Much-loved children?s author Roald Dahl was the inspiration for a new dining hall and after school facility in Buckinghamshire?s Prestwood Infant School. The author ? who lived locally ? had[...]

© Jack Hobhouse
Much-loved children?s author Roald Dahl was the inspiration for a new dining hall and after school facility in Buckinghamshire?s Prestwood Infant School. The author ? who lived locally ? had already apparently based the headteacher Miss Trunchbull in his popular book Matilda on a former real-life headteacher at the school.
© Jack Hobhouse
Architects De Rosee Sa and PMR turned to the pages of Dahl?s books again for the new dining hall ? and this time drew from the story of Fantastic Mr Fox. The cunning character inspired them by declaring he intended to make
?A little underground village, with streets and houses on each side ? separate houses for badgers and moles and rabbits and weasels and foxes.?
He then added:

?And every day I will go shopping for you all. And every day we will eat like kings?.
The £158,000 colourful new building is called Little Hall and will also be rented out as a facility for the local community, bringing in much-needed revenue for the school. It has playful features such as a small one-to-one teaching space and two WC?s painted to depict a fox?s den, a bush with berries and lastly Mr Fox?s tail. A large plywood bookcase runs the full length of the front of the building with window seats for reading.
© Jack Hobhouse
Each class of pupils ...