Sherborne Girls have broken ground on its new Arts Centre, a transformational project designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, that will benefit the whole school and wider Sherborne community.
The new Arts Centre, located at the heart of the campus, will comprise a new recital hall with 350 fixed seats (or capacity for 560 as a lecture theatre); conversion of the current music centre to create a new drama school; a link building joining music, drama and art as well as providing attractive display space to showcase talented artists; and a multifunctional social space for a range of events from guest speakers and exhibitions to match teas and social events.
The breaking ground event was attended by Headmistress Jenny Dwyer, outgoing Chair of Governors Stephen Wingfield Digby, the new Chair of Governors Richard Strang, and Mike Hayton, Project Manager, and other members of school staff.
Stephen Wingfield Digby commented, “As well as giving creative arts the facilities they deserve, this new centre is also going to create a welcoming hub at the heart of the school, adding to the sense of community and benefiting the daily lives of the girls, staff and the Sherborne community for generations to come.”
Jenny Dwyer added, “This is the biggest and most exciting development Sherborne Girls has ever undertaken. More than a new building, we are bringing the key areas of school life together. We look forward to welcoming the community into our new venue.”
Onlookers applauded as the excavator broke ground, digging up the first bucket load to make way for the 2,200 sq ft development. The state of the art machinery, which uses an intelligent memory system and 3-D software programme to extract the exact amount of spoil, will remove over 10,000 tonnes of spoil which will then be used to level the sports pitches.
The school has commissioned a video to showcase the new building and the effect it will have on the school.
