Skip to content ↓

History and Community

My boys loved St Peter’s School.

Emma, former parent

The main building, Sunnylands, was built in 1893 to be the Timpson family home, designed by JA Gotch, and it is now a Grade II listed building. Its architecture was recently photographed for inclusion in a book of Northamptonshire's most interesting buildings. In 1946 St Peter's School was founded as a co-educational independent preparatory day school, and its first Headmistress was Miss Joyce Rutherford. Alan Timpson, son of William Timpson was one of the Founders of the school and members of the Timpson family still visit their former family home to this day.

The Preschool building, formerly the Infant block, was added in 1949 and the School has accepted pre-school children there since 1968. The Lower School building was completed in 1990, to the design of local architects Gotch, Saunders and Surridge, descendants of the original company which designed Sunnylands. In 2019, the multi-functional and state-of-the-art teaching space, the Cedar Hub, was completed. Designed and built by local company Scotts of Thrapston, owned by a former pupil, as an eco-friendly light and open plan teaching space for Art, Design, and Science which also includes kitchen facilities. This building is also used for wrap around care Early and Late Club and has replaced all of the former prefabricated buildings.

St Peter's has built up a reputation for excellence. It's a friendly school, where children are encouraged to be curious and creative life-long learners. The happy, family atmosphere is reinforced by the fact that many of our current pupils are children, grandchildren, nephews or nieces of former pupils. This sense of community and continuity is a source of great pride.