Report - Heaton Royds School - Bradford - March 2020

[LostPlacesForgottenFaces]

HEATON ROYDS SCHOOL
Shipley, Bradford, England
March 2020

Thought I'd pop a report up for this explore as I don't think there's been one yet on here, probably for good reason.

Sorry, I know the pics aren't the best.

HISTORY
Heaton Royds School was a primary school located between Bradford and Shipley. The school provisionally taught pupils aged 2 - 11, and at the time of closure its headteacher was Ms Mary Winter.
The school closed in March 2010 after being declared structurally unsound, and a disposal of the land was held up when the Government requested that the Council keep the site free as the possible location of a new school.
In 2013, the Telegraph & Argus reported that maintaining and securing the school building since its closure had cost the authority £28,000. The site was eventually sold to Inter City Money Limited for £461,000 at auction in September 2015, and in 2018, a planning application for 14 new homes was submitted. However, arson attacks in May 2018 and October 2018 caused unrepairable damage to the already vandalised school, and it has stood derelict ever since.
Residents living nearby say that since the school closed in 2010, the site has become a haven for wildlife including roe deer, foxes, owls, bats and birds.

EXPLORE
Not a whole lot to be said about this one. Hop over the gate and you're onto the grounds. The sunshine really affected the exterior pictures unfortunately, was getting some bad glare!
The site is well vandalised and clearly frequented by chavs so there are plenty of access points. The building has suffered from a decade of vandalism and decay, which is very evident throughout. It's well trashed, and sections are badly fire damaged. The old, eerie reception rooms where the sea themed murals are still clinging to the walls was probably the highlight of the explore.

Thanks for looking

 

[Five.Claws]

Ouch, there's low quality graffiti, and then there's that.

 

[Calamity Jane]

10 years closed and it looks like 30. What a death trap. But if its there to be explored we will always have a look. Good shots though

 

[OrchardLeaf]

It was a school for children with special educational needs at the time of closure, the councildecided to build a few larger schools to replace lots of smaller costly to maintain buildings like this.

Remnants of the site's former history as a firebrick works can still be seen - rusting old iron gates and overgrown driveway at the old entrance off Redburn Road. The course of the old tramway from the works to the fireclay mine to the west can just be made out in the trees in places (the entrance to the drift has long been buried).

Old buried shafts around the site from coal mining (up to early nineteenth century) which have caused some issues.

 

[Angelsfire83]

Such a shame that people found it nessecary to destroy such a lovely building. It looks like it may have once been a nice school. I dont understand why people destroy abandoned places

 

[xo3m1lyxo]

i went there yesterday and it was disgusting the way it was destroyed by people. when we went inside there was a group of teenage girls having some sort of party which meant we couldn’t explore part of the building.