Harrogate Ladies’ College is situated in the Duchy of Lancaster estate in the north western quadrant of the town. “The Duchy”, as it is known locally, is an area of prime residential property. It is a peaceful and very pleasant area, characterised by wide roads and large houses. HLC occupies 22 acres of this highly desirable real estate.
The College is fortunate in that all its facilities, with the exception of Tower House which lies about 150 metres away, are clustered together on each side of Clarence Drive. The Main Building is the focal point of the School.
Main Building
The Main Building is a huge structure presenting in its outward facade a mock-Tudor face to the world. At first glance, it looks like a very imposing country house.
Once it housed the whole of the College, including boarders’ bedrooms! Now it contains most of the secondary section and several parts of the School’s central operation, such as the Headmistress’s Office, the School Office, the Bursar’s Office, the Registrar’s Department, the Dining Rooms and the Library. Most of the secondary classrooms are in this building or in later additions to it.
There are spacious, airy and superbly lit Art and Textiles teaching rooms, which also allow opportunities for ceramics to be taught.
The Business School is a very recently refurbished part of the building, where business-related subjects are taught and entrepreneurial activities and experience encouraged.
The Library has a good collection of books, both non-fiction and fiction, and, like most libraries have come to do in recent years, now contains extensive computer facilities.
There is a traditional, well-equipped theatre where school productions are mounted.
The English, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Classics, Geography and History departments all have their own bases here.
The upper floors, which were once boarders’ rooms, now provide space for offices and common rooms. There are some excellent examples of Edwardian stained glass windows, including some in a very pleasant and comfortable reading room. Every Sixth Former has a work space in the building in either a shared or single study.
Science Laboratories and DT Centre
The Science laboratories are housed in a separate building, a short distance away from the Main Building. Well-equipped and spacious, they provide for the teaching of Biology, Chemistry and Physics and, for younger pupils, General Science. There are also excellent facilities for teaching Design Technology and Food Technology.
ICT Centre
Although there are extensive ICT facilities in the Main Building, HLC has a two classroom ICT centre where ICT is taught to younger pupils.
The Gym
‘The Gym’ is no longer a gymnasium, but a multi-purpose hall used for all sorts of activities ranging from public examinations to Burns’ Night Suppers. It is, therefore, a very versatile space lying immediately adjacent to the Main Building. ‘The Gym’ is due to be refurbished inits 50th anniversary year in 2012.
Chapel
The Chapel was built in 1924 and is representative, in its plainness, of the type of church-building advocated by the evangelical tradition. It contains choir stalls, a very wide-bodied nave and extra seating is available in a gallery. Many concerts are performed in the Chapel.
Sports Hall and Swimming Pool
HLC is fortunate to have had for a number of years a very spacious sports hall, which also contains a multi-gym. Adjacent to it is a 25 metre swimming pool.
Lacrosse pitches, netball courts and tennis courts
The two main lacrosse pitches, where in the summer athletics are pursued and rounders played, are situated immediately behind the Main Building. Further tennis courts are available on the other side of Clarence Drive behind Lancaster House.
Health Centre
The Health Centre, which lies within a wing of Clarence House, comprises consulting rooms, bedrooms for pupils who are unwell and a recreational lounge.
Music School
The Music School lies on the other side of Clarence Drive from the Main Building. It contains class teaching rooms and smaller rooms for individual lessons and music practice.
The Boarding Houses
There are four boarding Houses – Clarence, Lancaster, Lincoln and Tower. They all began life as very large private houses, and they have all been modernised to provide accommodation for our boarders, the Housemistresses and Assistant Housemistresses. Clarence, Lancaster and Lincoln are in the heart of the College. Tower House is around 150 metres away.
Highfield
Highfield is the junior or prep section of HLC. Like much of the rest of the School, it has its origins as a (very) large Edwardian house. It has been significantly extended. It provides the classroom space for all our two-form entry prep section. It has its own hall and a library. It combines both purpose-designed teaching rooms and the sense of community that being situated in such a building allows. Highfield makes use of a number of the facilities in the secondary section of the College.
Bankfield
Bankfield is the nursery or pre-prep department of HLC. It is situated on the corner of Clarence Drive and Duchy Road, immediately adjacent to St Wilfrid’s Church. The School is contained in a very large house, which combines the sense of warmth and reassurance so important to the needs of very young children and the facilities to provide them with an outstanding first educational experience. Bankfield is blessed with a wonderful garden and opportunities for outdoor play.
School Grounds
Besides its sports fields, HLC possesses several delightful garden areas which add to the College’s charms and encourage environmental education. Close to Bankfield, in the grounds of the Music House, there is a pond, a nearby a “bug hotel”, a delightful willow garden and the College’s guinea pigs’ home.