Longden Doors helps school to restore tradition

Originally founded in 1851, St John’s School is a boarding and day independent school in Leatherhead, Surrey. Due to the age of the building, a sympathetic approach was required when it came to the interior renovation – enter Longden Doors.

Set in 50 acres of grounds and comprising late Victorian and Gothic buildings, the school was recently renovated - and restored to its former glory, opened in September 2013.

Longden Doors was selected to help with the renovation process, which aimed to reflect the school’s past whilst keeping it firmly in the present. Longden is especially suited to historic restorations of all types and is well known for giving traditional craftsmanship an up-to-date edge. Longden’s range allows for the replication of original features and makes it possible to maintain qualities such as retained panels and carvings, making them ideally suited for use at St. John’s School.

Appearance was a key component and Longden’s Sheraton flat panel doorsets were chosen, faced in a Sussex 4 panel finish, perfectly balancing elegance and practicality. The doorsets chosen included period features such as stopped chamfer detailing around the rails. Working in this way, St John’s School was able to retain the all-important aesthetics associated with the building, helping to preserve its history.  

As well as appearance, due to the nature of the project safety was another important aspect. Longden’s doorsets were specified to meet up to 30 minutes fire resistance.  

On working with Longden Doors in this project, John Juggins from Beard Construction said, “Since aesthetics were key to this project, any products and materials supplied needed to be in keeping with the overall appearance of the building. As such, Longden Doors was able to supply a series of traditionally styled doorsets that complement the interior features perfectly. In addition, the team from Longden Doors were incredibly professional and helpful throughout, ensuring the doorsets were supplied in a timely manner to help us keep on track with the overall deadline.”

Longden Doors are perfect for use within historic buildings as the individual personality of the beautiful hand finished, solid timber panelled doorsets, add quality and splendour befitting of any period building. Bespoke joinery combines craftsmanship with modern manufacturing techniques to achieve a perfect balance of style and function, complete with performance options such as fire resistance, sound reduction and smoke control.