KCC sells off former school

By TERRY SUTTON

DOVER'S school of art in Maison Dieu Road is up for sale as the county council, through South Kent College, tries to recoup money spent on the town's Discovery Centre.

Over the years, the site at the corner of The Paddock, and premises on it, has been used for educational purposes by generations of boys and girls. It is no longer in use.

The agents, Smith-Woolley and Perry of Folkestone, say £450,000 would be acceptable for the property.

"Outline planning permission for conversion to residential use has been granted," said the agents this week.

The two floors of classrooms, some overlooking the Maison Dieu car park, have space for parking. Part demolition of the property is a possibility.

Its last use was as an art and design centre, but at the end of the 1939-45 war, as children returned to Dover from evacuation in Wales, the building was one of three in the town taken over by boys from Dover Grammar School.

They were forced there, and in the old technical college in Ladywell and a house in Godwyne Road, because the WRNS (the navy girls) were still in occupation of their school at Astor Avenue.

The former technical college in Ladywell has already been sold by the education authorities and is being converted into flats.

At one stage, students from Dover County (later Grammar) School for Girls were based at what became the school of art before they moved to their present premises in Frith Road, vacated by the Dover County School for Boys when they moved to brand new premises on the hill at Astor Avenue.

KCC is still trying to sell Westmount in Folkestone Road, another centre of education, now that too is empty with the adult education students moved to the Dover Discovery Centre.