Sandridge New Town circa 1900

In about 1880 Earl Spencer started selling off the part of Heath Farm to the east of Sandridge Road for building - mainly for workmen's cottages - with the area south of Sandpit Lane being sold for better class housing. No houses were built at the time of the 1881 census but the first houses were definitely occupied in 1882. When William and Jane Ferguson's daughter was baptised on 1st October 1882 his address was recorded as "Newtown" Sandridge.

Buildings went up in blocks and there was much discussion in the local paper about the roads being paved. The location of Boundary Road is of particular interest as it lies just to the north of the city boundary - as it was at the time. The result is that while the gardens lay within the City the actual houses were all outside the City - and hence free of the City rates. This arrangement later caused some concern as they were also not on mains drainage. Sewerage being disposed of down "dumb wells" into the chalk and there was a worry that the city's water, which was extracted from the deep well at Stonecross, might become contaminated.

As the population increased the number of children increased, and as early as 1883 there was a problem in ensuring school attendance. The school was built in 1888 and a year later, was advertising for a mistress to teach about 60 infants.