The School has been busy over the Easter holidays as we restart the boarding house redevelopment as part of our Masterplan 450 project. Work on St Margaret’s House had initially started in early-2020 but, due to the pandemic, had been temporarily mothballed.

In the short period prior to the pause of work, the contractors, Baxall Construction, had managed to complete much of the necessary external work as well as refitting the mechanical systems in the plant room. This has allowed them to progress apace with the internal work now that they are back on site.

In the three-week Easter break, the entire second floor of the House has been gutted, with walls removed and a completely new mechanical and electrical infrastructure installed throughout. The ambitious project has also seen significant work on the new third floor (within the St Margaret’s tower and the roof space) which will accommodate six new beds, spread across two rooms. An extension to the existing main staircase, which will serve the new floor, is due for installation soon.

Work will continue during the Summer Term and we will keep you updated on the project in the coming weeks. Once the term has concluded, the renovations will then move down to the first and ground floors, which will also be stripped and refitted prior to completion of the project in September. All of this work will then be replicated in Westminster House, beginning in March 2022.

This Easter has also seen the installation of a new fibreglass flag pole above Centre Block. The new pole has replaced the original wooden flagpole that was installed when the building was constructed in 1911. The installation provided a fantastic opportunity for photos, which you can see in the gallery.