Planning Submitted for New Boarding House at Oundle School

A planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the old primary school site at Milton Road, Oundle to accommodate a new purpose-built boarding house for Oundle School.

Oundle School has a reputation for providing the very best of modern co-educational independent education, offering both boarding and day pupil provision. The School recognises the need to invest in the future of its estate to ensure that the quality of care provided to pupils, including physical and pastoral structures, is maintained to the highest standard. A key part of the School’s vision, encapsulated in Project 24, is the creation of a new purpose-built girls’ boarding house in the centre of Oundle.

The new boarding house, named McMurray House in memory of David McMurray, the Headmaster who devised and oversaw the introduction of co-education, will accommodate 60 girls aged 13-18 years old who are currently located in New House on Stoke Hill, on the southwest edge of Oundle. The house will provide boarders with high quality accommodation facilities in the centre of town, enabling girls’ boarding to take its place alongside the historic boys’ town Houses.

This project will also allow the School to upgrade existing provision by decanting pupils into the existing New House in order to undertake a long-term rolling programme of improvement works to existing boarding Houses.

Oundle School has appointed education specialist architects, GSSArchitecture, to lead the designs of McMurray House.

Anna McTaggart, Partner at GSS and Lead Architect on the scheme said, “Oundle School and town are rich in quality architecture, making this a very special place to create a new boarding House. The project provides an exciting opportunity to redevelop a derelict site to create a high-quality building which will not only benefit pupils and staff but enhance this part of the Oundle Conservation Area.

“We have worked with a specialist Conservation Architect and Planner to design a modern sustainable building set in attractive landscaped grounds that complements and respects the setting and responds to the School’s vision for this exciting new addition to their estate. We are looking forward to seeing it progress in the future.”

GSS have extensive experience in the Education sector, including Independent Schools, and are also supporting Oundle School with other projects including the recent remodelling of the Grade II listed Laxton Day House.

To find out more about GSSArchitecture and their extensive portfolio of projects in a variety of sectors across the Midlands and further afield, please visit their website www.gssarchitecture.com