Following the successful demolition of the existing site, the development of McMurray House has reached an important new milestone with groundworks now underway. The main construction phase will follow, with completion planned for the first half of the 2028 academic year.
This exciting development will bring girls’ boarding into the heart of Oundle by transforming the former Oundle Primary School site into a state-of-the-art boarding house for girls aged 13–18 into which the current New House community will move. Located centrally next to the Great Hall and moments from SciTec, this flagship boarding House will further strengthen our position as one of the world’s leading co-educational boarding and day schools.
“This is a significant investment in the future of the School. It will bring girls’ boarding into the heart of the town and, more broadly, will give us greater flexibility in how we use our estate. That flexibility matters as it allows us to protect the boarding ethos which lies at the heart of our identity while giving us the ability to respond with confidence to changes in the wider market.”
Dominic Oliver, Head
Architecturally, the building has been designed to enhance its setting, drawing inspiration from both the School and the surrounding townscape. As part of the demolition works, approximately 100m² of original stone from the historic building was carefully salvaged and retained for reuse within the new development.
Named after former Headmaster David McMurray (HM 1984–1999), whose visionary leadership in the late 1980s and 1990s saw the introduction of co-education at Oundle, McMurray House is both a tribute to our 35-year legacy of co-education and a celebration of the central role boarding plays in life at Oundle.
