The Undercroft
This building is quite remarkable and probably unique in its concept, design and usage. Originally conceived to be for leisure activities, storage and possibly even an underground garage it quickly became apparent to us that we needed a big area to hold morning assemblies, to use as a central refectory for breakfast, lunch and supper for over 800 children and staff, and for somewhere for children to be able to use their free time in, particularly in bad weather. To create such a large building in the very heart of the College area would have been difficult and would have had a big negative impact being so close to the Hall. So we decided to go underground. Doing this meant it cost us £7m as opposed to about £3m had it been above ground.

Because the whole of the structure is underground there is no visual impact on anything. In fact the designers were so clever they have managed to create a beautiful garden at ground level, on top of this building - with grass, trees, flowers and shrubs. From above ground you literally have no idea what exists below your feet. We call this building the Undercroft - after many religious buildings housed under Cathedrals and the like.

For people who have never seen it, the thought of holding a morning assembly or eating underground seems very strange, but it works and actually works very well. The whole of the inside is modern, light and airy. You do not get a feeling of claustrophobia. Being underground means it is very eco-friendly. There are no draughts - the building stays cool in the summer and draws heat from the earth in the winter. We reckon the energy costs of being below ground is possibly only 30% of what it would have been above ground. The building has been in use now for over four years and people who visit are quite amazed such a building is possible. Also that somebody would be willing to spend as much as £7m to make it completely invisible. This underground building has also won an Award for its modern, efficient and well designed kitchen. Remember our College kitchens prepare and serve over 750,000 meals a year. We were rather proud to find we had even beaten the refurbished kitchens of Buckingham Palace at the Award ceremony!

Some people, having only seen a photograph of the main area laid up for dining, are worried that this underground structure will suddenly become the venue for multiple conferences and gatherings and that subsequently the whole Estate will somehow turn into something other than it is. People can rest assured this building was built for school use, is used wholly for school use and has never had the likes of a conference or anything similar in it.

Your blessed lights!
You will be pleased to know we are discusing with Harrogate Council to see how we can reduce the number of tall lighting columns and to significantly restrict the time flood lighting for sports and equestrian activities, for our 500 children who live on the Estate, will be operating for. We appreciate our tall lights irritate and, even though they are "legal", we want to see if a compromise is possible. We do this a sign of goodwill to the local community.

Does your College have a sustainable travel plan?
Yes. The College believes in fully educating its students and young people in the need to care for our planet and its future. In order to re-enforce this point of course the College should be leading the way in doing everything it can to produce sustainable travel, to lessen its impact on the environment because of what it does and generally lower its carbon footprint. If you would like a copy of our sustainable travel plan please ask.