Hundreds sign up for farewell tour of school set for demolition

Since it opened in 1961, Dumfries High School has seen thousands of pupils pass through its doors.

Many have gone on to great success, including a keen young musician called Adam Wiles who later became better known as superstar DJ Calvin Harris.

But now it is due to be demolished and replaced by a new school, staff are throwing open its doors to the public for a nostalgic farewell tour.

And although Harris is not expected to make the trip home for the event, 1,000 former pupils and staff have signed up to take one last walk along its corridors.

A new school is in construction behind the current one and pupils will move across later in the year.

However, the chance for former pupils, staff and anyone who wishes to say goodbye to the old building has proved more popular than expected.

Anyone attending will have a chance to wander through its hallways and also see a display with stories and images of the school and its students from down the ages.

There is a selection of year books with pictures of many of its past pupils, including young Calvin Harris.

Head teacher Phil Cubbon said they had been "absolutely overwhelmed" by the number of people who had booked tickets for the tour ahead of the move to the new site in May.

He said it was a chance to "say goodbye for one last time to the old building".

"Initially, we put groups of 50 tickets per tour, a number of tours spread across the day, 800 tickets in total, and, to our pleasant surprise, all 800 tickets disappeared within three days," he said.

"So what we've now done is offer another 200 tickets and they also disappeared fairly quickly.

"So, all in all, there's 1,000 people expected to come through our doors on Saturday to have a look around Dumfries High School for one last time."

He said everything was progressing well with the new school.

"We're delighted," he said.

"It's long overdue, but nonetheless we are very, very excited about our new building.

"We're really looking forward to getting into our new facility in May of this year."

After that, it will be the end of the road for the building opened to great fanfare in 1961.

It was described at the time as "having everything the modernist could wish for".

"It's going to be completely knocked down and the land that the building is on currently will be completely landscaped," said Cubbon.

"That will commence once we are safely into the new building and the demolition of the old building as such will start very quickly thereafter."

So Saturday is a last chance for many to visit the 65-year-old secondary before its school bell rings for the final time.