A beautiful new £2 Million building, in keeping with the historic street scape of St Mary’s has been completed by Bedford College.

Named the Margaret Stansfeld Building, the venue links the current award-winning Bedford College with its past as part of the ‘Bedford College of Higher Education’.

Margaret Stansfeld was the founder of the very first Bedford College, a specialist centre for training PE teachers more than a century ago. In 1976 her college, together with the Bedford Training Centre and Mander FE College in Cauldwell Street became ‘Bedford College of Higher Education’.  

“We are proud of our 130 year history at Bedford College and hope we continue to honour the legacy of educational innovation,” said Ian Pryce CBE, Principal of Bedford College,

“The building blends in with the streetscape on St Mary’s including College House, said to be the oldest brick built property in the town.

“Our riverside site has developed over decades – and some of the buildings could not be described as ‘things of beauty’. "However we are replacing them jigsaw piece by jigsaw piece, as finances allow and as the college expands.

“We have turned the 1950s workshop block into a shining eco-beacon with our solar panel and turbine-topped Brundtland Building – it looks fantastic and saves energy.

“We have removed the unsightly old bus garage which used to be the art block and replaced it with the riverside South Bank Arts Centre.

“Now we have improved the St Mary’s Street boundary with a building which is keeping with this historic area.”

Ashe Construction worked closely with Bedford College to demonstrate their joint commitment to the construction industry – especially in the areas of modern sustainable design and build.