Buildings and Grounds

Loughton County High School for Girls


corridor from new building on the hockey pitch	entrance hall 1	entrance hall 2

entrance hall 3	entrance hall 4	entrance hall 4a

entrance hall 4b	entrance hall 5	former games area corridor

hall entrance and corridor	hall-no stage steps now	sixth form stairs

classroom old building	head's office	centre stairs

music practice room and hall entrance	part of the old gym	rebuilt hall corridor-no windows

entrance to hall behind stage	science block	swimming pool now under concrete

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This lovely greetings card was produced for the school's Golden Jubilee in 1956 from an Indian ink drawing by a member of staff, Annie Hatley, nee Grove, in 1921. The original was done in aid of the Swimming Bath Fund. The pool was built in 1922. Many thanks to Anne Todd (nee Dutch) for sending this to me.

The School buildings in the 1960s, showing the swimming pool, with all those cold cubicles (top left), the art room and canteen (top centre) and the hockey pitch without the monstrous building
that now resides there.
The big new science block, wrapped around the Hall, the music department attached to the far end of the Hall (centre) and the gym pointing towards the pool.

Thanks to Christine Dick (nee Edwards) who sent this photo

The sixth form garden is behind the wall - now forbidden to pupils in case they fall in the pond!

The oldest part of the School buildings.
Were those upper rooms haunted?
To read about a possible ghostly candidate click here

School buildings in 2013


Opening 1922	Re-opened after WWII

The cold slimy swimming pool - loathed more than loved


1920	1920

the bridge to the canteen	cookery room	library

c 1970	hockey pitch oak tree

Loss of the "Elgin Marbles"

While Christine was doing some research at RVHS she asked about the "Elgin Marbles" in the Hall. She reported back: "The first time I visited, he told me that when the frieze was taken down they discovered it wasn’t fixed to the wall at all but rather just leaning against the wall on a ledge above the stage. Thank the Lord it never fell down!"

From Paul Banks (Headmaster, RVHS) June 2014:

".......some of it crumbled away as part of our restoration work on the hall as it was in a terrible condition - the hall had been poorly maintained over the years until we restored it and the frieze had suffered water damage and poor care and attention. Some is in storage and some is displayed in one of our classrooms."

This photo will enlarge further if clicked

The Hall

Miss James at the piano for a singing lesson
Hilary Plass remembers this as being her class - 1964 intake - 1alpha - with Pat Webster in the back row

The "Elgin Marbles proudly on display above the stage

Original Buildings

The Pool & odd photos
from the magazine

The Hall and
"The Elgin Marbles"

As it is today - Sept 2013

The pathways are still just mud in this old postcard photo so the building must be brand new