rooms to the west (originally staff common rooms and matron's office at ground floor, staff bedrooms and matron's apartment at first floor) retaining several original features including simple fireplaces with moulded surrounds and mantles, picture rails, built-in cupboards and several panelled doors with brass fittings and moulded architraves.

The northern ground floor contains the main students' recreation room to the rear range of the cross wing with parquet flooring throughout. The front (east) side has a series of WCs, changing areas, showers and store rooms, mostly modernised, although the tiling, benching and racks in the changing rooms may date from the inter-war period. The southern ground floor has the dining hall to the rear (west) range, also with parquet floor and an original serving window from the kitchen. The front range of the southern end accommodates kitchens and associated store and service rooms, where some 1920s tiling and doors are retained. A students' common room has been created from the filled-in courtyard space where original windows and openings have been either blocked or replaced. At first-floor level are dormitories and two partitioned-off tutor's flats (to the south-west side) to the cross wing projections, with wash rooms and luggage stores to the north and south ends. The dormitories and washing areas on the first floor retain few features of note save for door architraves and skirting boards.