The school started life as five separate institutions: In 1887, Payne founded St John's Methodist Church on Pwllycrochan Avenue, which was used regularly by both Rydal and Penrhos.

[2] In 2010, the stewardship of St John's was passed to Rydal Penrhos, which needed more space for school worship and special events.

His father designed St John's Methodist Church, and he was responsible for many of the school's buildings, as well as others in the vicinity, and further afield in North Wales.

The school was evacuated to Oakwood Park, a small country estate 2 miles west of the town of Conwy.

The Duke of Devonshire, anticipating that schoolgirls would make better tenants than soldiers, offered Chatsworth House for the use of the school.

This led to an increase in the number of pupils attending the school from overseas countries such as Ukraine, Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Russia and the Czech Republic.