The Old Grammar School, Richmond

Who owns the Old Grammar School (also known as Richmond Lower School)? 

The Old Grammar School, its grounds and the caretaker’s bungalow on site are owned by North Yorkshire Council. 

When did the Old Grammar School stop being used as a school? 

Built in the mid-19th century, the Old Grammar School which was subsequently Richmond Lower School closed in July 2011. Richmondshire District Council used the buildings briefly during refurbishment of the neighbouring 1960s council offices (Mercury House). However, it has not been in use since around 2013, and the building has stood empty.  

Why are you doing another consultation about the Old Grammar School? 

Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust (RBPT), alongside other community groups and volunteers, worked tirelessly for a number of years in the 2010s to tailor a regeneration strategy and fundraise for the project. Unfortunately, a final Heritage Lottery Fund bid was unsuccessful, and the project came to an abrupt end in June 2019. RBPT is now leading Operation Regeneration. We are building on the extensive research from the previous project. However as that was now over five years ago, we feel it is extremely important to re-engage with residents and visitors, to gauge what people would like to see in the Old Grammar School in 2024. 

What is different this time? Why do you think this attempt will be successful? 

The last attempt to regenerate the Old Grammar School relied on a large grant from one key funder. Ultimately, when this grant was not received, the project could not be financed and ended. This attempt will mitigate that risk by seeking funding from a range of sources, for much smaller values i.e. if one funder were to then pull out, the overall project would not be in jeopardy. We have support from North Yorkshire Council for our feasibility studies, with seed funding received through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Programme. We are partnering with the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) at Newcastle University to support us in community consultations. All of this, in addition to the extensive work up to 2019, will help set this attempt up for success. 

What is the consultation process this time? 

In July and August 2024, views of Richmond residents and visitors will be collected via an online survey and a range of drop-ins in the local area. Find out more here: www.nicre.co.uk/TOGSrichmond. The online survey will close on 1 September 2024.  

Following this, in September, there will be a series of in-person workshops with young people, community members and businesses. If you are part of a community organisation or group, or have a business in the area, please contact nicre@newcastle.ac.uk to sign up to take part in an event. These events will help to refine the options for the site. 

In October and November, the findings of the community consultation will be analysed by NICRE for use by RBPT as part of a broader feasibility study of the building. RBPT will then begin detailed business and project planning, including the preparation of funding strategies, for presentation to North Yorkshire Council at year-end. The aim is for RBPT to acquire and regenerate the site, with North Yorkshire Council’s support.  

I am not from Richmond, can I still take part 

Yes, we welcome ideas from local residents and from visitors to the area. If you have any suggestions for how the Old Grammar School building and grounds could be used, or if there is anything that Richmond and its surroundings are missing that could be housed in the Old Grammar School, please complete our survey or visit us at one of our drop-ins. All details can be found here: www.nicre.co.uk/TOGSrichmond 

I’ve done the survey – how will I find out what happens next? 

The Operation Regeneration webpage (www.nicre.co.uk/TOGSrichmond) will be kept updated throughout the project with details of upcoming events and consultation activities. You can also like or follow our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TOGSrichmond) to receive updates.    

If you have completed the online survey and given your contact details, we will send you occasional emails about key developments. You can also talk to us in person at our drop-in events or email us direct at nicre@newcastle.ac.uk.    

Will you be having an open day at the school so we can see the site ourselves? 

The condition of the building means we’re not able to open it up to the public for safety reasons. We are exploring the possibility of holding some consultation activities in the grounds later this summer. We will add details to our webpage if this is approved.  

What happened to the money raised for the last attempt to regenerate the site? 

RBPT returned donations where possible, unless the donors wished for the money to be retained by the charity. If donations could not be tracked back to the donors (e.g. because they were in cash and not identifiable) they were also retained. All retained donations raised during the last project have been held as restricted funds, in RBPT’s New Project Fund. This ringfenced these donations solely for the development of new projects and meant they could not be used to finance RBPT’s flagship heritage asset, The Station, or any other activities of the charity. As we kickstart work about the Old Grammar School again, we will be drawing from the New Projects Fund and utilising the retained donations accordingly.  

What has happened to the special pieces of furniture that were in the Old Grammar School?

The main artefacts from the Old Grammar School were transferred to Richmond School and Sixth Form College. This included pieces of 'Mouse man' furniture.  The Charles L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) tabletop - an old refectory tabletop with his name carved into it - is on display there.