Pillar One
The Roof
A sweeping glass canopy crowns the quarried walls, bringing the sky indoors while the stone holds its silence below. The glazed structure harmonises with — never competes with — the established Palladian architecture.
Prior Park College — Bath
Prior Park College — Bath
A New
Music School.
Concept Reveal · 2026
Something extraordinary is about to emerge from one of Bath's most dramatic hidden spaces. A world-class performance venue for the next generation — rising from a 180-year-old masterpiece of stone.
Discover the VisionNoble + Eaton · Thriving Spaces™
Bath · England · Grade II* ListedScroll
The Project
A Hidden Masterpiece.
Waiting Two Centuries
to be Heard.
Built around 1840 and associated with the founding of Prior Park College, the Gymnasium to the North of North Road is one of Bath's most extraordinary and least-known structures. Listed Grade II* — among the most significant six per cent of all listed buildings in England — it was conceived as an open-air ball-court and fives court, carved directly into the quarry hillside.
Its architecture is breathtaking in ambition: a long, high-walled stone courtyard flanked by a Tuscan colonnade of twelve bold columns, fusing the Palladian grandeur of John Wood's Bath with the drama of French neoclassicism. The historian's verdict is unambiguous — "among the most grandiose, if unfinished" structures of its era.
For too long this space has stood silent. Now, its moment has arrived.
A highly unusual structure, of dramatic scale and massiveness — a stylistic fusion of Wood's Palladianism and French-inspired neoclassicism.
— Architectural historian's verdict
The Vision
Glass Meets Stone.
Past Meets Future.
The existing space offers a singular opportunity — to bridge two centuries without erasing either. The design places a soaring glazed roof over the historic stone courtyard, flooding the colonnade with light while leaving the raw masonry exactly as it was found. Honoured. Not overwhelmed.
Pillar Two
The Stage
Flexibility is built into the very floor. Concrete seating and performance stages rise hydraulically from the sub-floor level, configuring the space for an audience of up to 450 — then receding entirely to open the colonnade concourse for a different kind of gathering altogether.
Pillar Three
The Arrival
A new glazed entrance canopy and reception pavilion marks the threshold between the everyday and the extraordinary. Visitors arrive with purpose, drawn through a booking foyer into a space that announces its own ambition the moment they step inside.
Spaces & Experiences
One Space.
Infinite Possibilities.
This is not a single-use building. It is a living civic stage — for the school, for Bath, for anyone who believes that the spaces we inhabit shape who we become.
Programmed Uses
- Classical performance & recital
- Contemporary music & live events
- School drama & creative arts productions
- Community gatherings & cultural exchange
- Seasonal markets & civic celebrations
- Outdoor cinema under the glass roof
- Corporate events & private hire
The colonnade concourse serves as a year-round refreshment bar and social spine — the place where the audience becomes part of the performance.
The refreshment concourse — artist's impression
Beneath the new glass roof — the main concourse
Moments the space will host
In winter, the colonnade transforms into a covered market — timber stalls, lantern light, and the warmth of a Bath community gathering.
With the seating retracted and the roof above, the space becomes an open-air cinema for the whole school and the town beyond.
A grand civic stage for assemblies, lectures and live broadcasts — binding pupils, parents and the wider city in shared moments.
From immersive installations to unconventional events — a venue confident enough to host the unexpected and the genuinely original.
Why This Matters
More Than a Music School.
A Thriving Space™.
For Students
A performance environment that elevates ambition, builds confidence, and changes what young people believe is possible.
For the School
A landmark facility that positions Prior Park among the finest arts-education destinations in the country.
For Bath
A Grade II* cultural venue returning to life, open to the city, honouring its heritage while writing a new chapter.
The space enables experiences and memories — anything from a seasonal winter market to outdoor cinema entertainment at night.
About Noble + Eaton
The People
Behind the Vision.
Noble + Eaton is a global education design consultancy with a singular purpose: to create Thriving Spaces™ for forward-looking schools and their students. Their work is built on evidence, not aesthetics — combining neuroscientific research, educational expertise, and world-class interior design to transform how young people experience the spaces where they learn, perform, and grow.
The team — educators, designers, researchers, and construction specialists — has completed over 800 projects across 246 schools worldwide, directly impacting the lives of more than 14,700 students. They do not just design rooms. They design outcomes.
Noble + Eaton's People · Pedagogy · Place methodology ensures every design decision is rooted in the needs of those who inhabit the space — the students, the teachers, and the community beyond the gate.
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Completed Projects
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Clients Globally
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Students Impacted
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Expert Team Members
An Invitation
Interested to
Learn More?
This project is in active development. If it has moved you, there are two ways to be part of what happens next.
Option 01
Be a Part of the Change
Prior Park College welcomes conversations with those who feel a connection to this vision — whether as philanthropic supporters, naming partners, or founding patrons of a space that will endure for generations.
Get in TouchOption 02
Voice Your Support
Momentum matters. If this project resonates — as a former pupil, a member of the Bath community, or simply someone who believes in the power of extraordinary spaces — we would love to hear from you.
Share Your ThoughtsNoble + Eaton — Thriving Spaces™ for forward-looking schools
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