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Our School’s Victorian structure in its prominent position above the cliffs at Brighton, as we all remember, faces the full force of the south-westerly winds from the English Channel. Its maintenance is like painting the Forth Bridge! The priorities and challenges of upkeep and maintaining a listed building in a state fit for 21st century education are considerable.
The Old Roedeanians’ Association launched the Heritage Projects Appeal to mark the 125th anniversary of the school at its current site , supporting and celebrating the heritage of the school, enabling iconic artefacts to be enjoyed by future generations of girls and ORs and sharing their fascinating history.
The ORA has worked closely with the School Archivist and the Chair of the Estates Committee to identify and prioritise several artefacts integral to our School’s cultural heritage which are now in need of urgent restoration or conservation work.
The brochure, which can be downloaded below, outlines the five Projects, all of which, in different ways, symbolise the heritage of the School, the sense of connection with the Founders and the link between successive generations of ORs.
Several of these were originally donations. ORs remember them well and with affection. With the help and support of the ORs and the wider Roedean Community, the ORA would like to raise the funds to conserve and restore these much-loved artefacts for future generations of Roedeanians to enjoy and to appreciate our Heritage.
Please would you be able to support this Appeal? We would be so grateful.
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Sundial/Astrolabe
on the Front Terrace
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Friezes by Sylvia Lawrence
in No. 1, 2 and 3
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Fountain
in the Cloister Garth
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Tiles
in the Art Studio
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Ensigns
in the Chapel
We're aiming to raise £164,600.00. So far we've raised £57,105.21
We do need to raise the funds for each project before work can commence. Having said that, we can progress each of the Ensigns separately.
Your donation could be for a specific project or towards the total Appeal.
The breakdown of the target by project is in the Appeal Brochure which can be downloaded below.
It is easy to donate. You can donate online via JustGiving or via the Roedean Community Network using the links below, or by cheque or credit card by completing the Gift Form which you can also download below.
Donations go directly to the School so can also be Gift-Aided.
All donations will be ringfenced for the Heritage Projects.
The ORA’s Contribution
The ORA has obtained and funded condition reports and estimates for the restoration / conservation of each item from specialist conservators. Roedean lies with the South Downs National Park (SDNP) and is Grade II Listed. Listed Building Consent had to be obtained for three of the projects. The cost of obtaining these consents has been met by the ORA. All administration costs for the Appeal have also been met by the ORA.
This means that every donation received goes towards the conservation/restoration of these projects.
The variously called Astrolabe/Sundial/Armillary Sphere situated on the front terrace was designed and donated to the School by its Architect Sir J W Simpson in 1899 to commemorate his daughter, Clara Carrick Simpson’s (No. 4, 1897M -1899L) time at Roedean.
Thank you to all the donors who made it possible for this project to be completed.
The Sylvia Lawrence Friezes
Sylvia Lawrence was a younger sister of the School’s founders. She worked at studios in Paris, was a protégée of GF Watts the prominent Victorian artist and she taught at Roedean. She painted the 3 friezes above the fireplaces in the Housemistresses drawing rooms of Nos 1, 2, and 3 between 1898 and 1905.
They are important as Sylvia was linked to the Arts and Craft and Symbolist movement and she was a trailblazer in her artistic field. Like a number of other women artists she turned to mural painting at a time it was very much seen as a man’s preserve.
Thank you to all the donors who made it possible for these projects to be completed. The friezes in No.2 and No.3 are completed, and the conservation of the frieze in No.1 is underway.
The white marble fountain in the cloister garth was originally given to the school by OR, Muriel Silver (Abbott. No 2, 1894-99). She was Head of House and her sister Frances Elaine Abbott (SS 1894-97) became House Mistress of the JH, School Vice President, ORA President and Member of the Council.
Sadly, the marble has deteriorated, the inscription is partly missing and the fountain itself is no longer in working order.
The glazed and intaglio tiles covering the walls in the Art Studio were designed and created by girls at the school during the 30's and 40's under the tutelage of the art mistress Dorothy Burt "DB" Martin. The intaglio tiles depict life at the school.
Some tiles have simply fallen off the walls, some cracked and some deteriorated. The mortar in places is unstable and there is section of wall which is uncovered. Further intaglio tiles of the school life at Keswick have been discovered together with loose glazed tiles from the same period which we hope will be used to tile the uncovered section.
We completed the first phase of the Trials in the summer of 2024, and now need the funds to progress to the second phase
Four Ensigns, given by the four Houses to HMS Collingwood, Hercules, Canterbury and Neptune in 1914, were flown at the Battle of Jutland and later returned to Roedean in 1919 when the ships were taken out of commission.
Due to their fragility the flags were taken down in the late 1980's and are stored in a glass fronted cabinet in the entrance to the Chapel. We would like to restore the flags and, if possible, have them rehung in their original place.
A fifth Ensign was flown on D-Day from the flagstaff on the front terrace at a time when HMS Vernon was stationed at the School.
Thank you to all the donors who made it possible for this project to be completed.
Mindful of achieving the right balance between conservation and restoration and having witnessed what can be achieved, we now need to push on and raise the remaining funds which will enable us to:
· Restore the Fountain in the Cloister Garth to working order. It is in a pitiful state.
· Conserve and restore the historic Tiles in the Art Studio, created by the girls in the 1930s and 40s. So special that they are mentioned specifically in the School’s Grade II Listing - but unless we act now, their condition will continue to deteriorate.
· Conserve the four WWI Royal Navy Ensigns which were flown at the Battle of Jutland and returned to Roedean to be hung in the Chapel from 1919.
If you would like more information about any of the individual projects, please email Noëlle Chase [email protected], Mary Henderson [email protected] or call the Roedeanian Office on 01273 667368. There is also more detailed information on each project which can be found at: https://community.roedean.co.uk/resources.
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View the Brochure
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Donate via Roedean Community Network
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Download the Gift Form
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Donate via JustGiving
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