Those who look for anything of this nature at Osborne will, however, be grievously disappointed. The College in the Isle of Wight is utilitarian to the last degree; so much so as to render any criticism of the buildings from an artistic point of view quite out of the question.
There is a reason for this, however; and the reason is that it had to be prepared for the reception of the first batch of cadets under the new scheme in July, 1903; and at the beginning of that year it had literally no existence.
Having decided upon the adoption of this scheme, and deeming it imperative that it should be brought into operation as speedily as possible, the Admiralty had no option but to “rush” the College into existence; and the King having sanctioned its erection at Osborne, it was rushed accordingly. Sir John Fisher, who had this arrangement in hand, and very much at heart, is perhaps better qualified for getting the maximum amount of work done in the minimum time than any officer in the Service.
THE OLD STABLE YARD, OSBORNE.
The stables at Osborne House formed the nucleus of the new building; and in close proximity to these—which were promptly adopted for various purposes—there were run up a series of bungalow erections—dormitories, officers’ quarters, and so on—constructed of timber and a kind of hard plaster known as “uralite.”
THE NEW COLLEGE, DARTMOUTH.
From the Design by Aston Webb, R.A.