1930s girls' grammar school to be sold at auction

A 1930s grammar school will be sold at auction later this month after the building fell out of use.

Danum Grammar School for Girls, in Doncaster, became a music education centre and eventually council offices after the school merged with others and moved to a new site.

The building on Danum Road was renamed the Mary Woollett Centre by Doncaster Council, who have now put the property on the market.

Auctioneers Mark Jenkinson have invited bids starting at £300,000 and described the site as "attractive and substantial".

There is parking for 250 cars and the old school was laid out around a quadrangle with a garden in the middle.

Its most recent use was as the headquarters of the Doncaster Safeguarding Children's Partnership, but the building has been empty since the council services were relocated to new offices in 2023.

Built in 1931, it was originally known as the Central School and was co-educational. A number of schools, including technical schools and secondary moderns, merged to form Danum Grammar School in 1970, and its pupils left Danum Road in the 1980s.

The council then used the classrooms for its music services and called the building the William Appleby Centre.

Appleby was a Doncaster music teacher who became a national figure in the 1940s when he took over as presenter of the BBC Schools programme Singing Together. He was one of the few radio broadcasters at the time who had a regional accent.

The music centre moved to a new hub in 2012.

The lot is being marketed as suitable for development, and is close to the city centre, Doncaster Racecourse and the M18.

Although the school is not listed, it has local protection. Interested parties have been advised to seek guidance from council planners before submitting a bid.

Auctioneer James Vandenbeek said: "We understand it has been assessed as being of Local Heritage Significance and as such, has a Local Heritage Register listing."

A sub-station on the site is subject to a lease term and ground rent until 2037.

The school is part of the auction house's online property and land sale on 17 July.

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