The sale of former independent boarding school, St Mary’s, near Shaftesbury, has been completed by Savills Wimborne development team.
The former school, which closed in July, was offered for sale by BDO and bought by Dorset Council for £10,050,000.
St Mary’s occupies secluded grounds of 55 acres, in an elevated position. The main building was constructed in the late 19th Century as a private house in a Jacobean architectural style by Mark Beaufoy. It was run as a hotel for a short time in the 1920s before being used by the US air force and American Red Cross in the Second World War. It was then adapted for use as a convent and more recently as a school. There is a total of 160,000 sq ft of buildings, which includes teaching and boarding accommodation, a chapel, playing fields, sports pitches, a swimming pool, gymnasium and woodland.
Stuart Jones of Savills, on behalf of BDO, said: “2020 was a challenging year for the private school sector and a number came to the market having been unable to continue trading. St Mary’s Shaftesbury is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious schools to become available in this way, and we are pleased it will become a community asset.”
Commenting on the sale, Simon Girling, joint administrator to St Mary’s School Shaftesbury, said: “We’re delighted to have secured the sale of this heritage building to Dorset Council. In doing so it has not only ensured the best outcome for the creditors of St Mary’s Shaftesbury School Trust, but also that the facility remains in community use.”
Cllr Spencer Flower Leader of Dorset Council, said: “This is a significant investment and I am pleased that we have been able to secure it for the benefit of our community. We are always looking at ways of improving the delivery of services and this successful purchase will help us achieve that.
“We are very ambitious for the site. St Mary’s School comprises 165,000 sq ft of accommodation set within grounds of 55 acres. It is suitable for a broad range of services and community uses, which could include provision for Dorset children, supported living for our Dorset care leavers, provision for adults with disabilities, as well as a possible site for businesses to boost our local economy and more besides. We are committed to working with local people and stakeholder groups to get the mix of activity right so together we can achieve great things for this site and our community.
“I realise people are asking how can we afford it, but this is a clear example of investing to save in the longer term. I don’t want to pre-empt any decisions about the site, as we want to work with local people and groups first, but I can say that building a facility like this from scratch would cost considerably more. This is a unique opportunity and a very exciting chance to create something new that will greatly benefit our community.”