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The Royal Grammar School Guildford has been on the same site since the sixteenth century and in 2009 celebrated its 500th anniversary.
Music plays a vital part in the life of the School and as part of the development and refurbishment of its buildings on the south side of the High Street, the school decided to create a new music department on an adjacent vacant site. The site, situated in a conservation area, is adjacent to the Grade I Listed Old School and the Grade 1 Listed Somerset House on the south boundary.
Planning consent was achieved for a large development in two phases (1150sqm), with Phase 1 (475sqm) being completed in 2012. The sloping site involved the resolution of complex levels between the existing buildings, roads and pedestrian access locations.
The main feature of the music school is the dedicated rehearsal space (150sqm) with exposed roof trusses and oak cladding. This is supported by music technology classrooms and general teaching space.
The project included the internal reconfiguration of the adjacent Victorian ‘Valpy’ building and a glazed link through a historic garden wall has been formed between the two buildings.
