St Helen’s School, Northwood. School of Music

Music is central to the spirit of St Helen’s School. This building was born from a desire to provide opportunities for girls to develop and flourish musically – to allow opportunities to learn, teach, practise, and perform.

It provides a large recital hall (the Seldon Recital Hall which functions as a performance and practice space), two large classrooms which can also serve as rehearsal spaces, a Music Tech Room where girls can develop their composing skills, a Drum Room, a Recording Studio and thirteen individual practice rooms.

It also has a striking spiral staircase which, as one of the teachers commented, makes you long to sweep down it in a very gown!

The Mary Short School of Music, officially opened by the conductor Sian Edwards in April 2019, is named in honour of Dr Mary Short, Headmistress from 2011 to 2019.

They are proactive, imaginative and client-focussed, which is just what I was looking for in a design consultant.

‘The variety of the music and the extremely high standard of the performances confirmed that a building can inspire students to be their very best.’