They
are the work of Brett and Pollen, and are distinguished
by their bold use of concrete beams and glass. Those
familiar with Worth Abbey in West Sussex which Brett
and Pollen went on to design will recognise something
of the style in the massive, slightly inclined sides
of the base of our octagonal Library.
The Library was the earlier
of the two constructions, and was opened in 1969.
It met an urgent need as books had been stored hitherto
in the attics and corridors of the monastery. The
solid two masses of the exterior conceal a six floor
interior housing more than 150,000 books.
The East Wing completes
the monastery buildings started about a hundred years
earlier and was opened in 1975. It rises above the
Weld Cloister, the last Gothic construction at Downside,
completed in 1949. Its simple vaulted structure brings
the school up to the Abbey Church; on one side it
lies below ground level and recaptures something
of the atmosphere of a monastic undercroft. The East
wing accommodates the Monks Refectory, the Bursary
and administrative offices as well as the Guest Wing,
connected in its turn to the St Bede Centre.
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