Thomas's College Newsletter June 2024

COLLEGE NEWS

THOMAS’S COLLEGE UPDATE

Welcome to our inaugural newsletter for Thomas’s College, where we will share news and updates with parents and guardians.

This newsletter will provide information on key areas such as building renovations, facilities, boarding, and admissions as the renovation work gathers pace.

Thank you for your interest in Thomas’s College. We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm from parents and look forward to sharing more about our unique Thomas’s education, and stunning campus in the months ahead.

We have a new instagram account to chart the renovation and development in the months ahead, please do follow us for updates @ThomassCollege

BUILDING RENOVATION

We are delighted to announce that we have received the Certificate of Lawfulness to establish a College for 630 pupils, including weekly boarding for 58 students. These are vital steps on our path to opening next year.

We are working with IID Architects and Bidwells on this project. IID bring extensive experience in the education sector, having developed the new Sixth Form Centre and Hall for Wimbledon High School, as well as recent projects for Reeds and Haberdasher’s Askes’. IID have an unrivaled understanding of creating excellent teaching and learning spaces, while preserving the heritage of the buildings. IID have created a virtual walkthrough that takes parents from the College drive through the entire building, giving a preview of how the College will look for pupils in 15 months. The 4-minute video can be watched here.

The project team, including IID Architects and Bidwells, has engaged with the Richmond Planning Department and Heritage Officers through two preapplication processes regarding the refurbishment of the main listed building and Red House. Red House is a Victorian Arts & Crafts building situated at the centre of the campus, and will be our Sixth Form Centre. We anticipate the outcome of these consultations by mid-June 2024.

The works will include restoring some spaces to their original layout and use, as well as providing heritage benefits via the listed buildings.

STAFF HIGHLIGHT

Nick has accumulated a signficant range of project experience in both the state and private sectors. He is the lead architect on our Thomas’s College project at IID.

What is your name and job title/role on this project?

My name is Nick Rich, Director at IID Architects, we are the lead designer for the Thomas’s College project, coordinating the structural and services design with the overall vision for the new school.

How did you become involved in this project?

I’ve always been passionate about school design. For my final degree project, I chose to focus on a school project, and during my postgraduate Diploma at the Bartlett, UCL, I studied the influence of daylight on architecture. Since then, I have worked on dozens of school projects across the south east and midlands for the GDST at Wimbledon High, Bromley High and Nottingham Girls’, London Borough of Newham, The London Oratory School, St Helen’s Northwood, Tiffin School and Francis Holland Trust, among others. IID Architects have been shortlisted for Education Architect of the Year for the last two years and we know the client from our work at St Paul’s School.

What are you enjoying most about the Thomas’s College project?

It is not often that one has the opportunity to design a new secondary school on such a beautiful and historic site. The detective work to understand the buildings and site is fascinating and important to ensure parts with heritage significance are respected and revealed. Thomas’s value this process and have pioneered the desire to not only reinstate the buildings and site to their former grandeur but enhance the environment to provide state of the art facilities.

And what are you most looking forward to seeing come to fruition/in use?

It will be wonderful to reinstate the ground floor rooms to their former glory, mezzanine floors were added in the 90s which cut the rooms in half, these will be removed to open up the space and allow the full height windows onto the garden to be appreciated. Breathing new life into a building which has been neglected for years not only brings new life into forgotten structures but also creates a vibrant, resource-efficient, and inclusive learning environment. It is the most sustainable way to develop.

Tell us a little more about your inspiration?

A good education is vital in giving our children the best possible start in life. Architecture plays a very important role in creating environments that support and enhance teaching and learning. We are evangelical about the value of incorporating natural elements into the design to connect pupils and teachers to the outside world which is known to reduce stress and improve well-being.

The concept of biophilia has grown traction in recent years and is something we have always been passionate about. Lighting also plays a crucial role with the potential to transform the feel of a space. Thomas’s College is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform a beautiful site in Richmond into an inspirational school.

RENOVATION TIMELINE

Milestone

C2 Compliance

UPDATE ON RENOVATION

The stage one tender and appointment of contractors has taken place for some interior demolition. Works have progressed on the non-listed buildings with Longley House (which will house DT, towards the NE of the campus) and the Cyril Taylor Library (right) now completely stripped out and ready for refurbishment.

Following a review of the best boarding provision in the area, we have developed and built two sample boarding rooms. The rooms look very smart with a feel of a practical but beautiful boutique hotel.

The main contractor will be appointed in June 2024 and construction/ refurbishment works will continue until July 2025 allowing the school August 2025 for fit out and preparation for opening in September 2025.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

We invited many parents into the College to meet the founding Master, Will le Fleming at the end of April.

We apologise that many parents were unable to book as the events were so oversubscribed. To accommodate the high demand, we have arranged additional ‘Meet the Founding Master’ events. We are continually adding events to the calendar and will be contacting parents to invite them. Thank you for your patience.

Please hold two dates in your diaries, we will have two open days in the Michaelmas term. Saturday 28th September and Saturday 12th October and we will open booking for these events later this term.

Please bear with us, while the events are oversubscribed we are prioritising families who need to visit this year ahead of assessments.

SPORTS FACILITIES

The Sports provision is a key building block of the College’s offering and we have been working hard behind the scenes to secure excellent Sports facilities in readiness for the broad range of Sport we will offer in 2025. We are close to being able to share our progress with parents for all off-site Sports provision.

On Site Year 1

Covered multi-use games areas:

• Five-a-side Football, Basketball and Netball

• Dance/ Movement Studio / Judo etc.

• Fitness centre

• Grass tennis court can be marked out and fits on main lawn (summer only)

• Volleyball, main lawn option

Off Site Year 1

• Football

• Rugby

• Hockey

• Cricket

• Basketball

• Tennis

• Swimming

• Cross country running

• Horse riding

• Athletics

• Baseball

• Archery

• Golf

• Squash

• Dry slope skiing, snowboarding

• Cycling

LEARNING AND LIVING SPACES

IID have provided some useful representations of the interior learning and living spaces as shown on this page and you can also see more on this link. You can view the proposed interiors through the following Vimeo links: here and here.

THOMAS’S COLLEGE CAMPUS

The campus comprises 9 buildings in 2.1 hectares of landscaped gardens that are maintained by the team at Kew as they are of such horticultural interest. The buildings have a fascinating and rich history that dates back to the 1840’s. In the 1820’s there was a surge in interest in the Wesleyian theological movement and the site was purchased in 1841 to provide a training centre for Methodist ministers. The main building is neo-gothic in style, it opened in 1843 and is now Grade 2 listed.

The main building will house Music, Art and Drama as well as the gym, PE/Dance studio, Boarding Houses, Library, Dining Hall, Learning Support and Classrooms.

The Red House in the centre of the campus will be a separate Sixth Form Centre housing a cafe, study rooms and University/Careers staff. The Design & Technology department complete with their engineering machinery, laser cutters and 3D printers will fill Longley House, a short walk to the other side of the campus.

HISTORY CORNER

Squire Williams who owned the original site of the College in the early 19th century planted rare species of trees in his grounds sourced from around the world, and many of these are still standing today.

The site was purchased by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1841 as the location for the southern branch of their Theological Institution, later known as Richmond College. In a 1943 publication commemorating the centenary of the College, several former students and tutors referenced the trees. One former student (from 1927-31) wrote:

“...a knowledgeable friend expatiates on the rarity and beauty of the trees Squire Williams planted—fir and stone pine, deciduous cypress and ailanthus, elm and sycamore and chestnut—and two acres of lawn. Some of these trees are rarely seen in England.”

The architect Andrew Trimen (1810-1868) designed the new college building in Richmond in a decorative neo-Gothic/ Tudor style, comprising Bath stone. Richmond College was Trimen’s first major commission, and his career progressed with the designs of various chapels and churches, and some domestic buildings.

The Wesleyan College in Richmond was opened in 1843, under Thomas Jackson (theological tutor), John Farrer (classical tutor) and Philip c. Turner (house governor). Contemporary photographs and prints indicate that the grounds of the college were relatively spacious, with its aforementioned mature trees. From 1868, the Wesleyan College was run by the Missionary Society.

Well known students of the college in Richmond included Josiah Hudson, William Goudie and William H. Findlay (all of whom served as missionaries in India), and David Hill (who was a missionary in China). In 1885 the remit of the Wesleyan College expanded, however, to train young men as ministers both abroad and within the UK.

TRAVEL

As the College is so well served by public transport, we do not intend to run a bus or coach service. Richmond station is less than 10 minutes from Clapham Junction or Chiswick, less than 20 minutes from Kingston, and 25 minutes from High Street Kensington. Our own electric shuttle buses will transport pupils from the station to the College in less than 10 minutes. The map opposite illustrates the transport connections.

Travel Map

Thank you for your continued interest in the College. We are excited about the pace of the development and the warm reception we have received from families and neighbours. We have a new Instagram account @thomasscollege -please follow us for updates. If you have any questions, please contact us at College@thomas-s.co.uk or 020 7978 0905.