bay house school, as it is today known, was established in 1972 through the amalgamation of gosport grammar school and privett secondary school. sited adjacent to stokes bay, part of its premises occupies bay house, built in 1838 by decimus burton as a seaside villa for alexander baring, 1st baron ashburton. the gardens of the house stretched all the way down to the sea at stokes bay as there was little more than a track in the way, which later became stokes bay road.