Shi-Tennoji School in UK

Shi-Tennoji School in UK (英国四天王寺学園, Eikoku Shitennōji Gakuen) was a Japanese international secondary school in Herringswell, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, near Bury St Edmunds. The Japanese government classified the school as a Shiritsu zaigai kyoiku shisetsu (私立在外教育施設) or an overseas branch of a Japanese private school.[1] Shi-tennoji International Limited owned the school, and the organisation intended to develop Japan-United Kingdom relations with the school.[2]

Shi-Tennoji School in UK
英国四天王寺学園
Address
Herringswell, Bury St Edmund's, Suffolk IP28 6SW

Herringswell

United Kingdom
Coordinates52.3136265°N 0.5233398999999963°E / 52.3136265; 0.5233398999999963
Information
TypePrivate high school
Closed2000

History

It was in operation beginning in 1985.[3] The former campus includes the Herringswell Manor, built in 1901.[4] It was used as a country house for a family in Blackheath, London. Prior to Shi-Tennoji's use, the campus was used as a school to educate children of U.S. soldiers, as well as being a Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ashram.[3]

Most of the students were Japanese,[2] and it used Japanese as its main instructional medium and prepared students for entrance examinations for Japanese universities. Circa 1998 most employees lacked comprehension of the English language.[5] The students and staff did Buddhist rituals.[3] Lesley Downer of The Independent described the school as "like a little Japan in the middle of the English countryside."[5]

The school closed on 17 July 2000,[6] due to declining student figures.[4] The Japanese Education Ministry decertified the school by 2001.[7] By 2007 the property was being converted into residences by City & Country.[3]

Campus

The property has 8 acres (3.2 ha) of space. The Mock Tudor manor, built in 1906, is listed as a Grade II historic site. The property also had a coach house. Upon its opening Shi-Tennoji School already had two dormitory buildings and a gymnasium dating from its previous uses. Tim Sargeant of the building renovation firm City & Country Group stated the "large, dark roofs" were defining features of the dormitories.[3] Phil McNeill of The Daily Telegraph described the gymnasium as appearing "like an aircraft hangar", and he described that structure and the pre-conversion dormitory blocks as "ugly".[3] The school owners added a Buddhist temple, which only had low-level windows so occupants could concentrate on religious exercises. Shi-Tennoji School also had an archery court, a teahouse, and a Japanese-style water garden.[3]

Conversion into flats

After the school's closure, the properties were turned into a 57-residence flat complex. The Tudor manor now houses ten residences; its smallest accommodation was a one bedroom unit priced at £215,000 in 2007, and the largest and most expensive was a unit on the first floor priced at £550,000 that year. The coach house is now a three-residence unit. The dormitories were converted into a pair of 15-bedroom flat blocks called The Courtyards. For aesthetic purposes, the developer added dormer windows and changed the roofs to have lighter colours.[3]

The Buddhist temple was converted into residences with two-three bedrooms each; McNeill stated that this was possibly the first time a Buddhist temple in Great Britain was converted into flats. The developer added a second storey at the temple roof, sliding glass doors, and dormer windows, as the temple was not listed as a historic site. The ground floor rooms post-conversion still had 12-foot (3.7 m) ceilings, above the standard 8-foot (2.4 m). In 2007 the Buddhist temple conversion's apartment prices were between £485,000 and £525,000. The developer also converted the archery court and teahouse into new uses.[3]

According to McNeill, many of the residences were "likely" to be utilized as second homes.[3] Some residents of Herringswell tried to prevent the dormitories being converted into apartments, but this failed.[3]

References
  1. "私立在外教育施設一覧". National Education Center, Japan (国立教育会館). 1 November 2000. Archived from the original on 1 November 2000. Retrieved 12 January 2019. HERRINGSWELL BURY St. EDMUNDS SUFFOLK IP28 6SW U.K.
  2. "HEAVEN: It's more than just a golf course: Donnington Grove exists to strengthen cultural links between Japan and Britain, as Chris Boiling reports from 'Parasampia'" (PDF). Greenkeeper International: 20 (PDF p. 1). September 1994.
  3. McNeill, Phil. "Shrine of the times." (Archive) The Telegraph. 22 July 2007. Retrieved on 8 January 2014.
  4. "Herringswell Manor." (Archive) Herringswell Parish Council. Retrieved on 9 January 2014.
  5. Downer, Lesley (20 May 1998). "More McDonalds than Mitsubishi: Students at Japanese schools in Britain can find themselves painfully torn between two cultures". The Independent. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  6. "Establishment: Shi-Tennoji School." (Archive) Department for Education. Retrieved on 8 January 2014. "Shi-Tennoji School Herringswell Bury St Edmund's Suffolk IP28 6SW"
  7. "過去に指定・認定していた在外教育施設." MEXT. Retrieved on 12 January 2019.
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