Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Former primary turned into pupils’ home from home
A former primary school in Canterbury has been transformed into a £5 million boarding house for girls.
The project by The King’s School involved the restoration and refurbishment of the old Diocesan Payne Smith school in Broad Street.
Now called Lady Kingsdown House, school bosses say it offers some of the best facilities and environment of any private school in the country.
But it comes at a price – with boarders paying £11,765 a term.
Carried out in two phases, the scheme included building an annexe which, together with the old Victorian building, will accommodate 55 girls when the new term starts in September.
Bursar Mark Taylor said: “We were very fortunate to acquire the old primary school site when it merged with Kingsmead to become St John’s.
“It is ideally located for us so close to our existing school site, so made perfect sense.”
Mr Taylor says it will accommodate the growing number of families wanting to send their children to King’s, where there are now 630 boarders and 200 day pupils.
He said: “Great care has been taken to restore the original school building, which had to be gutted, but the work has been lovingly done.”
The site was bought by the school for £1 million three years ago and the two-phase project involved demolishing old class- rooms and toilet blocks. The concrete playground has also been transformed into a beautiful garden.
Mr Taylor said: “It is a major investment by the school, but by offering this very high quality accommodation, it is a significant attraction to parents considering boarding school for their children.
“That in turn also results in money being spent in the local economy in Canterbury.”
Founded in 597, King’s is believed to be the oldest school in the country.
Governors also have plans to refurbish another school building at St Radigund’s Street, which was acquired nine years ago. It is being turned into a day house to accommodate 60 secondary day students from September 2018.