Description

Summary: digital scan, black and white, air photo, early 1920s. Great Ballard

Identification note: part of collection of digital scans of images relating to our area. All black and white. New Milton.

Identification note: Great Ballard House was built between 1900 and1904 for Colonel Ubsdell, an ex-Indian army Officer. It was a fine residence with large rooms and considerable grounds but the Ubsdell family soon moved out. In 1922 they moved to the Lodge and in 1924 leased the house to Cliff House School, which later renamed itself Great Ballard School. In 1940 the house was requisitioned as an army HQ and the school moved to Camberley. After their war-time evacuation Great Ballard School decided not to return to the premises so the Ubsdell family leased the building to Edinburgh House School. This was founded in 1895 by two Scottish schoolmasters W H Colborne and J Cruickshank at Lee-on-Solent to prepare boys for the naval colleges. The house and grounds were improved and the school flourished until the 1960s when economies of scale forced a merger with two other schools Gorse Cliff and Marchwood Park. In 1995 Edinburgh House School combined with Fernhill Manor to form Ballard School.