Successful completion and hand-back of Sedbergh School Project
B&E Boys are pleased to report that the £3.6 million sports hall development at Sedbergh School in Cumbria, which began in 2017, has now been successfully completed and handed back to the client.
Sedbergh is an independent boarding school with a long and illustrious history, dating back to 1525. As well as pride in educational and academic excellence, Sedbergh School also takes pride in its simply wonderful and magnificent location. Situated within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the school is set in stunning surroundings – and it was the school’s position that was so crucial to the success of this ambitious project.
The brief of the project was to deliver a multi-purpose sports hall with eight courts. Covering 2,000 square metres, the new facility is designed to house a variety of sports, including basketball, badminton, netball, volleyball, indoor cricket and 5-a-side football. In addition, changing facilities, two studios, hospitality suite and an office were to be delivered.
However, our partners for the project: JMP Architects and Robothams Architects were tasked with developing a design to nestle into the existing Sedgwick Hill to reduce the visual impact of the building. Therefore, the grass-covered roof of the new building is curved to match the hillside in which it sits, to be in harmony with the natural setting.
All parties involved were highly sensitive to the school’s location within both the National Park and a conservation area. Local materials, including weather walling stone cladding were used in the construction.
The completed sports hall is to be named The Hirst Centre. This is to recognise the exceptional leadership provided to the school by Christopher Hirst, Headmaster from 1995-2010 – and Sara Hirst, Senior Mistress from 2000, and then Headmistress at the newly opened Sedbergh Junior School from 2008-2010. The couple retired in 2010 and naming the new facility after them seems to be a fitting tribute for the wonderful service they both gave to Sedbergh School and the local community.
B&E Boys thoroughly enjoyed working on this complex and challenging project. It was a pleasure to work with Robothams Architects and JMP Architects. We feel a great sense of pride in being able to help Sedbergh begin the next chapter of their long and impressive story with the new state-of-the-art sports hall that is The Hirst Centre.
Our expertise and extensive industry experience has enabled B&E Boys to become leaders in construction for both the public and private sectors. The project at Sedburgh School continues our extensive project list within education. If you would like to know more about other education projects completed by B&E Boys visit beboys.co.uk