The new building had been constructed on land once belonging to the Medieval manor of Lamorbey House. The manor house to which the school was now adjacent had been rebuilt in the eighteenth century and by 1950 was housing Rose Bruford College. Chis and Sid's new building was designed by Howard C. Lobb & Partners of Gower Street, in conjunction with the Kent County Architects S. H. Loweth and E. T. Ashley Smith. As a result of post-war austerity, the building was constructed on a tight budget of under £300,000, and consisted of reinforced concrete and portal frames, with a brickwork finished. The design was largely deemed to be aesthetically unpleasing by both students and staff, although it did allow them access to twice as much land as they had had at Crittal's Corner. Opening in 1954, it was officially opened in a ceremony led by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent and the Bishop of Rochester. As part of the move, in September 1954 it had been decided that the school houses would be renamed as Davies, Edlmann, Williams, Staff, Townshend, and Lester, all figures who had played a prominent role in the school's history. The move also saw a change in the school's winter sport from football to rugby, although cricket remained the school's summer sport.