Heritage - Speech Room
A culture of giving, as old as the School itself
The launch of the Lyon Memorial Fund, as part of the School’s tercentenary appeal in 1871, raised the necessary funds to allow for the building of a new Speech Room to accommodate a growing school.
A hundred and fifty years on it is fitting that we restore this iconic space to its full glory as we celebrate the School's 450th Anniversary.
Speech Room has been host to the grandest of occasions, with Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers, foreign dignitaries, and an array of impressive visiting speakers having graced its platform. Its impressive design is simultaneously functional, beautiful and versatile, used for whole school assemblies, Songs, Glees and Twelves, Prizegiving and Speeches, musical concerts and theatre.
Sponsor a Chair
As part of Harrow 450, the Harrow Development Trust is inviting OH families, parents and friends to support this significant project, either by sponsoring a chair for £1,000, or supporting the restoration at any level.
Many of the existing chairs will be restored and reupholstered and some, beyond repair, will be replaced. Funds raised from this appeal will go towards the £2.2m costs of this Harrow 450 heritage project. Each chair will carry a brass plaque with the donor’s name(s).
Restoration
A comprehensive restoration and refit of this Grade II-listed building is underway this summer.
The project includes:
- The removal and replacement of the lighting scheme
- Complete rewiring
- Sympathetic decoration
- Specialist cleaning of the stained glass
- The cast iron columns and bases redecorated
- The vaults and arches over the proscenium cleaned and redecorated along with all walls and stones
