Clock is ticking for Bishop Auckland's historic school

The Society has been contacted by local people concerned for the future of the fine Gothic Revival school, which was built in three stages over the mid to late Victorian period and was attended by Arthur Stanley Jefferson (Laurel of Laurel and Hardy). Several of them have suggested new uses for the building, yet, despite this, the Former King James I School remains empty and vulnerable with no future plans agreed. Windowless and roofless, it could deteriorate seriously over the winter months unless action is taken to make it weatherproof.

‘The Former King James I School is in urgent need of attention,’ said Alex Baldwin, Conservation Adviser of the Victorian Society. ‘It had already suffered from years of neglect when it caught fire in March. If it had been in regular use, it is unlikely that the fire would have happened at all. Every day that it is left in its current state puts the building at further risk.’

Concerns about the future of the former school building are such that it was short-listed for the Victorian Society’s list of Top Ten Endangered Buildings in England and Wales.

‘It is very frustrating,’ continued Miss Baldwin. ‘Here is a significant building and people who want to use it, and yet it is being left to rot. We are very confident that a suitable new use can be found for the Former King James I School but the longer it is left, the more difficult this will be. We urge Durham County Council to take action to save this fine and well-loved building before it is too late.’