Originally called The Merchant Seamans' Orphan Asylum, the purpose of the orphanage was to clothe, care for and to educate children whose fathers were lost at sea.

In 1922, King George V ordered that the word "orphanage" be dropped from the name of the organisation, and so it was renamed The Royal Merchant Navy School.

Bearwood College faced a period of uncertainty as a protracted legal proceedings threatened its future on the site which was resolved in 2010 at the High Court, London.

[3] Declining student numbers and the cost of maintaining the mansion, boarding houses, school buildings and the estate led to the closure of the college in June 2014.

Reddam House Berkshire has maintained informal links with the Royal Merchant Navy School and Bearwood College alumni association since its creation in 2014 and has invited Old Royals members to various events and services held throughout the school year within the Victorian mansion house and chapel.

On-site facilities at Reddam House Berkshire include a chapel, 350-seat theatre with conference facilities, 25m indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, 4G Astro turf hockey pitch, 5 netball courts and 4 tennis courts as well as multiple pitches for cricket, football and rugby.

It was refurbished in 2014/2015 by Reddam House Berkshire upon their purchase of the site, and is used by the school and local and community groups, including the annual Opera at Bearwood.