St Michael’s Abbey School has purchased the former St Michael’s College boarding school near Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire from Naoo Investments for an undisclosed price.
The newly-formed St Michael’s Abbey School, which is backed by American-Chinese private educational institution Sias University, will now refurbish the site and aims to re-open it in time for the 2025/26 academic year.
The 22.76-acre site includes the striking Grade II* listed main building, which was used as a location for the 1986 film The Worst Witch, in addition to 13 other buildings, including the former sports hall, boarding houses, and educational blocks.
Lily Colton, chief executive of St Michael’s Abbey School, said: “We are extremely pleased to work with Fisher German to purchase St Michael’s College. It is a very attractive site with an interesting history and a beautiful main building which will make a very nice learning environment for our students. We will be opening a high-quality private school open to both UK and international students and intend on making our fees affordable for those within the local community.
“The school has not been in use for a number of years, and we now have a significant amount of work to do to refurbish the site ahead of opening in September 2025. We aim to become a major employer in the area and will soon be engaging with the local community in order to fill a wide variety of vacancies at the school.”
Nicholas Fry, director at Naoo Investment, added: “This marks the end of a long and happy association the Fry family have had with both the college and the wider community. We are very grateful for all of the support we have received from the community since my father originally purchased the site in 1989. We wish the new owners every success in re-establishing the school.”
Tom Pike, partner at Fisher German, who led on the sale of the site, said: “We are extremely pleased to complete on the sale of St Michael’s College. It is fantastic that the school is going to be given a new lease of life as an educational establishment to make good use of the property, particularly the Grade II* Listed St Michael’s College building. It will be an excellent asset for Tenbury Wells and the surrounding areas, providing high-quality schooling as well as a range of employment opportunities.”
Moore Development Management managed the planning and disposal of the school on behalf of Naoo Investment.
