Cheltenham College to Turn Dewerstone House into Staff Accommodation
Cheltenham College has submitted plans to Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) to renovate a Gothic house within its grounds. The school is hoping to turn the 150-year-old Dewerstone House into a new office, complete with staff accommodation.
If CBC approves the application, the well-known building will finally get some long-overdue improvements and repairs.
A new purpose, but the same stunning looks
The private school wants to use Dewerstone House, located on the corner of College Lane, as an extra school office. Until recently, the property was residential but the school’s plans will retain the fabric of the building while improving it and its immediate surroundings.
Improved access and driveway
The grade II house is set back from Thirlestaine Road and is mostly hidden by trees, but if the plans go ahead, some of the smaller trees will be removed to make way for the changes.
These changes include improvements to the driveway, a new and improved pedestrian access gate and a new cycle shed.
Gothic revival building
Architect John Middleton designed Dewerstone House in the 1870s in a Gothic revival style, with large windows and pointed arches. Middleton also designed five churches in Cheltenham, including All Saints’ and Holy Apostles.
Internal changes to the building
The renovation work will involve turning the ground floor into an office space and the upper floor into staff living quarters. The school also plans to replace some windows which don’t match the style and period of the building, as well as removing some insulation measures that are causing damage.
The famous fish scale roof will stay
Even though the plans involve the installation of solar panels, the iconic fishscale tiles on the roof will be repaired and retained as the panels are destined for a hidden part of the roof.
The building works won’t have any impact on any architectural or archaeological assets in the building or to any of its immediate surroundings.
Cheltenham College tried and failed to sell Dewerstone House for almost £2,000,000 last year after the previous tenants left in June 2022.
