Roedean is a vast block of Victorian pebbledash sitting atop white cliffs with bracing views of the Channel, writes Tatler’s Georgina Blackwell.

After a two-year, £9 million renovation, Roedean has the swankiest boarding facilities in the country, perhaps in the universe.

“It was distinctly grotty,” says pupil Sophie Sheaf. “Everything was falling apart.

“The worst thing was the bathrooms – four cubicles split by a hanging plastic sheet. That was it, that was your privacy.”

Now there is not a whiff of grot, just acres of polished oak and smart soft furnishings from Romo and Sanderson.

“It’s been transformed,” says Sophie. “It’s like a spa.”

Every bedroom has bespoke wardrobes and cupboards, made by Modus, in pale wood. The finishing touch is a Hans Wegner-esque chair at each desk.

And oh, the washrooms – it’s goodbye hanging plastic sheets and hello chic monochrome tiles, supersized shower heads, big raised sinks and loo cubicles with wood-panelled doors and antique-looking hardware.

Like all grand designs, the work wasn’t without its problems.

The building is listed and sits within a national park, so there was plenty of red tape to deal with.

Each laser-cut Arts and Crafts-style window latch needed its own planning application – and there are 1,200 windows.

Period features have been sensitively incorporated into the design, with gentle nods to the heritage of the building. So for every industrial light fitting there is a carved mahogany sideboard, and for every taupe cushion or plywood deer sculpture there is an original stone fireplace or maybe a decorative frieze.

The students were very much involved throughout.

And the benefits of the new super-plush dormitoriess have surpassed the purely aesthetic.

The girls say they are now tidier people. They no longer order takeaway pizza or Chinese from Brighton because they like to cook in the kitchen, and they work harder in the serene study room.

“It does make it so much easier being away from home,” says pupil Bella Spinks. “I didn’t leave this whole weekend. You don’t feel like you have to go out.”

Background

Roedean School was founded in 1885 by three entrepreneurial sisters Penelope, Dorothy and Millicent Lawrence known locally as The Firm.

Its purpose was academic advancement – to prepare girls for entrance to the newly-opened Girton and Newnham Colleges at Cambridge.

Penelope was the natural leader – energetic and confident, she commanded respect and inspired academic effort.

Dorothy’s soft, gentle character inspired love and loyalty from her pupils.

Millicent was the most practical, perceptive and entrepreneurial and was also involved in local issues such as the state of the cliffs in Brighton.

There were 14 Lawrence children in total and other siblings also contributed to the school’s success and at one time, eight sisters were teaching at Roedean.

Brighton and Hove Bus Company have named one of their buses after them. In the early days there were 10 pupils – six paying and four for show.

Parents of the first pupils intended their daughters to be capable of earning their own living.

Although this was not a fashionable view in the late 1800s, the school – then known as Wimbledon House School – prospered in Lewes Crescent.

After 10 successful years in Kemp Town, the school had outgrown its premises and in 1898 moved across to the present site at Roedean.

Numbers grew steadily to over 450 in the early 1920s, yet The Firm ensured the family atmosphere was still maintained.

At the start of the Second World War, Roedean received girls from Francis Holland School in Clarence Gate. But in 1940, these evacuees, along with most Roedean girls, were moved up to Keswick in the Lake District as the Army commandeered the School.

At Keswick, Roedean was quickly absorbed into the community.

The curriculum was maintained – teaching took place in the station waiting room, the local hotel’s conservatory and the Wesleyan Chapel – and exam results showed that work did not suffer.

Outside classes, the girls walked and climbed, rowed and skated.

In the holidays they volunteered to fire-fight, or to wrap prisoner of war parcels for the Red Cross. Fifty girls did not travel north and at short notice they sailed to Canada and were hosted at Edgehill School in Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, back in Brighton, Roedean had become HMS Vernon, home to over 30,000 sailors attending the Mining and Torpedo School and working for the electrical branches of the Navy.

As a result of this period, Roedean is perhaps the only girls’ school in the country to have an Old Boys’ Association. Now, under the headship of Oliver Blond, the school continues to prove itself to be one of the best performing in Sussex, churning out top GCSE and A-level results year after year.