Report - Sandford School/Seven Springs House, Gloucestershire - Sept 2014

[huey]

Visited with Clebby.
Seven Springs House is a grade two listed,detached house located,and obviously taking its name from the seven springs hamlet at the end of its driveway -the springs are well known to be the original source of the River Thames (and the location of the worst catering van known to man.)
Built in 1840 by William Hill,set in 6 acres of private land and with 70 acres pasture,it boasts a gate cottage and coach house.History is very sketchy,but it was used by Cheltenham Ladies College as a girls preparatory school until the 1960's.During the war the main building was commandeered,whilst the Juniors stayed others were moved to Cowley Manor or Brockhampton Park. Sometime after that it was turned into a special needs school and like many of those, outdated buildings,changing care laws and council cutbacks spelt the end. After a couple of 'inadequate overall' Ofsted reports the place closed and the staff and 56 pupils merged with other schools.
Empty since March 2012 and now showing signs of neglect,and after several changes of use spoiling most of the original features its hard to know whats in store for the old girl.

Back in happier times..

And now...Yours for £1.5m

2 bed gatehouse up for £250,000,and main entrance

Coach house a snip at £500k,nice they kept original coach entrance

Detail of central clock gable and bell tower.Everyone loves a clock,right?

Ugly wing added on in 1960's

At the back of the main house,looks like the local farmer won the contract for the extension

Inside the main house a few nice things survive,couldnt find cellar entrance though

Outback is this mad tower and storage rooms

Was expecting a bit more from the 'Technology' wing though..

Wasn't expecting this inside the Coach house! Showers and all downstairs-

Dance room,classrooms and kitchen upstairs

Still good advice,i check mine every two minutes

In 1950 Jill Baron,a former ladies college pupil wrote " I loved the freedom of Seven Springs House.Every weekend was spent roaming through the woods and making houses,climbing trees and going for long walks.The wonderful Houselady was was Miss Wills Brown and her deputy was Miss Hadfield.Every sunday evening we would go into the playroom in our dressing gowns,wrapped up in a blanket (or sit under the copper beach tree in the summer term.) Miss Brown would read us stories she had written herself."

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for looking.

 

[ACID- REFLUX]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Well that"s different

If i had £1.5 million i"d spend it somewhere else

As i scrolled down the last pic i was expecting someone hanging off the end of the rope lol

 

[huey]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Thanks guys-I wouldn't buy the place either! sorry no more internals,camera battery died and to be honest,not a lot more left in there,sorry.

 

[Will Knot]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Still a great report there Huey Nice pics, thanks for sharin'

 

[spinnah]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Wow, that was interesting for me. Mostly because I attended this school around 1993-1995 and it was horrible. I was removed from my primary school at ages 5 1/2 years for being a mildly naughty, slightly disruptive child and mixed with anything from my age to 16 year olds. The staff there were VERY heavy handed with the other pupils. I on COUNTLESS occasions saw staff shoving soap in pupil's mouths as a punishment for swearing. The head-teacher (Mr Morris) at the time had a dog which other teachers (in particular Mrs Bradnam) used to use it as a threat for anyone mis-behaving. I would say closure is the single best thing for that hell-hole. I remember teacher Helen Wallis making me stand out on a fire escape (freezing cold and about 30ft up) because I put some sunglasses on in class during winter time. She also dragged me very forcefully to class on my first day when I was lost in the corridors and couldn't find my class room.

I would love to have a tour round the building though.

 

[Lord Oort]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Awesome report, shame secca were all over the place when we tried to have a gander. Catering van did the worst bacon rolls I've ever had the displeasure of eating.

 

[slayaaaa]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Nice one, got pics, did you go up the tower? Get any pics?

 

[huey]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Thanks guys,hoped to revisit tower and get pics but secca have stepped up a bit I think,or coincidence maybe....but no haven't been in the tower at all. Pm me if you fancy having a mooch,cheers

 

[slayaaaa]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Would love to, but is a little far from me. Thanks in anyway and I look forward to results of that.

 

[huey]

Re: Sandford School/Seven Springs House,Gloucestershire,Sept 2014

Hey,drove past today and things must be moving-the horrible classroom extension is being demolished and gardens cleared,if youre thinking of going now would be a good time!

 

[Linda Williams]

I was a pupil at Seven Springs House from 1955 to 1959 and they were some of the happiest days of my life. I was top of the class almost all the time I was there and was head girl for the last two years. Miss Willes-Browne encouraged me to try to go to university after I finished secondary school at a time when only 1% of women did. My parents did not approve of educated women, but thanks to Miss Willes-Browne's advice an excellent educational grounding I persevered and succeeded, which set me up for life. I later became a university lecturer and author.

 

[huey]

Hey, im glad you liked the report and have good memories of the place. From comments ive heard, it seems to have a mixed reputation but there again, most places do. I try to be honest and tell it like it is in my reports,im quite proud of them! Anyway,if you've gone on to bigger and better things then good on you- the only person who can really help yourself is you, so I bet shes proud too. Thanks for joining and leaving a comment, I always appreciate it.

 

[Miss Mayhem]

Good stuff, cheers for sharing

 

[Andrew Crawford]

Dear Huey

I can advise that for a period of time it was a holday retreat. I stayed during the time I was a pupil at Hanham Abbots school just outside Bristol whilst I was there (1968 - 1973). It seems clear it was a holiday retreat becuase (so we were told) the proprietors were going to be showing someone around and when looking at dates for the visit they chose when pupils from Hanham Abbots were going to be visiting to show the place in a good light (of course, that might just have been teacher-speak to get us to behave!). We visited the Devils Chimney and also Coberly Church and I am sure the building was painted pink at that time. The boys stayed in rooms on the top floor whilst the girls stayed in rooms on the middle floor.

We are going back a while so recollections are sketchy but I do recollect having a good time there, that slippers were referred to as "house shoes", that part of the house ethos was "walk don't run, talk don't shout", that there was a gong in the hall which, if you were lucky, you got to beat to death to sound when meals were ready and that the lady in charge of the house had a small but friendly dog.

£1.5M? Bit above my pay grade I am afraid! It does seem a shame that such a grand old house is looking rather dilapidated now.

 

[Kavanury]

Hi guys, awesome post! Just wondering if this was easy to access or if there was alot of security etc?