by the late nineteenth century, the population of horsham had expanded to 10,000 (accelerated by the coming of the railway and its associated employment), the city and guilds institute (which the mercers' company had helped found) decreed that education needed to be extended to include the new sciences, and money needed to be found to replace the school buildings yet again. thus after a long campaign against fees, including a petition of 1,100 signatures, the new school charter of 1889 stated that, “tuition fees might vary between £4 and £10 p.a. and boarding fees were not to exceed £40 a year.” a new and larger site was sorely needed.