A DERELICT former school is up for sale in a Herefordshire village with a price tag approaching half a million pounds. 

Garway's old school, which has recently been the subject of a hard-fought battle in the courts, is on the market with agents John Goodwin with a guide price of £450,000.

Locals and SAVE Britain's Heritage had taken their fight against Herefordshire Council's decision to approve an application for prior notification of proposed demolition to the court of appeal, but were handed the news that they had been unsuccessful in their challenge in June.

The agents said the "unique detached stone property" comes with half an acre of land and approval for demolition, warning viewers to exercise "extreme caution" inside and outside the building due to its "overgrown and dilapidated condition".

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Designed in a decorative Gothic style by local architect E.H. Lingen Barker, the school was completed in 1877, and opened in 1878 with 50 schoolchildren.

Garway Old School was originally built as a board school, consisting of a schoolhouse with an adjoining residence for the headteacher.

Most board schools built at the time were concentrated in large cities where education provision was worse, which makes it a rare example for such a small, rural village, SAVE said.

A previous bid had been made to list the building, but Historic England ultimately decided this, despite emphasising the quality of the structure as being of high local historic and architectural interest.

The school has been closed for more than 40 years and was most recently used as an agricultural and commercial premises.

It has been empty and suffered vandalism since 2002. 

The agents said the property offers potential for residential development, subject to planning consent being obtained, either by conversion or demolition and redevelopment.

The site itself extends to around half an acre, the agents said, and includes the old school building, a workshop area, and a double garage.