At Speech Day in 1933, Charles Plumptre Johnson, the Chair of Governors, promised that within a year the school would possess a hall worthy of its growing reputation.
Work began soon afterwards on land taken from the headmaster’s garden. Designed by architect Charles Cable, the Johnson Hall was built with Kentish ragstone, recycled from a recently demolished house in Kippington.
An honours board was placed over the entrance, a plaque was commissioned from Eric Gill, and later an Act of Parliament clock was given by Lord Plender, another Governor. All three can still be seen in the library today.
The first big event to take place in the hall was Speech Day of 1934, fulfilling CP Johnson’s promise and delighting the Sennockian editor, who wrote: ‘Since June 14th the school has had a home and shrine for its traditions.’
The Johnson Hall saw another 40 years of Speech Days, as well as assemblies, plays, concerts and (doubling as a gymnasium), PE lessons, before being transformed into the Johnson Library in 1974.
Now home to 20,000 books and many more digital resources, the library is still one of the most popular places on campus, welcomes students every school day in term-time, and maintains a very healthy borrowing rate, with Year 9 currently our biggest reading year.
