Page 119 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
District: Rushmoor District Type: District Authority Parish: Aldershot Grade: ll
Reasons for Designation.
Fitzwygram House is designated in Grade ll for the following principle reasons:
It is a rare survivor, illustrative of the development of veterinary science, research and training in the late C19 and early C20, a parallel in a military context to the growth of the Royal Veterinary College, very little of the original fabric of which survives.
It has special historic interest as the home of the Army Veterinary School; this is illustrated by its highly functional and thoughtful design.
All elements of the building survive intact, including plan form and decorative detail.
History
Legacy Record – This information may be included in the list Entry details.
Fitzwygram House, Veterinary ‘School’, Lecture Theatre and Horse Theatre. 1899 designed by Lt Col W Pitt. Constructed of red brick, sandstone cills, Staffordshire blue plinth moulding, slate roofs with decorative red clay ridge tiles. L-shaped plan: the main arm of which is double storey, with single storey to the east of the front door (turning to form the short arm of the ‘L’), also single storey.
Exterior: The double storey part of the building has a front door at its east end, with fan light and side lights, twelve light sash windows above. There are a further ten sash windows with gauged red brick flat arches window heads in this elevation, four above and six below, divided by a double terracotta nail head course. Between the west window and the remaining four in the upper storey is a small square window. The front door leads straight through to the back door. The west end of the rear elevation has four large sixteen light windows. In the upper storey there are a further twelve light sash windows, and two small eight light windows, while down-stairs there are two twelve light windows, far apart and a small four light to the east of the back door. The west end elevation has two sixteen light windows in the upper storey placed either side of the chimney. The single storey section of the main arm of the L has a regular arrangement of five twelve light windows and a single door which appears to be alter insertion at its east end. The single storey east elevation of the short arm of the L, which encloses on two sides a brick paved yard. Open from the yard in the front elevation of this arm of
the L are large double wooden doors under a wide segmental arch of gauged brick. Immediately to the south of the door, is a sixteen-light window. All roofs are pitch slate with decorative ridge tiles and three sets of chimneys to the main two storey block, and a single stack in the centre of the rear wing.
Interior: The double storey section of the building consisted of demonstration rooms, a lab and offices, now all offices. The front door gives access to the entrance lobby, and then into the hall through a wooden semi partition with side lights is a wooden plague carrying the inscription “The ‘School’ was founded through the representa- tions of James Collins esq, principal Veterinary Surgeon to the forces and Major General Sir Frederick Fitzwygram, Bart FRCVS commanding the Cavalry Brigade, Aldershot, 1st June 1880”. The passage that runs besides the stairs to the back door has decorative terrazzo paving which incorporates a foliate design around a medallion encircling the letters AVS. Turning left from the entrance hall is a corridor, either side of which are offices, and a large well-lit room at the end. This pattern is repeated upstairs, which is reached by a stair leading straight from the entrance hall. The stairs rise in two sections, and have plan capped newel posts, plain handrail and turned banisters.
The single storey section of the main arm of the L is now a library. From the yard to the rear, the double doors open into a horse theatre/demon- stration room, a large open space with high ceiling and tiled floor. The north wall contains blocked windows; above these are two projecting metal bars, either side of which are metal hooks.
History: In 1852, 8000 acres of low-cost heath land at Aldershot were purchased as the site of the first permanent training ground for the Army, large enough to run regular summer exercises. For 10 to 12 battalions at the time. In 1854 work had started on the construction of permanent barracks, and by 1856 North and South Camps, consisting of regular grids of wooden huts, had been erected. In 1880 a programme was begun to replace huts, in Aldershot and other main camps, Shorncliffe and Colchester. The establishment of the Army Veterinary School and Fitzwygram House falls into this phase of the Camp’s development.
The Army Veterinary Service was founded in1796 in response to public outrage at the number of horses lost to poor farriery and ignorance. Initially, graduates were recruited from the London Veterinary College founded in 1791 and fell under the authority of the Colonel of the Regiment they joined. It was not until 1880 that Veterinary
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