Residents of a ‘forgotten town’ in County Durham have been reacting as Stanley Board School, a 19th century building which has fallen into a state of disrepair, is set to be demolished. The Victorian building on Front Street was fenced off by Karbon Homes in autumn, after severe weather made the roof unsafe, and a structural engineer has now found that there are ‘substantial defects.’
Having previously been owned by Durham County Council, it has been empty for many years and is now derelict. 2014 plans to create apartments did not come to fruition, and the idea of a new community centre was floated, but the findings of the structural engineer’s report mean that the former school could be gone within the year.
We visited Stanley earlier in the month, after it was described as one of the ugliest towns in Britain, and on that day, people mentioned the school and how much of an eyesore it is. So, we decided to return to Stanley, to see how people would feel about the situation now that this announcement has been made.
(Image: Chronicle Live)
On Front Street, Richard Gray runs Denmark Foods, a fishmonger market stall, and he has previously been vocal about the need for something to be done about the old school building. He said: “That building is an eyesore and I am glad that something is happening and it is being demolished.
“I would love to see it be replaced by some form of residential buildings on Front Street, as this will bring more people to the market and the other businesses. Stanley needs some love and attention, and we need to try and get more people into the town centre.
“There is definitely potential there for more change, but too many things have been left empty over a decade, so I don’t know if things are too far gone at this point.”
(Image: Chronicle Live)
Betty Williams, 88, has lived in Stanley for 50 years, and she said: “I remember when it was a school, and then it became a council building, and I have seen the state that it has been left in since then. It is an eye sore and I’m interested to see what it gets made into when it’s knocked down in April.
“They’ll make it into flats, but I think it would be better a community centre, as I used to teach yoga and Tai Chi in the area, and I think there could be more for elderly people here too. We need something to keep busy here, and to stop young people from causing trouble on the streets.”
Another resident, who preferred not to be named, had this to say: “They had the chance to do something with the school as the building used to be lovely but is has now gone to ruin. I’ve been in Stanley for my entire life, and I really see it as a forgotten town.
(Image: Chronicle Live)
“I feel like Consett is prioritised massively, and anything that may be happening in Stanley seems to happen because it can’t fit into Consett. Ultimately, I can’t see much changing unless there is a huge amount of investment into the town centre.”
Finally, brothers Steve and Joe Allen, who were visiting Stanley from nearby Houghton-le-Spring, seemed sad that the building was going to no longer be there. Steve said: “I do think it’s a shame to lose a building with so much history, as that kind of architecture just isn’t a thing anymore.
“Every old building here is the same, it’s awful to let it become as bad of a situation as it is. The whole place is getting worse, and it could have been so much more, it has been left to go to pot.
(Image: Chronicle Live)
“A lot of people come to Stanley for the market and the shops, where you can get things for cheaper than anywhere else in the area. I feel like we definitely wouldn’t be coming to Stanley if it wasn’t for the market.”
So, despite the majority of people seeming to be pleased with the demolition of Stanley Board School, there is a hint of sadness at what could have been. It remains to be seen what will happen to the space that will pop up on Front Street as a result of this action, but Stanley’s residents are crying out for something which can breathe new life into a barren town.
Join our County Durham WhatsApp community
Join our County Durham WhatsApp community for all the latest news County Durham news sent direct to your phone.
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press ‘join community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/residents-county-durham-town-named-30620971
