A Look at the Former Orchard County School (Latterly the West Wing Centre, Recently the New Arbour Park Stadium)

 

 

 

The Orchard County Secondary School building, latterly the West Wing centre (completed 1952, demolished 2016)

 

Originally built as the Orchard County Secondary School, what was more recently known as the West Wing centre was designed by the County Architect’s Department and completed in 1952; it was also included in Slough’s entry in Pevsner’s guide to Buckinghamshire. Past tense for this one: the building has been recently demolished to make way for a new football stadium. Constructed from a steel frame with brick panels, the functional 50s Modernism is typical of postwar school design: always the geometrically-precise arrangement of windows, always the flat roof, always the preponderance of rectangles. What distinguishes this design is the squat observation tower (complete with an antenna that was added in the 80s) which adds elevation and draws the eye; many a pupil’s first thought upon seeing it must have been “I wanna go up the tower!!”. The wall clock is a stylish addition, but had been neglected for many years (as is sadly the case with most public clocks these days) before the building’s demolition a few months ago.

 

As mentioned, the site is now home to a new football stadium that will be a home ground for Slough Town FC (aka the Rebels), who despite their modest history still enjoy the deep support of local fans, and have been a part of Slough culture since 1890. The club was previously based at Wexham Park stadium, off Wexham Road, (which has now been converted into a functions venue called ‘The Park’, yet another attempt to be pseudo-chic by referring to yourself as an unspecified common noun, see ‘The Curve’, ‘The Foyer’, ‘The Urban Building’ etc etc) but after disagreements with the landowners left the stadium and spent a number of years squatting uncomfortably on other teams' venues.

 

 

So the team definitely need a home, but whether this exact spot was the best place for it is debatable. Is it really ideal for a football stadium to be directly across the road from a crematorium and cemetery? Isn’t the traffic up Stoke Road already crazy enough? Wouldn’t a prime spot like that be better suited for wholly residential purposes? The Rebels could definitely do with a home ground, but football stadiums don’t necessarily need to be completely ensconced within towns; a similar plot up the Wexham Road, or one off the more robust Uxbridge Road may have been better. No curmudgeonly grouchiness intended: it is simply that the days when Slough could cheerfully fit cricket grounds and greyhound tracks easily within her borders are long gone, meaning every inch of developable space must be keenly scrutinised. But on the plus side, community sport returns to the town, hopefully in a way that will evoke the memories of the old Dolphin Stadium off the Uxbridge Road that so many misty-eyed old-timers recall.