At Bradfield today, immediately beyond the Classical Garden is the only building to have gone up within the original College precincts since 1907 - now known as Gray Schools - which opened in 1930. This set of six classrooms ('Schools' was a Rugbeian importation of Headmaster Whitworth) was designed by Architect Mr W. G. Newton FRIBA who had achieved fame with the Memorial Halls both at Marlborough and Uppingham. The building stands between the St Andrew’s churchyard and Big School.

The Bradfield Chronicle of March 1930 noted of the project that the walls of the building known then as ‘New Classrooms’ were rising rapidly on the north side of Big School. At the north-east end, where the ground falls to the level of the tennis courts, a small formal flagged garden was also planned at the same time including 8 Irish Yew trees, which became the Classical Garden.

The handsome new building was constructed of Cotswold grey bricks with a proportion of warmer tints and a parapet with a dark red tiled roof showing above it. Its most striking feature is three great bay windows running from top to bottom which are built of oak and which have weathered grey to match the cast lead panels and flat decorated copings. The twin doors at the front open on to a broad stone landing with shallow steps leading down to the Terrace.

At the opening the headmaster thanked the architect for giving the school ‘a building not only of utility but of beauty and distinction and one which fitted in with its own beautiful surroundings.’

However, some felt that to interrupt the wonderful vista from Army House away across 'Major' to the Rectory fields was a mistake and that the building was also an intrusion on the churchyard and was somehow out of harmony with its surroundings. This impression has not altogether faded over time.

Each classroom was built to accommodate a maximum of 28 boys and it was hoped it would be ready for the Christmas term in 1930. The project was on schedule and its interior was described as “as good as or better than the exterior” when it opened on October 4, 1930. The classrooms included a Classical Library, modern language classrooms, a biology laboratory, mathematics and a drawing classroom. At the time it was noted that fine Medici prints hung in each room.

It was the Old Boys’ Society and its President Colonel Blunt who decided that the new classrooms should be a memorial to Dr Gray, former headmaster and later Warden who passed away on 5 April 1929. The cost of the building was £6,200 and would be known as Gray Memorial Classrooms. It was believed that the memorial was one which Dr Gray would have liked himself because it would contribute to the welfare and happiness of present and future generations with the intention that the new building be entirely to gift of Old Boys to the school via the Gray Memorial Fund. After the Founder Thomas Stevens, Dr Gray might almost have been seen as the second founder, for he found Bradfield a small school with about 50 boys and raised this number to over 300. Blackie in his book wrote of Gray “He poured his life work generously into the rebuilding of the school - and he will be remembered not so much by outward signs Gray Pit [now Greeker], M.S. [the Modern Side boarding house], the Officer Training Corps, but by the splendid vitality of his personality, which, still close on 20 years after his retirement, permeates all the actions and traditions of the school.”

Over the years there have been modifications to the outside of the building. Bradfieldians remember finials on the corners of the building, some made jokes about them, which the Bradfield Society had always led to believe were balls of some kind, but it has now been confirmed the finials were pineapples. The amazing find of a photograph of the building in November 1980 reveals large pineapples on each corner of the roof. Tim Maltin (A 86-91) recently revealed a prank during his time when he and a friend climbed onto Gray Schools roof and painted the pineapples red, white and blue to honour the buildings modern language’s function. Ever resourceful they borrowed a ladder from Greeker placed it on a shed at the back of the building, got some paint from the Art School (the white colour of which turned out to be glue) and painted it onto 3 corners of the building. Tim admitted during his recent visit to college to lecture to pupils and the community about the ship Titanic, his shame to this day for his antics and concern when he visited that the pineapples may have been taken down just because of him!

Speaking with the College Maintenance team, the pineapples were made of concrete which disintegrated over time (possibly due to their thin base) and were removed before 1994 for health and safety reasons, however we have been unable to confirm the actual date.

Roger Moore (G 59-64) who also visited the college recently commented on the absence of the pineapples and said he does not think that was the first time they changed colour. He remembered a flashback when visiting the new St Andrew’s Study Centre “to a moment when the college woke up to find all the school's silverware very neatly dangling from a tightrope strung between the tops of the church and chapel towers. The question was how did they do that when all the relevant doors were locked? At that time, great emphasis was placed on leadership, initiative and resourcefulness.” Stuart Williams who has been a member of the college SCR for many years says the pineapples were often the subject of end of year japes.

Former member of the SCR Antony Collieu who arrived in 1962 has finally put all our minds at ease about the pineapples. He said, “The then Bursar Harry Slessor saw them in a country house auction and decided that they would be an ideal embellishment for what he regarded as an extremely boring edifice, so he bid for them and won them. They then appeared either over a weekend or over one night to much amusement and ribaldry from the SCR. As far as I’m aware he had told no one not even the Head Master… He was always very proud of them and was hurt by the SCR reaction.”

It is thought they were installed during the years 1962-4. Antony added” Equally if they were of concrete I doubt if it was a country house auction, but it was definitely an auction.”

We would love to hear your memories if you remember the installation of the pineapples and there are no doubt lots of other stories about this area of the college you may like to share.