A 163-year-old school near New Deer has been put on the market for the first time in its history for £48,000. Cairnbanno School opened as a Madras school to educate rural children in 1862, but was more recently used as a community hall. After sitting empty for a number of years, Aberdeenshire Council has declared the Victorian building surplus to requirements.
The remote old school sits in rolling agricultural land at Cairnbanno, three miles to the west of New Deer in Buchan. Cairnbanno School retains many period features The council has suggested the school could be a conversion opportunity for someone with the vision to restore the building as a home, or perhaps a business. It is of traditional stone construction with roughcast render and a slate pitched roof.
Externally, it retains original features including timber sash and case windows. Inside, the school consists of entrance lobbies, a hallway, kitchen, two toilets, and two large halls, which were once schoolrooms. The interior remains virtually unchanged from Victorian times.
Many of its charming period fixtures and fittings remain, including suspended timber floorboards and substantial glass panelled doors. Like most schools of its era, Cairnbanno has half-height timber panelling, and lath and plaster walls throughout. The rooms have high ceilings and large windows, providing lots of natural light, while one of the halls still has an old cabinet on the wall.
Old school comes with former playground and outbuildings Ca.
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