New £5.5m boarding house for Stowe School

Stepnell will begin work on the new boarding house, which is the latest stage in a major development programme for the school

Posted by Lucinda Reid | May 04, 2017 | Facilities & buildings

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Construction company Stepnell has been selected by Stowe School in Buckinghamshire for a contract to build a £5.5 million new boys’ boarding house at the leading independent co-educational school.

The latest stage in a major development programme at Stowe, the new three/four storey building, designed by Rick Mather Architects, will provide modern study bedrooms for 60 students. In addition, it will create living facilities, common rooms and a terrace and garden, as well as apartments for the housemaster and two under housemasters. The development will enable one of the school’s existing boarding houses to relocate from the main Mansion House into the spacious, purpose-built facility. Construction work will start in June 2017 and is scheduled for completion in October 2018.

We’re extremely proud to have been chosen by Stowe School for this latest project which will continue our highly successful partnership with the school

Situated on the southern edge of Chapel Court in the school’s historic grounds, the planned building has been developed with the help of an extensive consultation process involving Stowe School, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Historic England, Stowe Advisory Panel and the National Trust.

Finished in Bath stone, the new boarding house will be positioned in the wooded area between the South Lawn and Western Gardens with careful landscaping ensuring that the development is concealed from the historic gardens.

Tom Wakeford, Stepnell Joint Managing Director, said: “We’re extremely proud to have been chosen by Stowe School for this latest project which will continue our highly successful partnership with the school. Our team has a strong record of working both in sensitive, historic settings and in educational environments and we will bring our full range of skills and experience to this important project, creating modern, attractive accommodation of the highest quality for students and teaching staff.”

It is the fifth project which Stowe School has awarded to Stepnell. Previous schemes carried out by the company include the construction of Stowe’s award-winning music school and the major refurbishment and extension of the school’s Science building. Stepnell also began work last autumn on another new boarding house at the school which is expected to be completed in September 2017.