Bulldozers have razed the last standing building of St Peter's Community School on Main Road in Gainford, between Darlington and Barnard Castle. The building on the A67 first opened in 1900 as St Peter's Roman Catholic Orphanage, where it housed orphaned boys up to the age of 13. Gainford Parish Council chairman Cllr Andrew Wilkinson, said: "The parish council and the community are pleased to see it go. During World War II, the school was used to house inmates evacuated from St Aidan's Approved School while the boys of St Peter's boarded at St Mary's home at Tudhoe. In 1973 the school changed its name to St Peter's Community School but eventually closed in 1984 due to lack of funding.

Source: The Times February 19, 2024 12:09 UTC