Save Victorian Hutton Middle School from needless demolition
- by: Andrew Chilton
- recipient: Bradford Council Planners
This school was the Central Board School of Eccleshill; the first of Bradford's outer townships to elect a aschool Board after Bradford's own William Edward Forster's 'Elementary Education Act' was passed in 1870. John Hutton was a local Mill Owner and, like Sir Titus Salt, was a very generous (if not as wealthy) man. He bought Old Eccleshill Hall for just under £2000 in c1884 and donated the land for the school to be built on and it was opened in 1886. That's a serious donation to the community and it would appear he also contributed to the building of the school. How can such generousity be thrown away??
These schools are increasingly under threat. The Victorian Society have reported a 170% increase in the number of cases where schools are under threat from this period. That's about ten years before they are very rare indeed and ironcially the law will be changed and the remaining ones protected - why wait. Please help by signing this petition.
The developers; Gregory Projects (residential) Limited have applied and been granted outline permission to demolish the building and build 29 new homes on a 1.5 acre site! There are no garages as there is no room!
We in the community feel it is not necessary to demolish the school, but to incorporate it into the development, perhaps extend it and add further housing. The council does not appear to have adequately assessed the application and its accompanying heritage report (and other reports) which according to experts is lacking analysis and contains unsubstantiated claims. For example: that the school was built by architects whose other works are not listed - untrue; they designed St James Cross Road Church at Keighley (Grade 2 listed) as well as the internal arrangements for Keighley town hall (also grade 2 listed). The also listed 12 questions which are part of 2012 guidance by English heritage for assessing such buildings whether or not designated or in a conservation area. They then WITHOUT answering a single one of these questions, concluded that the building was of low heritage value.
See our facebook campaign page at https://www.facebook.com/saveeccleshillhuttonschool?ref=aymt_homepage_panel for more information on this superb heritage asset which is at the heart of Eccleshill village and could be converted to ensure its continued enjoyement as provate dwellings. It is not derelict (another false claim by the developer's agent recently) despite the application itself saying it was in good order. So many contradictions! Please help save this valued heritage asset by signing now. Thanks so much
We, the undersigned, believe that Eccleshill's Central Board School (later named Hutton School) should be saved from demolition and either incorporated into a housing development OR saved for community use or as a school - much needed given there is an abundance of houses being built in the area and already too few school places. We value the building locally and as a national reminder of the history of the development of education in this countyry following Forster's 'Elementary Education Act', noting that Eccleshill was the first of Bradford's outer townships to have elected a School Board. There were three schools built by the School Board; Greengates, Wellngton and Eccleshill's Central Board School. Wellington has been destroyed already and half of Hutton was demolished (the detached Infants School) in 2004. If this is demolished only Greengates will remain. Please halt and reconsider the decision and save one of Eccleshill's most valuable historic buildings.
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