Happy Birthday, Alway!

It's sixty years since Lord Hailsham opened Alway House in July 1962. The new Junior house was built at a cost of £40,000, much of which was contributed as a bequest by George Alway OB (Day Boy 1897-1902), after whom the House is named. The accommodation for 30 11- to 13-year-olds - all boys, of course - allowed younger pupils a house of their own for the first time.

The Head, Dr John Sharpe, was the Housemaster of Alway for its first year until John Payne became Housemaster in September 1963, with his new wife, Ann, joining him in 1966. John and Ann began a run of Houseparents whose name are legion in the history of the life of Christ College: Colin and Anne Kleiser, David and Liz Cherry, Paul and Linda Chandler, Tim and Ali Trumper, Paul and Julie Shannon, Magnus and Helen Caithness. And not forgetting Chris and Lynne Webber, under whose leadership Alway became a mixed house in September 1997. 

In 2015, when the accommodation was adapted to meet the changing needs of day / boarding arrangements, Alway was radically altered under the leadership of Ruth Allen and Ros Sandhu. Though many aspects of life in Alway are recognisable to previous 'inmates', the House, under the current Houseparentship of Emily Hopkin, is a world away from the one that opened in 1962. 

The gallery of House photos reveals the hundreds and hundreds of faces that have passed through the doors of Alway House since the early days. Thanks to the work of John and Ann Payne, we have names for the photos of their era, but many later photos remain unnamed. If you can help, let Huw or Felicity know. We'd be delighted to hear from you. 

The photographs from 2001 onwards are reproduced as low resolution images with the kind permission of Tempest Photography. Prints may be purchased from the Tempest Group Photo website. 

There are a few Alway photographs missing from our Archive. If you have one that doesn't appear in the Gallery, please do let Huw or Felicity know. We'd love to be able to complete the collection.