Eton College refurb begins

Callum Brodie • Published 7 Nov 2008 16:30 0 Comments

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Life for students attending the exclusive Eton College is set to become even more privileged after it was revealed that significant new refurbishments have begun.

Work on upgrading and modernising facilities inside 12 college buildings is underway in a year-long project expected to cost around £260,000.

Most of the budget will be allocated to carrying out repairs and improvements within student's bedrooms, bathrooms and common rooms.

While teachers will also be given a boost with news of a new staff room planned for next year.

CLC Camberly Contractors have been awarded the refurbishment contract at Eton College for the second successive term after impressing college chiefs with cost-cutting kitchen refurbishments and an ambitious shop conversion last year.

CLC project manager Neil Thacker, explained: "This is obviously a substantial project which covers a rather large area. None of the work will be carried out inside the student's classrooms so disruption to their studies should be minimal. We have been dealing with the College since the beginning of last year and these refurbishments are designed to maintain the school's high standards."

The initial stages of the 12 month contract started in early September with extensive pre-liminary work geared around plumbing and electrics already in place.

Work will not just be limited to student accommodation as the college's sporting stars are also set to benefit from the ongoing redevelopment.

A state-of-the-art storage facility for rugby equipment, including scrum machines and goal posts, will be built in time for next season in a bid to further advance the teams success on the pitch.

College Bursar Andrew Wynn has revealed that yet more refurbishment work is set to take place at the college in the coming months.

He said: "Eton pursues a non-stop programme of major refurbishment of its buildings, some of which are hundreds of years old, in order to keep on top of wear and tear and maintain them in good condition inside and out.

"Each year substantial work is carried out on one of the twenty-five boarding houses in a never-ending cycle.

"A very large project that was started two years ago is the preservation of the ancient stonework and stained glass of the fifteenth century College Chapel, and this will take at least the next ten years to complete."

This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 07 Nov 08

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