The Oval
The Oval lies on the northern side of the Red House Main Building and is the focal point of life at Red House. It is where, on a sunny afternoon after school, children gather and use it as a play area, football pitch, velodrome and even a car (of the remote controlled type) race track. It also serves as a meeting place and, if you are ever looking for someone around the Estate, it is always a good place to start your search. The shape of the grassed area gives the name to the Oval but, it is supposed, that originaly the whole yard was cobbled and used for the gathering of horses and carriages. During Red House's time as a school there was a strip of concrete laid down its length which was used as a cricket net, although this fell out of favour after so many of the windows had been broken. In the winter, when evening temperatures plummeted, forward thinking pupils would fill buckets of water and empty them over the concrete surface so that, in the morning, a fantastic ice run had formed, providing hours of fun and resulting in many bruised knees and elbows.