The Independent Day School for girls and boys 3-18 is located next to Gloucester Cathedral, and has transformed the building that originally housed the entire school during the Victorian era.
The schoolroom, which was constructed in 1849 to accommodate the growing numbers of pupils at The King’s School, was carefully designed to be in keeping with the unique surroundings of the Cathedral, whilst incorporating the architectural style of the time.
However, due to the steady growth of the school, the schoolroom soon grew too small to house the pupils and in more recent times the building was used as a gymnasium. The school appointed local firm King Builders to the project and construction began in 2015 to convert the space into a stunning Performing Arts facility, featuring a beautiful vaulted ceiling.
Now known as The Ivor Gurney Hall, the building was named after local Gloucestershire poet, Ivor Gurney, who was a pupil and Chorister at the King’s School, and was taught in the hall as a boy. Gurney’s celebrated career as a poet showed his dedication to the arts, and in a number of his works he remembers and reflects upon his time at King’s.
Headmaster of The King’s School, Alistair Macnaughton said: “This new facility is a great addition to the school, and will be of wonderful benefit to our students, to help support and encourage the immense talent King’s holds within the Performing Arts. We are delighted that the Ivor Gurney Hall will add the performing arts facilities available within the local Gloucester Community.”
He added: “During the year in which we celebrate the 475th anniversary of our school’s foundation in 1541, we are delighted to continue capital development by bringing a building that has played such an important role in our past, firmly into our future. We are confident that our long-term plans for the School’s estate will help us to continue to thrive and succeed in a changing world.”
