Lillesdon School for Girls - August 2012

Visited with Urbexfairy/UrbanX and Priority7. Apologies for turning up a bit late!

The school occupies what used to be the Lillesden Estate Mansion, built at the estate (south of Hawkhurst) in 1855 by the banker Edward Loyd, who moved there after marrying. The house and estate remained in the family until just after the First World War, when it was then sold and eventually became the Bedgebury Girls Public School. The school closed around 1999 and has been abandoned ever since. Was really looking forward to this explore but it seems I was a few years too late.

There is almost nothing left although the highlight for me was the staircase and mirrors. Lillesdon, like Sev's, is the sort of place you can visit just once and the feelings stay with you a long time after.

Really pleased I got to see this place before she's gone forever!

Sorry if some of these photos are over-edited, I think I edit to the point of just right rather than over the top.

brilliant pics

Superb pics, very atmospheric

Nice work Headflux here are a few of the ones I managed:























Good to catch up with you again Headflux and a fun explore with UrbanX. Its been around 18 months since I visited this as one of my first ever explores and I have to say the floors are beyond treacherous now so anyone heading there be really really careful if in doubt don't tread on the floor it is that bad.

Great shots both of ya! Here's me report!


Visited one scorching August morning. Priority 7 and myself were just off the boat from a European explore and in the area, so we invited Headflux and Urbexfairy down for a nice chilled splore. I’ve been wanting to do a proper visit to this place for ages now as I have a connection to the building…

During his seventy years (1820-1890), Col. Edward Loyd held numerous position of office, JP for Lancashire and Kent; High Sheriff of Kent, 1876; Lt Col. 1st Manchester Rifle Volunteers; Savings Bank Trustee; Secretary local Cricket Club; Member Royal Yacht Squadron, etc. Almost every charitable cause bears his name as a generous giver. His estate provided long-term employment, the spacious well maintained grounds being constantly placed at the disposal of village causes. He was primarily involved with building the Moor schools in 1863, costing £1,600.

Here’s Eddie, gotta love his beard:


Ed acquired the Elizabethan, timber–framed Lillesden mansion in 1852, demolished it to build the present Victorian, gothic-gabled house slightly to the south in 1855. No etching or painting of the earlier building is traceable and only the old well remains.



Used in both world wars by the military…..the main function of the house after the war was as a girl’s independent school
until 1998, when it returned to private ownership.

For many years the building and grounds were occupied by a girls school. Following the closure of the school in the 1990’s
the main building was converted to and used as a single house, during which many of the original features were lost or
damaged.

In the late 1990’s the building became surplus to requirements for the school and was sold to a private owner, and the building reverted to a single private dwelling.



Although some efforts were made to occupy the property in this both in terms of the scale of the rooms and presumably the cost of running this as a single family house. This resulted in some inappropriate conversion works and alterations to the fabric.

Then in early 2007, someone offered to buy the house, providing they could turn it into 14 flats. So someone put in the planning application for the conversion, and waited patiently with the cheque to buy the house in his other hand.



The planners went to committee, and everyone had their say, especially the local busybodies, and parish council. It was decided it would be inappropriate to convert it, and better to leave it to fall to ruin.





B&W stair:


This one is a weird piece, it’s really easy to see here shot through a wide angle, but when you’re up close to it: you just read it as dots.






Orangery:


The lobby was in mint condition at the time of possible purchase:


The stone at the head of the column now sits redundant on the rotting floor:









Time and gravity have been unkind, Chandelier:


Decorative plaster:


There was a strange smell coming from upstairs, couldn’t work out what it was though…


Rooflight:






Mickey:


Detailing under sill:


L above the door:


This was the condition of the stairs when someone went round to view the property:


And here they are now, (with the installation of a couple of urbexers)


Cheers for looking!

great pics guys ,,,love the inscriptions and lovely self portraits

I actually think, combined efforts, this is one of the best reports on Lillesdon I've seen..great history Lee and love the comparisons in the newer photos. Great shots also Martyn love the b/w one of the whole school.

good report loads to see

I hate seeing how bad this place has become...if anywhere needed an Urgent Works Notice served on it it's this place!

It's also not quite as simple a story as letting it fall to ruin - It turned out the guy who bought the place with the intention of converting it into 14 apartments would have bankrupted himself less than halfway through the works, and even the end result of 14 apartments wouldn't have been able to cover the costs of renovating the lot. There is a building surveyors report from around that time which makes horribly depressing reading, all the fireplaces were ripped out in totally the wrong fashion leaving them worthless for one thing.

I'm just surprised it's not had a 'mysterious fire' yet...

Awsome pics guys

Headflux said:

Visited with Urbexfairy/UrbanX and Priority7. Apologies for turning up a bit late!

Click to expand...

Really! Headflux turning up late? Never...

A whole hour and a half...apparently didnt realise how far it was from home to Kent Google Maps are your saviors

Nice to see you guys again, be gentle these are my first photos on here..

Lovely work chaps...

Ace shots there UF!

Although the pano didnt quite work as intended it does a good job of showing how bent out of shape the poor old girl is now love the shots fairy nice take completely different set too :thumbs:

OMG what a set of pics all ,really enjoyed lookin ,always strange to see the place as was too ,thanks, love to see diffrent peoples takes on places .

Fantastic work as always guys!

Looks like a great place! nice pictures!

i think this is now our halloween location after finding out : "I was at Lillesden in the 1950s. Love all the pictures that are now appearing on the web! Just a note on the history. It was Lillesden School immediately after the war; it was acquired by Bedgebury later. We always thought that it had been a boys’ school between the wars. The ghost of a boy who had died there was supposed to appear in the large mirror on Hallowe’en."

may or may not be true but intersting to see it for ourselves anyway

L x

Cracking photographs! Looks like a pretty cool place!