Originally constructed in 1937/38 as a barracks named Argonner Kaserne on Soester Straße in Hamm, Nordrhein-Westfalen, the site later came under British control and was renamed Brixton Camp. Initially, it housed German and Austrian prisoners of war before becoming the base for the Polish 61st Tank Transporter Unit.

In 1953, Brixton Camp was repurposed as Windsor School, a mixed boarding school. In 1959, it transitioned into Windsor Boys School (WBS), serving only male students, while the nearby Newcastle Barracks became Windsor Girls School (WGS). WBS returned to co-educational status in 1981 before permanently closing its doors in 1983.

After seeing online images of the remains of Windsor Boys School / Windsor School in Hamm, like many former students and teachers who attended between 1953 and 1983 I felt a deep sense of disappointment that the buildings were no longer standing.

I never had the opportunity to return to Hamm to see the old school and had always assumed the buildings would have been repurposed, perhaps converted into apartments or something similar. Sadly, by 2020, all that remained was a pile of debris from the demolished dining block.

Remains of the Dining Block. (2020)

Revisit the School

With a keen interest in 3D modeling, I set out to restore the School, pixel by pixel, recreating the buildings and grounds as they existed during its 30-year history.

Thanks to the generous and knowledgeable members of the Windsor Boys and Windsor Girls School Facebook groups, I was able to gather numerous old photographs and even a full floor plan of the grounds for reference.

Over the course of two years, I created a final virtual tour consisting of 39 immersive 360-degree images showcasing various locations throughout the school grounds. The tour also features popup image galleries displaying personal photographs from both former pupils and teachers, who kindly granted permission for their images to be shared beyond the Facebook groups. A full list of contributors can be found on the credits page.

Swimming Pool

Woodwork/Metalwork/Sports Hall

Old shooting range and Garden

Dining Hall

Chapel St Boniface

Old Stables area

Credits

Instructions

View The Tour (Version One)

The Tour is getting an upgrade. What’s New

Since the first 360-degree tour of the school grounds was launched in July 2022, more detailed photographs from the 1950s to the early 1980s have been received. These reveal a clearer view of the school’s layout and unique features, and are being used as valuable references during the remodelling and re-texturing process.

When the rebuild is finished, all 39 panoramic scenes will be re-rendered in 2026, giving the tour a fresh and much more detailed look. For now, you can check out a few sample images below to see how the updated modelling is coming along.

Swimming Pool

Office Area

Woodwork block

Transport Block and Nissen Huts

Nissen Hut

Geoff Hern's bicycle

Bedford RLC Army Truck

Rowan Trees

Footpaths

Tiled Paths

Coir Cricket mat

Fire Alarm

The Interiors

1st / 2nd year dormitory

A 360-degree view of the first and second-year dormitory in Balmoral House. The model was based on the original image below taken in 1979 when there were 8 boarders in the dorm. The view out of the window looked down to the cobblestone road that led to the old stables area.

View the dorm 360

Female dormitory in 1979/1980

Three-bed dormitory from 1979/1980

View the female dorm 360

St Boniface Chapel

Two 360-degree views inside the St Boniface Chapel. One in the main area and the other up on the 6th-form balcony.

St Boniface Chapel at the Windsor Boys School Hamm Germany by Cicada Studio

View the chapel 360

The Hall

Three 360-degree views inside the Hall.

Thanks to Tim Feast and William Oxford for their detailed memories of the hall in the 1960's. Jack's Union rehearsal was recorded by Tim Feast on a 3" spool recorder at the back of the hall back in 67/68. Click on the camera icon when viewing the 360 image to open the popup window containing images and audio player.

The hall at the Windsor Boys School Hamm Germany by Cicada Studio