Ivor Gurney meets Bridget Riley

I visited the Ivor Gurney hall today, along with several other historic buildings not normally open to the public. Heritage open days were held all.over the city of Gloucester. Angela and I saw many places, but this bold reimagining of a dark oak beamed schoolroom really blew me away. The architect was said to have been inspired by many sources, including 1960s pop artist Bridget Riley's recent take on Colour.

From Cotswold Life magazine, 2016:

King's School for girls and boys is located next to Gloucester Cathedral. Recent work has transformed the building that originally housed the entire school during the Victorian era.

The schoolroom, which was constructed in 1849 to accommodate the growing numbers of pupils at The King’s School, was carefully designed to be in keeping with the unique surroundings of the Cathedral, whilst incorporating the architectural style of the time. 

However, due to the steady growth of the school, the schoolroom soon grew too small to house the pupils and in more recent times the building was used as a gymnasium. The school appointed local firm King Builders to the project and construction began in 2015 to convert the space into a stunning Performing Arts facility, featuring a beautiful vaulted ceiling. 

Now known as The Ivor Gurney Hall, the building was named after local Gloucestershire poet, Ivor Gurney, who was a pupil and Chorister at the King’s School, and was taught in the hall as a boy. Gurney’s celebrated career as a poet showed his dedication to the arts, and in a number of his works he remembers and reflects upon his time at King’s.