Bradfield College’s new state-of-the-art St Andrew’s Study Centre was officially opened last week by author and former pupil, Louis de Bernières.
Over 125 guests enjoyed a tour of the converted church, which was purchased and renovated by the College over a two-year period. The sympathetic incorporation of contemporary elements with original features is a triumph of its design and the beauty of the building is also essential to its role as an inspirational place of learning. Facilities include a presentation space with tiered seating for lectures or public speaking and a mezzanine and seminar room for group discussions.
Guests included many of the donors who have contributed nearly £4 million towards the £8 million project together with local community representatives, including, the Bishop of Reading, The Rt Revd Olivia Graham and Cllr Kimiko Dearing, Chair of Bradfield Parish Council.
Addressing guests, staff and pupils outside the Study Centre, Dr Chris Stevens, Headmaster, described how the 14th Century church had inspired the foundation of the school by local parson Thomas Stevens. Now, as the College approaches its 175th anniversary year, St Andrew’s is taking on a new role at the heart of the school, “as a place where pupils have the opportunity to read and to think, to research and to write, to work better and smarter, alone and together, with books and on laptops.” Dr Stevens added that the Study Centre, “has already demonstrated its potential to have a profound effect on generations of Bradfieldians as a space that promotes inquiry as well as industry.”
Before cutting the ribbon to officially open St Andrew’s Study Centre, Louis de Bernières recalled how he used to walk past the church many times on his way to fly fishing club thinking what a shame it wasn’t more widely used and that there was a sense of inevitability that it would someday play a greater role in College life. He told pupils, “How wonderful it has been turned into the most fabulous study area and how lucky you are to have such a good place to study.”
Mr de Bernières, who attended Bradfield between 1968 and 1972 also delivered a creative writing workshops for pupils. He asked them about the poetry they were studying and answered questions about the popularity of poetry today as a spoken medium. He told them it was important as writers to understand the rules as, once you do, you then have the freedom to break them.
For more information visit our dedicated St Andrew’s page here.
