by Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin

Do you have memories of performing plays or music recitals on the large stage in the West Heath Drama Hall? Maybe you remember morning assemblies, or sitting at a desk anxiously waiting to start an exam. Sadly, the hall, which was built around the early 70s, is no more as it has been demolished after being deemed unsafe.

As I ‘married’ into the school, most of my own memories consist of staff performances such as when I took part in the ‘Queen Tribute’ as part of a Staff Revue evening (see video in separate post on this website), wearing a black tail coat and wellington boots while compering a Staff Fashion show, and playing in the band with Mr Priest and Mr Bickel to provide the music for Grease (see video on website).

There were also pupil and staff plays, and the infamous Elm end-of-term Fancy Dress when, after various party games were held around the school, everyone congregated for a grand finale in the hall. Members of Elm then entertained the audience with imitations of members of staff and getting them on stage to take part in amusing fun and games.

Many may also remember the enormous mural painted by Sarah Robarts that was hung on the rear wall of the hall.

However, my own favourite memory is from when headmistress Ruth Rudge retired in 1988. Head of music Penny Walker organised a special evening concert by the school choir in her honour in the Drama Hall.

The invited audience was fairly small and just before the concert started, a very special guest sneaked in to make an unofficial visit which no one knew about except Mrs Walker. It was former pupil Princess Diana.

I was lucky enough to be there and the surprise on Ruth’s face (and everyone else’s) was a picture, and she and the Princess warmly embraced like old friends.

A seat had been reserved in the front row with the name Enid Spacera (an anagram of Diana Spencer), and on the chair in the row behind her was the name ‘Mr B Guard’!

Following the demolition of the old hall, the current management at West Heath School took an important step toward restoring this vital part of the property. In April 2025, after several years of managing without a main hall and with increasing pressure on classroom space, the school submitted a proposal for a two-storey extension in the same location. The application was validated on 1 July 2025 and is now awaiting planning approval.

The application includes a new main hall, six additional classrooms, a kitchen and servery, new WC facilities, plus a relocated main entrance/reception to the school rather than through the front door of the historic house.

A new path from the circular drive outside the main building will lead to this main entrance. This change is intended to improve both safety and the preservation of the site’s heritage.

Remedial work to remedy the structural issues of the previous hall was attempted in 2016, but a structural engineer condemned the building in 2021, prompting its demolition in 2022 for safety reasons.

Since then, the new school has been without a central space for assemblies, performances, indoor sports, celebrations, and communal dining which created a significant and daily challenge.

Although the school does not intend to increase its intake, the need for more classrooms has become increasingly urgent. The current West Heath offers an expanding curriculum designed to help pupils develop functional, social, and life skills—programmes that require dedicated, appropriately sized learning spaces.

With SEN pupils taught in small groups of no more than six, existing classrooms have become stretched to capacity. The six proposed new classrooms would ease pressure on the existing facilities.

The project, if approved, will also reunite kitchen, servery, and dining facilities in one space. The new setup would remove heavy kitchen use from the listed building by creating a more structured environment for mealtimes.

The school claims that, if approved, the planned facilities will mark the beginning of an important new chapter for West Heath School by restoring lost amenities, improving daily life for staff and pupils, and ensuring the school can provide high-quality education long into the future.

For now, the school awaits the planning authority’s decision, and staff are hopeful that this project will soon become a reality.

* Do you have your own memories – amusing or otherwise – about the School Hall? Let us know what they are by commenting below. Or if you have any photos of some of the performances or from Fancy Dress, please send them in.  Enquiries about whether Sarah Robarts mural has been preserved for use in the new hall, or whether it has been lost forever, are on-going.