Summerfields was a boys' preparatory school in the

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origin ...

area of

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

. 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. It was re-developed in the

Jacobean architecture The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James VI and I, with whose reign (1603–1625 in England) it is associated. At the start of James's reign, the ...

style in 1824 and

Princess Sophia of Gloucester Princess Sophia of Gloucester (Sophia Matilda; 29 May 1773 – 29 November 1844) was a great-granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and niece of King George III. Life Princess Sophia was born in Grosvenor Street, Mayfair. Her fathe ...

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,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and the name was changed accordingly. The school was known as "Summers mi" and during the Second World War was relocated to Summer Fields in Oxford. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. 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.

Notable pupils

* David Greville, 8th Earl of Warwick (1934–1996)"The Earl of Warwick"
obituary, '' The Herald'' (Glasgow), 27 January 1996, accessed 13 March 2024 * Rainier III of Monaco (1923–2005)

References

External links

Prince Rainier
{{authority control Hastings Boys' schools in East Sussex Preparatory schools in East Sussex