A former Ministry of Defence site in South West London is set to be reborn as an independent school, following approval from Richmond Council. The transformation of the iconic Kneller Hall in Whitton, Twickenham, marks a major development in the area.
Kneller Hall, which served as the home of the Royal Military School of Music for nearly 170 years, has stood vacant since its sale by the MoD to Dukes Education in 2021. The 30-acre estate will now be revitalised into Kneller Hall School, part of the Radnor House School family.
The existing Radnor House School, which currently operates from nearby Strawberry Hill and is oversubscribed, will relocate pupils in years 7 to 13 to the new site in September 2027. The expansion will allow the school to grow from its current intake of 520 to a projected 1,000 students over time.
As part of the redevelopment, several modern buildings on site will be demolished to make way for top-tier educational amenities, including:
- A new sports centre with a swimming pool
- Outdoor sports pitches and pavilion
- A music centre
- A forest school
While designed for school use, many of these facilities will be made available to local schools and community groups during evenings, weekends, and school holidays.
Radnor House will continue to operate as a junior school, accommodating up to 300 younger students.
Community feedback has been sharply divided. Some locals hoped to see the land used for a public park or affordable housing, as originally envisioned in the 2020 supplementary planning document (SPD). Others raised alarm over increased traffic in the area.
“The public was promised a major new public park and it is entirely wrong that the space should be taken for the benefit of a very few people who will attend the private school, in particular because this is an area of deficiency,” stated countryside charity CPRE London.
Another resident voiced concern: “The roads are already too easily congested and additional vehicles will only make this worse for those using buses and cars while adding to the danger for those cycling.”
Despite the objections, the Planning Committee gave the green light to the project on May 21, deeming educational use a suitable path forward.
Liberal Democrat councillor Julia Neden-Watts acknowledged community disappointment: “I sense sadness that we’re not getting a wonderful housing development here… the education use is appropriate.”
She added that while the 2020 SPD proposed a mix of public use, it did not foresee the return of an educational function. “We have to look at the application that’s in front of us, and it’s an appropriate use. I think it’s a benefit that a very striking and important building with an enormous amount of heritage, physical and musical, is being brought back into use that will see it populated with people, young people, learning.”
Daniel Burkin, Principal Transport Consultant at Caneparo Associates, defended the scheme’s impact, noting that the planned measures, including dedicated school buses and robust cycling infrastructure, would mitigate traffic disruption. “The development would not materially impact highway safety or traffic,” he said.
Council officers welcomed the plan as a positive reuse of a long-neglected site, saying it would enhance educational choices across the borough, including for students with special educational needs. The scheme includes provisions for 44 such placements.
Radnor House Principal Amy Cavilla, who will lead Kneller Hall School, expressed her enthusiasm: “Kneller Hall will provide students with a modern education in a historic setting and will put air under the wings of the successful foundations that have been laid at Radnor House School.
We promote a values-based approach that puts kindness and compassion high on the agenda and uses encouragement rather than pressure to achieve success. Our priority now is to proceed with our plans as efficiently as possible so that we are ready to move into our new home in Kneller Hall in September 2027.”
Dukes Education founder and Chairman Aatif Hassan echoed the sentiment: “We are incredibly excited that the work on Kneller Hall can begin in earnest now. It is a privilege to be able to develop this historic building, such a well-loved landmark in the Whitton and Twickenham area, and to build on its educational heritage. The school and its grounds will be great for families in the local area, and we look forward to creating deeper links with the community.”
Work on the site is scheduled to commence in autumn. With the project now cleared, a new era begins for Kneller Hall – once a hub for military music, soon to be a centre for academic and creative excellence.
