War related, Nigel Brooks recounts the following: I attended HGS from 1959-1963. Currently live in Texas. Sometime around 1962 I can remember there was some construction and excavation going on. I think they were tearing up the asphalt on the playground and the air raid shelters were revealed. For a few days we brought torches or candles to school and explored the shelters before everything was filled in again.

 

From the 1970s onwards the main structural changes were the adding of the portakabins to the rear of the school, on the west side of the site, For the Old Harveians visiting this site, some of the names of teachers may pinpoint the buildings better than a description:-

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Mark Harrison information: "A mobile classroom/portakabin appeared for the 70/71 year and was my form room with Roy Dyche. Another appeared the following year and again was my form room, this time with Terry Jones."

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From James Overy: "I don't recall any building changes between 65 and 72. In fact, the school was in dire need of basic maintenance such as roof repairs and decorations. I remember later thinking that Cyril Ward, my first headmaster, did a good job keeping the school useable despite the dilapidations. The 'huts' beyond the gym were very cold in winter and starting to fall apart by the time I left but the teaching continued thanks to the determination of messrs Young, Pryor, Botting, Gilbert and others."

 

Some information from Paul Uden:

"Terry Jones was in the single portakabin between the gym and the Dick Young / Ted Pryor double one. John Botting's (also 1C form room) was next to the 6th form common room down the side of the playground and joined as a double to Don Traska's (1975-1982)."

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Further to this Max Spiller states:

"I believe the Science block near the public tennis courts was built around 1988-89.. 

 

In January 1992 the larger buildings were severely damaged by fire. By September 1992 a new complex of interlinked temporary buildings had replaced most of the older temporary structures. The exception was the music room nearest the ‘BBC hut’ which survived at least until 1997.

 

The new sports building nearest the Polo Ground was built in 1996. The planned demolition of the old gymnasium was cunningly turned into a refurbishment when the rarity of the sprung floor was discovered."

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Further to the 1992 portakabins fire from Phil Harding; "The fire only affected the huts that were used for foreign language teaching - the sixth form common room had later incarnations as a classroom and art room, but was eventually demolished."