A PRIVATE school in Denbighshire has officially opened the doors to its new £5.5m dining hall.

The facilities at Ruthin School will offer "five star catering" and formal dining for 350 people as well as a cafe bar for 150.

During an open day held on Tuesday, December 11, guests were invited to take a tour and give feedback on the new building.

"It was lovely to receive so many positive comments from students, staff and the general public during our open day," A spokesperson said.

"We are extremely proud. Our new dining hall is fantastic and provides stunning views."

The dining hall itself is part of an expansion programme, of which the first phase was the now-completed girl's 40-bedroom boarding house with en-suite bedrooms.

The kitchen will serve a variety of international cuisine to suit the array of different religions and cultures that co-exist at the school.

Students will be provided with a variety of options for breakfast, lunch and an evening meal, prepared daily by the chef and his staff.

The dining hall was the second phase of the expansion project and the third will be a new academic facility.

This new building will include 31 classrooms, two extra science laboratories, ICT rooms and a large staff room.

It will also replace the 1960's building, which is expected to be demolished in the summer of 2019.

Ruthin School in its current form has 360 pupils from 52 different countries - a figure that has more than tripled in the last eight years.

It charges £14,000 a year for day pupils and £34,500 for full boarders.

The school's origins can be traced back to 1284 when Edward I built a castle and with it a garrison chapel which was later assimilated by St Peter’s Church.

After the Reformation a former pupil, Gabriel Goodman, Dean of Westminster under Elizabeth I, refounded Ruthin School in 1574 as a centre of academic excellence in North Wales and it was granted a Royal Charter.

The School moved to its current location in the early 1890s and was also honoured by a visit from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to mark its septcentenary back in 1984.