Shrewsbury School New Girls Accommodation Building

Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire

Brick Manufacturer: Ibstock PLC

Brick Name: Heritage County Blend

Architect: Adrian James Architects

Brickwork Contractor: TMD Brickwork Services Ltd

Nestled above the river Severn in the birthplace of Charles Darwin, Shrewsbury School educates over 800 boarding and day pupils across its spacious 110-acre site. 

In this rural location steeped in medieval history, an authentic façade that blends with the school’s listed buildings and wider vernacular was essential for its fifth girls boarding house – Queen Elizabeth Hall, construction of which started during Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year in 2022.

Designed by architect and former pupil Adrian James, Queen’s is home to up to 70 boarding and day girls. The building is the school’s first ‘no gas’ house, featuring air source heat pump technology, and is set amongst a pupil-led tree planting scheme that maintains the green heart of the school site.

Combining sustainability with Arts and Crafts influences, the two-storey Queen’s building wraps around an ancient cedar tree, forming an enclosed private garden for the students. The central communal space features a double-height moon gate window and the design draws on Arts and Crafts influences, with steep-pitched roofs, dormers, and tall ventilation stacks, combined with contemporary detailing.

Ibstock’s Heritage County Blend was the perfect choice for the façade, thanks to its classic, timeless aesthetic, with a contemporary edge. Its rich, red hue, combined with subtle colour variations, creates a façade that is both warm and inviting, contributing to the school’s vision of creating a genuine ‘home from home’.

Renowned for its durability and consistency, Heritage County Blend was a sustainable choice that adds warmth, depth and character - truly fitting for one of England’s iconic public schools, with a green ethos and rich educational and architectural heritage.