Early 20th Century and War Years
Lancing College’s formative decades brought significant developments that would define its character. The 1913 completion of the Upper Quarter saw Gibbs House established in Henry Martin Gibbs’s honor, while News House gained its new identity as Sanderson’s. After an organ graced the chapel that year, construction paused. The 1920s witnessed Manor House’s transformation from the original estate buildings, alongside Cuthbert Harold Blackiston’s appointment as headmaster. This period also introduced what would become Teme House and a new classroom wing. The following decades brought curricular equality among subjects, though wartime disruption followed when HMS King Alfred requisitioned the campus. During this turbulent period, Churchill met Montgomery here, and Dr. Barbara Russell-Wells became the first woman in Common Room.
Lancing College After the War
Post-war years ushered in cultural expansion when Yehudi Menuhin inaugurated the music school in 1966. Four years later, girls entered the sixth form, marking the school’s transition to co-education. The decade saw both a sports hall’s construction and the chapel’s rose window completion, designed by Stephen Dykes Bower. In 1978, His Royal Highness Prince Charles opened Manor House, purpose-built as the first boarding house for girls.Growth and Modernization
The school’s evolution continued through the century’s closing decades. The late 1980s and 1990s brought Sir Tim Rice Theatre and a preparatory school in Hove, expanding what had become a broader educational family. Day pupil numbers grew substantially during these years.
Recent Lancing College History
Recent developments have maintained the momentum: an equestrian center arrived in 2017, followed by Saints’, the first co-educational day house. Parallel initiatives included both the chapel completion campaign and the Foundationers Campaign, supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The west porch, finished in 2021 and dedicated the following April, exemplifies how Lancing College continues adapting while preserving its heritage for coming generations.
