Seacroft Grange School

Scotteh2k8 · Post by **Scotteh2k8** » Thu 28 Feb, 2008 2:36 pm

Does anyone have anny information or pictures of the old rotting Seacroft Grange School at the Seacroft Village Green?I live not too far from it myself but was wondering if you guys had images from how it used to look both inside and out. I know my mum and dad used to hang out around there years ago and used to listen for strange noises as people always said it is haunted. To be honest it wouldn't surprise me, much of the village green is known for its spookies!*** I have looked at images on the Leodis website, but I want newer images if preferable, more to the point, your photos lol ***So yeah, info and pictures would be great please

ReddaDrops · Post by **ReddaDrops** » Wed 16 Apr, 2008 11:01 am

it was open till mid 90's, if im correct, as a army cadet base, royal logistics seacroft, which later moved down to east leeds family learning unit/centre or fox wood as i still call it...been in many a time, stair case was rotten, celler stairs in disrepaid, top level had no flooring apart from the beams etc etc i have pics, but wont post them as i gained access by means of unorthodox methods

Post by **chameleon** » Wed 16 Apr, 2008 9:21 pm

Scotteh2k8 wrote: Does anyone have anny information or pictures of the old rotting Seacroft Grange School at the Seacroft Village Green?I live not too far from it myself but was wondering if you guys had images from how it used to look both inside and out. I know my mum and dad used to hang out around there years ago and used to listen for strange noises as people always said it is haunted. To be honest it wouldn't surprise me, much of the village green is known for its spookies!*** I have looked at images on the Leodis website, but I want newer images if preferable, more to the point, your photos lol ***So yeah, info and pictures would be great please There is another thread which includes the Grange from some time ago Scotteh, though I agree, recent pics are rare.The state of this once magnicient building (Grade II listed) is a topic of some hot debate locally with the local councillors and MP involved.Originally, refurbishment and the bringing back into use of The Grange was incorporated in the contract with Asda St James for the new Seacroft Centre. By some means or other, it appears they managed to avoid this.Without boring everyone with a very long story, all attempts to bring about it's return have failed, not least on grounds of 'financial viability'.I was last in there during the early 80's and the place was clearly turned crudely into 'office space'. The staircase was in good order then (It originated in Austhorpe Hall) and we have been assured that this was safely removed into storage before the building suffered from the theft of its stone roof. Sadly, I'm inclined to believe your description of it.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Thu 17 Apr, 2008 9:46 pm

chameleon wrote: There is another thread which includes the Grange from some time ago Scotteh, though I agree, recent pics are rare.The state of this once magnicient building (Grade II listed) is a topic of some hot debate locally with the local councillors and MP involved.Originally, refurbishment and the bringing back into use of The Grange was incorporated in the contract with Asda St James for the new Seacroft Centre. By some means or other, it appears they managed to avoid this.Without boring everyone with a very long story, all attempts to bring about it's return have failed, not least on grounds of 'financial viability'.I was last in there during the early 80's and the place was clearly turned crudely into 'office space'. The staircase was in good order then (It originated in Austhorpe Hall) and we have been assured that this was safely removed into storage before the building suffered from the theft of its stone roof. Sadly, I'm inclined to believe your description of it. I clearly remember that being reported at the time the redevelopment of the Seacroft Centre area was announced and it is also noted on the Queensview residents website, yet if you ask the planning department they deny it.It wouldn't surprise me if it was promised and then renaged on. The council legal department is sadly lacking when it deals with the big boys these corporate types employ. (As an example quite close to there, the Swarcliffe esate PFI refurbishment included lots of new parking places with room for all. These haven't materialised and when challenged the contractors just said they were "proposed" parking places and they had changed their minds about providing them. The contract was checked and guess what? They are under no obligation to provide them and parking is now worse than before the works started...)I sadly feel that the Grange is now deliberately being allow to decline until demolition is the only solution. Then we can have some nice new apartments on the site.

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 17 Apr, 2008 10:07 pm

The Council don't denie Davey but they have indicated that the contract was 'weak' and they have not been able to enforce it.They have been at pains to let it be known that whilst it is the case that even though a building is listed, this does not confer an obligation to maintain it - that i left to the moral servitude of the rrsponsible party....We are also told that it now on the 'At risk register' though I thought this was only appied to Gradw I listings.Mrs Chameleon is the Oracle on this one and regularly fires off a salvo in the direction of any poor sole who might have an input!It seems that efforts have been made to d something rather than nothing, by encouraging a developer to take on the property providing, yup, flats and additional housing on the site, doubtless ruining the very ethos of the place.This has fallen through and whilst we may rejoice it was at a very high price and personal tragedy for the developer's family.I might just get my wife to post a few bits about her endeavours if the interest is there - perhaps something else where the pressure of numbers is taken note of.

Local Gal · Post by **Local Gal** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 11:13 am

Having been born and brought up in Seacroft and now having a home just near The Green it pulls at my heart everytime I pass the Grange and the way it has been left to decay. I was fortunate enough to know the building well as it was my school form 1964 to 1970. The infant class was in the main building in what would of been at one time quite a grand front room overlooking the green and church. It had a wonderful fireplace and wooden floors and as childeren we wouild sit in front of the open fire on winters days while the teacher would read to us.Trying to recall the interior floor plan of the building.We used to go in through the side entrance which I assume at one time would have been the main entrance to the house. This opened into quite a large area where we used to hang our coats with if I remember rightly had a stone floor. Again I assume this would have been the main entrance Hall to the house. this led onto a corridor and if you went to the right this led to a reasonably sized room which was occupied by the Headmaster. Almost level from the entrance hall was a room occupied by the Caretaker with a open fire and a stove where the smell of freshly brewing coffee was always there. To the left of the corridor was 3 large rooms. The main room was the infants class - that is the room with the large windows that overlook the green and described above. Through an ajoining door led to another more basic but reasonable sized room which was used as a play room/tv room. I cannot recall a fire place in there. The third room was again a large room with open fire which was used by the teachers at break and lunch times.From there led onto the most wonderful wooden staircase (which I believe the council have removed for safe keeping afraid that it may get stolen - lets hope they know where they have put it and hope that one day it gets returned)My recollection of the upstairs was that there was one room which led from half way up the stairs which was used as the infant dining room and then when you got to the top of the stairs this led to a large room again overlooking the green and a alcove into another room - these being the dining rooms for juniors. I assume at one time this would have been two seperate rooms.There was another smaller staircase near the Headmasters office which led up to other smaller rooms. I recall even as a child that the space in this area felt limited and I presume that in the hey day that these may have been occupied by servants.The outer buildings that were originally stables were converted into the toilet block.The grounds in the 60's still had a feel of a garden. Two wooden buildings were built for the junior school but each class had a garden allotment between these two blocks, Down the side of the building facing onto York Road was a lot of mature trees including a wonderful Monkey Puzzle and on the other side of the building towards the shopping centre was again plentiful mature trees and a lot of open space of grass to play.I too have searched for pictures of the interior of the Grange over the years and not found anything as yet........... surely somewhere there must be something about this wonderful old building.I know there are plenty of people urging something to happen with this wonderful place which is such an important part of the structure of the Green. The owners definately need to do something.If it is never going to be a commercially viable for them maybe they should find a charitable trust to give the building to along with a sum of money for them to return the building to its former glory and to afford the upkeep of it.We cannot allow the Grange to fall into disrepair and be demolished like so much of Seacroft was in the 60's. Lose the Grange and you lose the heart of the village.

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 4:39 pm

We've talked about The Grange on a couple of threads - getting anything tangeable from the powers that be on the matter is a painful process I'm affraid, so feel free to add your two 'penneth to the Planning Dept and your local Councilors who tell us they are purrsuing matters....In the mean time, these are a few pics Philld posted for us a little while ago. I doubt you'll barely recognise the place.http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&ct=6 ... nge&m=text (Sorry, bad link, enter seacroft grange in the search box this brings up, that should do it!)

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 5:36 pm

It sometimes helps to include the URL in angle brackets greater than and less than < some url >

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 6:59 pm

tyke bhoy wrote: It sometimes helps to include the URL in angle brackets greater than and less than < some url > I copied a link I'd saved - wrongly thinking it would take you straight to the desired shots and hadn't realised (though I should have ) that it would go to our friend's whole stream!The shots are in there though

Phill_d · Post by **Phill_d** » Fri 01 Aug, 2008 8:52 pm

I've only got a few shots of the place. Simply because there's nothing left to photograph. What I did get is here.http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/page6/