Headington School Oxford New Boathouse Facility, Oxfordshire Education Design
Headington School Oxford Boathouse Facility
HSOBC Building on River Thames, England, UK – design by Spratley & Partners Architects
17 June 2019
Headington School Oxford Boathouse Building
Location: River Thames, Oxfordshire, Southern England
Design: Spratley & Partners
Spratley & Partners has received planning approval for a new boathouse facility for Headington School in Oxford, one of the top rowing schools in the UK.
The boathouse will provide a sporting hub with facilities for accommodation, storage and preparation for the Headington School Oxford Boat Club (HSOBC) for their intensive training and rowing aspirations.
image courtesy of architects practice
HSOBC, which has developed two Olympians and 118 girls who have rowed competitively for Great Britain, has never owned its own boathouse or had direct access to the River Thames. After years renting facilities at Godstow, the school will now have a boathouse, wet dock and boating pontoons on a site at Maddy Moorings, Long Wittenham.
The 8-acre site will provide the Boat Club with 300 metres of river frontage and is located just upstream from the Barley Mow pub where 19th century author Jerome K. Jerome wrote the timeless classic Three Men in a Boat. The situation is a particularly scenic and private mature setting affording awe-inspiring views facing due west across the River Thames to delightful private grazing meadows opposite.
The new boathouse has been designed as a two-storey building of approximately 645m2 with a mono pitch roof and the ability to accommodate a number of boat racks, toilets and changing facilities, a training room, wet dock and replacement landing stages. Additional features of the new building and site include a grass roof, wildlife sanctuaries and wash-free launches.
Headmistress Caroline Jordan said: “Headington is known for its excellent co-curricular programme and Rowing has been one of our strengths for many years. I am delighted that, after a long search, we have finally been able to secure access to the River Thames for our own Boat Club”.
Robert Kennedy, Director at Spratley & Partners, said: “The team is very pleased with the recent planning approval for Maddy Moorings Boathouse. We worked hard to develop a concept and design in close conjunction with the building’s use and what it represents.
The proposed scheme is a reflection of the language of rowing as a sequence of movement across the river, with a mono pitch roof and strong, repeated elements, such as the colonnades in the structure. In addition, the new boathouse is an integral part of the school’s aims to provide an enriching learning environment and a high-quality sports infrastructure.”
Headington School Oxford Boathouse Facility – Building Information
Architect: Spratley & Partners
Client: Headington School
Planning Approval: June 2019
Headington School Oxford Boathouse Facility Oxfordshire image / information received 170619
Location: Oxfordshire, England, UK
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