National Trust sale of historic Derbyshire school building on hold
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Stainsby School, on the Hardwick estate, was due to go under the hammer at an auction on Thursday, October 14, but this has been put on hold by trust bosses.
A spokesperson said: “We have decided to delay our online auction of Stainsby School for a brief period whilst we attend to a title matter.
"The auction will continue as soon as this is completed.”
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Hide AdThe Victorian building had been been earmarked as the ‘last possible site’ for a community hub serving the rural area of Derbyshire and the move has come under fire from parish councillors and trustees of the Stainsby Festival.
Coun Tony Trafford, chair of the arts festival and a member of Ault Hucknall Parish Council, said: “The parish council was promised a long time ago by the National Trust that it would work in partnership to establish a community hub for the hamlets.
"The trust has done nothing for nine years, during which the building has deteriorated.
"Despite overtures from the parish council, nothing has happened and now we have discovered they are going to sell to the highest bidder.”
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Hide AdThe National Trust has defended its decision to sell the building, which it says ‘will enable us to continue to protect and preserve’ Hardwick Hall for ‘generations to come’.
Stainsby School is located on the Hardwick estate, which covers a mostly rural area of farmland and hamlets surrounding the 16th Century Elizabethan home of Bess of Hardwick.