Chesterfield and District Civic Society hope that the ‘sorry’ saga over the sale of Hurst House, Abercrombie Street, Chesterfield, might now be nearing closure, with the announcement of its sale by auction on 26 September. The Grade II listed building, latterly used as an adult education centre, has been empty since 2014.
The property has been part of a wrangle involving the Chesterfield Schools Foundation charity, who owned the property, and transfer of that charity’s assets into a county-wide Foundation Derbyshire charity. The society has been concerned for some time over what it sees as a failure to resolve the charity transfer and various other issues including the sale of Hurst House. The county council have been trustees of the Chesterfield Schools Foundation charity since 1991.
Says society chair Howard Borrell; ‘The listing of Hurst House for sale by auction on 26 September has long been awaited by the society. We are hopeful that it will be sold to someone who will be able to sympathetically restore the property and not neglect it as the county council has done over the last ten years. It is well-known that local residents have also been concerned over the state of the property for some time. We are hopeful that a successful sale will mark a new chapter in the property’s history.’
The house dates from the 1840s and was originally built as a private residence. It was occupied by Chesterfield Grammar School from 1928 until 1967. By September 1964 adult classes organised in Chesterfield by the Sheffield University Extramural Department and the Chesterfield Branch of the Workers’ Education Association were held there. The WEA continued until 2014.
It was owned by the successor charity to the grammar school. The wall surrounding the house alongside the gates and gate-piers to Abercrombie Street are also listed grade II.
The house has been listed by SDL Property Auctions as for sale by auction on 26th September 2024, with a guide price of £375,000.
You can access a Derbyshire Times article on this issue here.