A former pupil has helped one of the oldest schools in Worcestershire to expand its boarding provision with the purchase of a nearby hotel.
John Dillon, an associate director at commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton, has advised Bromsgrove School in Bromsgrove on the valuation and purchase of Perry Hall Hotel, located in the centre of the town.
Mr Dillon, a pupil at Bromsgrove School from 1980 to 1989, worked with his colleague and hotel specialist at Lambert Smith Hampton Jonathan Parrish, to acquire the Ramada Jarvis- owned hotel to provide en-suite boarding accommodation for a further 58 pupils from September.
Bromsgrove School has also obtained planning permission to turn the hotel's first floor function rooms into residential accommodation for housemasters, tutors and a matron in a total investment worth more than £4 million.
The acquisition of Perry Hall also marks a reconnection for Bromsgrove School with its most famous former pupil, poet A E Housman, whose family lived at Perry Hall, and where Housman himself resided from 1860-1873.
The move also takes the school back into the heart of the town, helping to fulfil the wish of headmaster, Christopher Edwards, to become a closer part of the local community.
Bromsgrove School was already using 17 bedrooms for boarding pupils at the hotel, when it became aware that it was up for sale.
Matthew Horton, chairman of governors and senior partner at a legal practice in Bromsgrove, was keen to move fast to secure the building.
He said: "The fact that we had an old boy who is a chartered surveyor specialising in commercial property close at hand meant we were confident we would get the best advice and deal for the school.
"John moved fast to help us and the purchase went through smoothly.
"I am delighted that Bromsgrove School with Lambert Smith Hampton's professional assistance, has been successful in acquiring Perry Hall.
"Its historic association with the school's most famous alumnus, the poet A E Housman, coupled with the excellent facilities it will provide as a boarding house, makes it an invaluable asset to the school's future success."
Mr Dillon, who works in Lambert Smith Hampton's Birmingham office, said: "I received a valuable education from one of the best schools in the Midlands and I was pleased to be able to use my skills and contacts to help Bromsgrove School continue to prosper."
First known as a chantry school in the Middle Ages, Bromsgrove School was re-established as a Tudor Grammar School between 1548 and 1553.
