By Dr Walters, Director of Sixth Form
At 280 Westbourne Park Road, London there is a blue door that acquired fame in the 1999 romantic comedy, Notting Hill. It drew so much attention from fans of the film that the owners of the flat eventually put the door up for auction and hung in its place a less memorable black one.
Of all the black front doors in Britain the most notable must surely be the one at 10 Downing Street. It opens only from the inside and is synonymous with the Prime Ministerial qualities – power and responsibility.
Bedford Girls’ School’s Sixth Form House has its own new front door. On Thursday 3rd September the Sixth Form girls commenced the new academic year by entering the school via the newly-restored original entrance to Dame Alice Harpur House. This improvement is part of a larger refurbishment made possible by the generous support of the Bedford High School Guild.
And improvement it is. Previously, girls would make a sharp left when arriving at school and start their school day halfway up the locker corridor. Girls now climb the wide stone steps and enter a light and inviting hallway that takes them straight to heart of the house, with the Careers library and Chequers café ahead, and study loft above.
Feng shui suggests that a good front door makes for an auspicious start. And a light entrance hall within is doubly auspicious. Most of all I hope the new door makes a statement, and fosters in the girls a new sense of ownership in her environment and learning.
