The world’s oldest school has confirmed plans to transform a 400-year-old pub into a study centre for pupils.
King’s, founded in 597 AD, bought the Jolly Sailor in Northgate, Canterbury, in 2019 but the site has remained empty since.
If given the green light by city council bosses, the once-bustling boozer could become a day house for its pupils.
King’s hopes to renovate the existing property while also building a two-storey extension to the rear.
Bosses behind the plan say the work “seeks to re-purpose an otherwise unused community asset into a high-quality educational facility”.
“The school has a proven track record as a careful and conscientious custodian of an extensive property portfolio throughout Canterbury,” it added.
The premises would be used as a day house by pupils when not attending form lessons, providing a common room and study space for use between 7am and 9pm, as well as serving as an office for their housemaster and matron.
A pub first stood on the corner of Northgate Street as early as 1619, known then as the Black Swan.
Between 1780 and 1830 its name changed to the Jolly Sailor and it was bought by Rigden’s brewery in 1801.
The original building was later demolished and rebuilt with a cottage for £2,001.
In more recent years, the “debauched” antics of punters caused a row with its neighbours as it became popular with students.
King’s School bursar Mark Taylor wrote to the city council in 2013 complaining of pupils being subjected to foul language and noise from revellers.
Meanwhile, a couple who lived opposite claimed to have seen a group of naked men through the first-floor windows of the pub during a rugby club function, which prompted landlord Ian Blackmore to darken the glass.
In 2016, Ian made headlines in the Daily Mail after putting reindeer meatballs on the inn’s festive menu. He called time on his stint as landlord two years later.
It was then sold to the prestigious King’s School, which owns a sizeable chunk of property nearby.
After more than 1,400 years of the school being boys-only, the first girls were admitted to the establishment’s sixth form in the 1970s, and it has only been fully co-educational since 1990.
It appointed its first-ever female headteacher last year, with KentOnline securing an exclusive interview with history maker Jude Lowson.
Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.
With Christopher Marlowe and Michael Morpurgo among its famous alumni, it currently has more than 1,300 pupils across its three schools – with about 70% boarding.
