New Dover School Opens Replacing Asbestos Fireproofed Building
by Connor Burke
A school in Dover, Kent has recently reopened following a new expansion after it was covered in asbestos, was crammed with too many pupils and began to slip down the hillside that it was built on 91 years ago.
The new facilities, built at a cost of £25.5 million had their formal opening in September after the construction which began in June 2020 was completed. This new set of buildings can take up to 900 pupils and include carpentry workshops, food technology rooms, elaborates, a sports hall and art rooms.
The chairman of the school governors, Les Craggs said at the opening how important these new buildings were “The builders told us that the old school was slipping down the chalk hillside. It would have taken huge amounts of money to underpin it to keep it still going.” Continuing he explained the faults of the previous school home “The classrooms were below the regulation size for a modern school and facilities were quite dangerous. The buildings were riddled with asbestos and there was decay.”
The previous facilities were opened in 1931 which was still a time were asbestos was used in construction for such things as fireproofing which is were it featured in this school.
The previous buildings are now expected to be demolished in November of 2023 and the features of the building that were important to the school such as their 1932 pipe organ, honour boards and stained glass windows have already been removed.
You can find out more details on the above stories in the following article:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/the-old-building-was-slipping-down-the-hillside-274001/
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