Most won't know about the relatively major changes that have taken place the educational establishments on Bute over the past few years, when the existing primary and secondary centres fo education were closed, and a new campus created to cater for both, in shiny new modern facilities.

This has left the original building abandoned and derelict pending redevelopment.

As always, all images are credit to Zak.

The academy pics are at the top of the Derelict Buildings Gallery at the moment, but will of course work their way down the page as more are added in future.

This was the one that caught my eye this morning, being a classic World War II item, as used by schools, and still standing for the moment:



A sad picture of 1938



Given its location on the Isle of Bute, and with the model of the mainland as an example, there's little likelihood of any use ever being found for an abandoned school, so this will inevitably be razed.

The cost of redevelopment with the fascia being retained is remote, given the cost when compared to demolition and new build on the land, which is owned, as usual, by Fyne Homes.

Spamhead housing is a well known bugbear of mine, but I'd like to know in this economic climate that we're in just now why companies can justify building yet more houses that they can't sell.  Especially when it was on the news the other day how little council or housing association properties are available.

It is a wonder any of it survives.  I understand that the residents of Rothesay have not been averse to torching the odd school.

Although there was one "event" (which we won the story of - but can't use) the fact that it's on an island makes it relatively safe.

Most reportable crimes are solved, and serious incidents bring in mainland resources, and they even have CCTV.

And certain types just ignore them and carry on regardless, and then look up in surprise when a police officer knocks on the window of their car to arrest them, and point out the camera they have been "working" below.

There was one "event"in the 1950s and I am sure another in the 70s/80s?

The original Gothic academy building was damaged by fire and lost in 1954, to be replaced by the modern 1960's building which can still be seen, although it too now lies empty.

Although I can't currently access the private Bute records I have been given, I'm struggling to think of anything from the 1970s or 1980s - but that may have been too recent for the folk that were passing the info to me to consider relevant, as it was a few years ago. I may even have it, but the info came in completely at random, so I couldn't really build up a sense of timescale, and organise the tales in order, since thye contained mixtures.

If there is a specific event or story referred to here. I'd like to know about it. (or should that be "reminded" for the dimbot here ? ).

I don't think it was anything major but I seem to remember it as an item on the BBC Scotland news some years ago..Maybe I am mistaken.

My info's been "locked away" for a while now - I really should organise a new server so I can access it. Without reminders, the old memory's not being refreshed.

There have been some gems; you probably know some of Glasgow's most notorious have family on the island; there have been raids involving the police helicopter to secure persons there (not the same people I hasten to add); assaults and vandalism are not uncommon (but the whole coast suffers from this); and there are strange things happening.

For example, one resident got a letter telling them to get out of their house, as someone else had used a little know legal option to claim the house as theirs, and served notice to quit the property. I don't know how this one concluded - the claim was apparently legit under the law, but I don't know how the story ended, either I missed it, or it just died away if the resident - assisted by friends and neighbours etc - saw off the claimant. In any event, because it was a legit claim, I always keep it at the back of my mind for future reference.

Oh, that reminds me, the Rothesay pier building was completely destroyed by fire in 1962 - to early for your thoughts though, so still thinking (your recollections aren't usually too far of the mark).

Whats with the sudden spat of new school buildings in Scotland anyway, a lot of the ones that are being demolished aren't even that old.  I originally came from Irvine and attended Greenwood Academy, this place was built in 1973 and is now demolished and a new school in its place.  Now I remember hearing that Greenwood was originally built to take far more pupils than it needed, but this is not a sole reason to demolish it.  Irvine area was served by three Comprehensive schools, Greenwood, Ravenspark and Irvine Royal.  Irvine Royal was split into two buildings, the older one was sold and divided into flats and the newer one levelled.  The pupil count that went there was divided between Greenwood and Ravenspark (now renamed Irvine Royal Academy to make things clear).

Where I live in Ayr, Belmont Academy was recently also levelled and replaced with a new building, again it wasn't that old.

For comparison, Zak's provided a couple of new shots:

From afar:-



And a bit closer:-

Although this thread opened only on the academy building, it's been expanded to include Bute on a wider basis, as the island is home to a surprising number of dead and dying building, and not all necessarily old, or all that old.

Zak's been on the wander again, and there's a fairly shocking addition to the housewrecks gallery for Derelict Building of September 12:

A sample from the the five pics on offer - must have been some place in its day...

It seems to be fairly general, in Fort William there is the Grand Hotel at the end of the High Street which is quite a distinguished 1930s building.  But it is next to the plot where MacTavish's was lost in a fire so been empty for a couple of years.  There is talk of building a hotel and shops on the site though has happened so far which suggests to me that companies have only "expressed interest" rather than fully commit themselves.  The planners talk of prestige buildings but the replacement will probably be the "Tesco Towers "school of architecture and look like any other block of shops, Travelodge etc anywhere else in the country.  Any decent architecture should be able to retain the external features of the present building but it is much easier to get a bog-standard design and tweak to fit the site.  This seems to happen in lots of places.  Architects seem to watch to build some big very expensive (usually hideously looking) building that will get awards from fellow architects or just knock up yet another unimpressive building.

PS It is quite funny if you Google "Grand Hotel Fort William", there are lots of hotel booking websites that will offer to book you there and get good deals even though it has now been closed for about two or three years)

A few more pictures of the dereliction at the former Rothesay Academy have just been added to the collection, and can be found starting with:

121129815 photo - Zak photos at pbase.com