Leading York architects transforming St Peter's School

Award-winning architects brown + company are playing a pivotal role in the transformation of St Peter’s School in York.

St Peter’s, which was founded in AD627 and is one of the oldest schools in the UK, is switching from a three to a two-school model.

This structural change requires a wide-ranging overhaul of the school campus in Clifton.

brown + company, based in Blossom Street in York, are working closely with St Peter’s to ensure that the new-look campus meets the needs of the school.

Neil Brown, managing director of brown + company, explained: “This is an important commission for us and it is an honour to be working alongside a school with such a rich heritage and a first-class academic reputation as St Peter’s.”

Jeremy Walker, head master of St Peter’s, commented: “The design and architectural work that Neil, Toby Harling and Rachel Crooks at brown + company are doing at St Peter’s is magnificent. The remodeling of our campus is one of the most important changes in the recent history of the school, as we move from a three-school to a two-school model.

“Toby and Rachel instinctively understand the nature of St Peter’s, its ethos, character and its rhythms and have the experience and expertise to translate our vision into an impressive aesthetic and practical environment for our school as we build a sustainable future. brown + company is the perfect partner for us as we embark on this crucial journey.”

St Peter’s will introduce the changes for the start of the 2026-27 Academic Year.

The school anticipates that this more streamlined structure will create a seamless journey from Nursery to Sixth Form, improve efficiency, and support major campus investment, including a new Sixth Form Centre and new on-campus Nursery for children from six months to three years.
Mr Walker explained: “St Peter’s School has evolved continuously since its foundation in AD627. As we approach our 1,400th anniversary and celebrate 50 years of co-education, we are investing in the future to ensure the school continues to thrive and deliver outstanding education for generation to come.”

The work that brown + company is undertaking began by creating a masterplan for the new school campus, before breaking that down into specific phases. To facilitate the two-school model, the key aims are to create a dedicated Junior school for pre-school to Year 6 and to create a new Sixth Form Centre. This work entails a full architectural service from design to job-running to post-construction care.

Projects include: the remodelling of the main school dining room; conversion of a residential property into a new medical and wellness centre conversion of a boarding house and existing classrooms into a Sixth Form centre; the creation of a Sixth Form café and common room spaces; refurbishment of the cricket pavilion; a new façade for an existing science block and various classrooms; remodelling of the existing library; and conversion of a boarding house to create dedicated nursery facilities.”

Toby Harling, Associate at brown + company concluded: “In addition to all these projects, we are also providing consultation boards for parents, staff and pupils and providing support for planning applications and listed building applications when required.

“As you can imagine, this is an important commission for us – and we are loving every minute. After all, it’s not every day you get the opportunity to substantially redesign and remodel the campus of one of the oldest schools in the UK.”