'Lovely' former primary school goes up for auction

A derelict former school is set to be auctioned off this month with a guide price of £350,000.

Upavon Primary School, near Pewsey in Wiltshire, opened in May 1957 and closed for good more than 50 years later in February 2009.

The 5,600 sq ft site, which includes playing fields and a car park, will go up for auction on 30 September.

Linda Ann Bessant, a former dinner lady at the school, said "it was lovely" and children from a nearby RAF base, as well as those in the village, used to attend the primary.

The auction is being handled by Nottingham-based BTG Eddisons Property Auctions.

Senior commercial surveyor Chris Theocharides said there was "substantial interest" and that the final sale could be "well above" the current £350,000 guide price.

He said the site could be used as a care facility or a residential development.

Carol Kington from Shrewton was a teaching assistant when the school closed. She said staff and students had a party to bid it farewell.

"All teachers and lunch staff were lovely," she said. "It was very sad seeing other schools come and pick what furniture they wanted."

Now, children in Upavon go to school in Rushall, which is 1.8 miles (2.8km) away.

"Why on earth they stopped using it and bussed them somewhere else, I'll never know," Bessant added.

The 82-year-old, whose children went to Upavon Primary, can see the tip of the school building, its chimney and its TV aerial from her living room.

She said she "doesn't really mind" if the building was converted into homes "because everybody needs a home".

RAF Upavon used to have a training school and the base was the administrative headquarters of the Royal Air Force.

But as the RAF station reduced operations in the area and ultimately closed in 1993, there was a decline in pupil numbers at the school.

In pictures released ahead of the auction, several pieces of furniture, such as chairs and toys, can be seen left behind.

David Bullock, director of assets at Wiltshire Council, said Upavon Primary closed "due to declining pupil numbers, with forecasts indicating that demand was unlikely to recover".

In 2021 the site was deemed "surplus" to operational requirements and it was decided to market the property for sale.

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