Former school mansion site for sale at £5m

Padworth House is for sale after attempts to sell the school as a going concern failed

A Georgian mansion that housed a school which closed its doors last year has gone up for sale for £5m.

Independent school Padworth College was based in the Grade II* listed building and closed after its owner, International Future Education, entered administration.

The group cited the "ongoing challenging market environment" created by the decision to impose VAT on independent schools fees.

It instructed Knight Frank to sell Padworth House in Sopers Lane, Padworth, Berkshire, after attempts to sell the school as a going concern failed.

Surrounding the 21,600 sq ft main house is a range of specialist educational buildings and facilities, including boarding and teaching accommodation, outbuildings, a gym, heated outdoor swimming pool, and tennis courts.

Padworth's origins date back to the Domesday Book of 1086, and the current house stands on what is believed to be the site of the medieval manor, once held by the Coudray family from the 13th Century.

The earliest surviving element of the current building is the eastern wing, where internal oak beams date from the late 15th Century.

The estate was significantly remodelled in 1769 by London merchant and governor of St Thomas' Hospital, Thomas Brightwell, who commissioned architect John Hobcraft to redesign it.

'Extraordinary heritage'

The house remained in private ownership until 1963, when it became a college founded by Oxford academic Peter Fison with a mission to bring a tutorial-style approach to sixth form education.

Initially a girls' boarding school, it became co-educational in 2005 and joined the Inspiring Futures Education group in 2018.

After marking its 60th anniversary in 2023, a strategic decision was made in 2025 to close the school.

Charlie Freer, director of Inspiring Futures Education, said: "It has been a privilege to steward Padworth College.

"With its extraordinary heritage and idyllic setting, we are confident that the next chapter will honour the site's legacy while unlocking its full potential."

Bishopstrow College in Wiltshire is also closing after International Future Education could not find a buyer.