£4.4m private schoolgirls' boarding house in Shrewsbury to be named after the Queen

The accommodation in the grounds of Shrewsbury School will be known as Queen Elizabeth Hall, and will house 57 boarders as well as have study areas for day pupils, communal areas and staff accommodation.

Construction is expected to start next summer and the new block will be opened in September 2023.

Headmaster Leo Winkley said: "We are delighted to announce that our fifth girls’ house, which will open in September 2023, will be called Queen Elizabeth Hall (Queen’s).

"In Her Majesty’s Jubilee year, with construction well underway, we honour the Queen’s extraordinary personal qualities and contribution over her seventy years on the throne.

"One of the earliest official visits made by Her Majesty was to Shrewsbury in 1952, as the school marked its 400th birthday. The Queen toured the school and opened the Queen’s Terrace, in front of the main school building. Seventy years on, we mark our deepest respect and gratitude for Her Majesty’s dignified leadership and loyal service."

The housemistress will be English teacher Sally Pearson, who has previous experience running a house as well as coaching rowing and running the debating society at Winchester College. The house colours will be royal purple and dark green.

The school, which was named Independent School of the Year 2020, says a fifth girls’ house is needed to meet increasing demand, with all existing boarding houses currently at capacity.

The new house is set to be built in the grounds of the boys’ house Ridgemount, near Hodgson Hall, the school’s newest academic building which opened in 2015.

It has been designed around a “majestic and historic” cedar of Lebanon tree which will sit at the centre of the garden.

Planning permission was granted by Shropshire Council in August last year.

Four girls’ boarding houses have been created since the school became co-educational in 2008, with two new builds and the conversion of two former boys’ houses.

Fees for boarding pupils are between £12,835 and £13,840 per term.

A design and access statement submitted to the council by Adrian James Architects said: “The intention is to provide Shrewsbury School with a new building which sits comfortably within and enhances the school’s campus, is of a comparable architectural quality to the school’s finest buildings, is of lasting aesthetic appeal and will age gracefully, and will be enjoyed and remembered fondly by all the girls who spend their formative years there."