A HISTORIC building that ran as a school for more than two centuries is up for sale for the first time in 70 years.
The Old Grammar School, in Skipton Road, Ilkley has been brought to the market by property company FSS, which is based in Harrogate.
The guide price for the premises is £200,000.
The Old Grammar School, in Skipton Road, Ilkley (Image: FSS)
It is a Grade II listed building and was first given that marker by Historic England on July 18, 1949.
It means the building has extra legal protections within the planning system and any owner would need to apply for Listing Building Consent for most types of work that affect the "special architectural or historic interest" of it, according to Historic England.
FSS said: "This is the first time to the market in 70 years!
"A rare opportunity to acquire The Old Grammar School in the spa town of Ilkley, West Yorkshire."
The Old Grammar School first opened in 1637 and ran as an education setting until 1872, when a new Grammar School was touted in Cowpasture Road.
That still stands today as Ilkley Grammar School and has a sixth form provision, with 2,085 students at the time of its last Ofsted inspection in January 2023.
The building in Skipton Road has been a chapel, shoemaker, and antique shop in the past.
It was used as an office most recently.
The property is one storey and largely open plan, and has retained all of its period features, such as its central doorway with chamfered stone jambs, a Tudor arch, and four-light stone mullion windows on each side of the doorway.
It also has a fitted stove, which sits within the recessed fireplace, and is built out of coursed rubble stone, with a stone slate roof.
FSS said it would make "an ideal retail unit, office or, subject to the relevant approvals, a residential/AirBnB opportunity."
The building also features a blue plaque to commemorate its history.
Historic England runs an official scheme for significant locations in London, which was first expanded nationally at the start of this year when a plaque was installed in Ilkley in memory of Daphne Steel, the first black matron in the NHS.
But areas across the country have been running their own plaque schemes for decades, including Ilkley Civic Society, with the aim of celebrating "the history of Ilkley and the buildings that have shaped the town".
The blue plaque on The Old Grammar School was erected in December 2005.
It reads: "Fourteen townsmen contributed to the cost of this building, opened in 1637.
"The school continued here until 1872.
"A new Grammar School building opened on Cowpasture Road in 1893."
The property is listed as a freehold and is available to purchase with vacant possession of completion.
LSS said its Uniform Business Rate is 0.546 for 2024/25 and small business rate relief may be available to some occupiers through Bradford Council.
If you would like to view the property, you should contact FSS on: 01423 501211.
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