'A crumbling mini-Hogwarts right on our doorstep'

Tucked away down an unassuming residential street in Huddersfield, one building stands out among the 19th Century terraced houses and converted mills.

Although the Grade II listed site is considered by many a fine example of Victorian architecture, what immediately draws the eye is its current state of disrepair.

The imposing clocktower no longer tells the time, arched windows are boarded up, and the slanting roof is patched up with tarpaulin sheets.

The former Oakes School was recently named by The Victorian Society as one of the top 10 most endangered Victorian-era buildings in England and Wales.

"It was a magnificent building, it's a bit like a mini-Hogwarts - without the magic of course - but it's part of our heritage and we don't want to lose these things," says Andy Hirst, who attended the school as a child and still lives in the area.

"There's an overwhelming sense of sadness that it's got to this state and you can see it just getting worse with every passing year."

Thomas Olliver, conservation adviser for the Victorian Society, says: "Oakes School plays a part in our national story, as well as the regional story of Huddersfield.

"It's a substantial size, and is in quite a state at the moment, which is why we're worried about it."

Built in 1873, the site operated as a school for more than a century and represents "a real landmark moment in trying to open up education to everyone", according to Olliver.

After closing in 1974, it reopened as Wellington Court Residential Care Home, but has since been unused and is privately owned.

A spokesperson from Kirklees Council said the authority had been in contact with the owner over recent months.

"This has focused on the implementation of temporary works to ensure the building remains safe, secure, and protected from further deterioration," they said.

"The effectiveness of these works is being monitored, and we remain in ongoing dialogue with the owner."

Surrounded by flats, homes and local businesses, what do residents think should be done to revive this once-impressive Victorian building?

Hirst, a freelance journalist at the Huddersfield Hub, says: "There's a lot of buildings around here that have been renovated and have been saved but, unfortunately, this one has just gone to rack and ruin."

The building needs to be redeveloped - possibly as residential apartments - to ensure its future, he suggests.

"There's a lot of space and a lot of possibilities and it is in a prime area. It really needs to be preserved and turned into something viable."

Kieran Slevin can see the former school from his front doorstep, although he says he's grown accustomed to its current appearance.

"You don't notice it most of the time, but something could be done with it," he says.

"It is a big space and I suppose it was a nice building.

"If I ever wanted to sell my house, it certainly would be better if it wasn't in that state because it wouldn't appeal to everyone."

Becoming flats or a mix of commercial and residential units "could work", he adds, pointing out nearby Wellington Mills as a successful example of a repurposed heritage building.

Geoff Hughes, regional committee member for the Victorian Society, was among those who first suggested the former school should be classed as endangered.

"I've lived near this lovely listed building for 30-odd years and I've just been watching it get ever-more decayed," he explains.

"The building itself could be converted to flats and in the big school yard why not build sympathetic new houses as well?

"People want to live in areas like this with all [the] facilities, rather than stuck out in new estates out in the countryside."

Walking her dog past the site, resident Patricia Patson also has a surprising connection to the former school - her husband was a pupil there.

"I think it's wrong being like this, doing nothing," she says.

"They could make it so nice because it is a lovely place - you could imagine some beautiful windows up there."

Her suggestion would be to turn it into accommodation for people experiencing homelessness - but she would really only object if it became a shopping centre, she adds.

Many buildings that have featured on The Victorian Society endangered list have gone on to find a new lease of life, according to Olliver.

He points to Manningham Baths in Bradford, which was selected in 2011 and is now a fitness centre, and Grade II listed Red Barns in Redcar, which was bought and transformed into a guesthouse.

"Huddersfield has remarkable listed buildings and huge civic pride - every year we get buildings in and around Huddersfield [nominated] by the local community," he says.

"These buildings are solid - they're not going anywhere unless something disastrous happens and why waste the opportunity to reuse them?"

Hirst says he hopes the renewed attention will help to preserve the former school for many years to come.

"This has been forgotten, hidden away. People just walk past it and look at it with sadness," he adds.

"But now, it's in the public spotlight again. When people look at it now, they won't just see it as Oakes Junior School, they will see it as a really endangered building.

"It deserves to be on that list - no doubt about it."

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