The former Church Hill School building in Kimberley could be converted into three new homes after plans were submitted to Broxtowe Borough Council in December 2025 by Gray House Developments.
The school was built in 1876 by the Midland Railway Company as an elementary school to serve the growing Victorian population, according to the plans.
It originally served as a mixed school but later switched to the all-boys Kimberley County Junior Boys School before it closed in 1982. After the school closed, the building was used as an extension of Broxtowe College.
Under the proposals, the school building would be converted into one four-bedroom home and two three-bedroom homes.
The developer says it plans to “minimise” changes to the building, with external alterations limited to retaining its “historic form”, and that the “significant” internal features will be retained or repaired, including the roof trusses.
Chairman of the Kimberley (Chinemarelian) Historical Society, Roy Plumb, 85, attended the school when he was seven years old in 1947 – and he welcomed his old school being used for new homes, saying “it’s a shame to see the building not properly used”.
He said: “To convert it into three houses, if it’s not going to alter the external appearance, it’s a good use of it – it’s better than pulling it down.”
Mr Plumb said the former school site had a break-in “some years ago”, where the boundary wall has been knocked down ever since, adding: “It does need some work done to it.”
Broxtowe Borough councillor Andy Cooper (Lab) represents Kimberley on the authority and has lived in the area for 40 years.
He said the building has “been an eyesore for some years”, adding: “It’s untidy and it’s looked derelict for quite some time, so if someone’s planning on turning it into homes then it’s going to be a good thing.
“If they don’t change much of its appearance outside, I’d be happy with that. There are quite a few [development] changes down Gilt Hill that are completely out of character.”
Fellow Kimberley councillor Will Mee (Lab) added: “It could do with a renovation. It’s important to maintain the history of the old school but bring it into the modern day.”
When Mr Plumb started school there in 1947, the school was gas-lit, and it was “heated by open fires – two stoves in two of the classrooms and open fires in the other two”.
Recounting his days there, he said: “If you wanted to go and play football, you had to learn your times tables – I didn’t particularly want to play football, but I did learn my times tables.
“I remember where the ground was; nobody maintained the ground, so people would have to bring shears to cut the grass.
“It was an enjoyable time… as lads we were all into train spotting. You could see the railways from the school, so we’d do a bit of train spotting, and in the playground we used to play marbles, cigarette cards, the games of the day.”
According to the council’s planning portal, the proposals are set to go to consultation on 27 January, after which the authority will decide on them at a later stage.
