Summerfields was a boys'
preparatory school in the
St Leonards-on-Sea area of
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
,
East Sussex.
It occupied the buildings previously known as Bohemia House.
Bohemia House was built in 1818, by the architect John (Yorky) Smith, and occupied the site of the former demolished Bohemia Farm,
which has given its name to Bohemia Road, and the whole area known as Bohemia.
The first owner of the house was G. N. Collingwood, a son-in-law of
Admiral Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as ...
. It was re-developed in the
Jacobean architecture style in 1824 and
Princess Sophia of Gloucester stayed there during the summer of 1830.
In 1831, the house and estate was put up for sale. The building was later sold to Wastel Brisco who purchased the house for £8500. Wastel was the younger brother of
Musgrave Brisco, the MP and mayor of Hastings in 1842. The estate had North and South Lodges. The North Lodge was located opposite 220 Bohemia Road (the current site of the fire station).
In 1903 the house was leased by Dr C. H. Williams, headmaster of
Summer Fields School
Summer Fields is a fee-paying boys' independent day and boarding preparatory school in Summertown, Oxford. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school, Summerfields, St Leonards-on-Sea (known as "Summers mi").
H ...
,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and the name was changed accordingly. The school was known as "Summers mi" and during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
was relocated to Summer Fields in Oxford.
Former Summerfields alumni include
Rainier III of Monaco
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Monarchy of Monaco, Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Monaco, Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the house was used as the local
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
.
The school closed in 1966 and the site was bought by Hastings Borough Council. The house was demolished in 1972.
Part of the site was used for the new police station and fire brigade headquarters, and the name is now perpetuated by a hotel.
References
External links
Prince Rainier
{{authority control
Hastings
Boys' schools in East Sussex
Preparatory schools in East Sussex