Achieving Excellence:
richard jobson
2022 will see the
opening of a brand
new, environmentally
sound, Win Coll
Sports Complex.
38 The Wykeham Journal 2019
S
et on the site of the old sports hall adjacent
to Kingsgate Park (‘KP’), the new 10,000
square metre building promises to be
a major step-up from the basic facility that
it replaces. It is, according to the College,
‘probably the most comprehensive development
plan since [our] foundation.”
I remember the old building well. A basic,
red brick block fronted by a disorganised car
park. It was a joyless place, brutish in its basic
functionality. And it smelled. God, how it
smelled — that unique blend of teenage sweat
and industrial bleach, topped off by a hint of
mould. Reinventing this place was well overdue.
Today’s sports facilities need to cater for
700 boys, up from 550 in the 1960s when the
original sports hall was built. In addition boys
can now choose from over 30 different sporting
and fitness options — a step change over the
original functional intent of the building.
To discuss the redevelopment, I met
with Richard Jobson, a founder partner of