Demolition job at old school

COMING DOWN . . . Demolition work begins at Byron Street School, Royton

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DEMOLITION work has started at an historic school building in Royton, seven years after it was closed.

Crews began dismantling Byron Street Infant School this week after planning permission to demolish the dilapidated and vandalised site was granted late last year.

The work is expected to take eight weeks to complete, with the site put on the market for housing once the building has been demolished.

Any items of historic significance at the site, including some of the stonework, will be preserved for use elsewhere in Oldham.

Byron Street opened in 1907 for juniors, infants and "babies" aged three to 14, with children as young as 10 attending at half-times ­- studying for half the day and working for the other half.

It became an infant school and merged with High Barn Junior School in 2008 to become Royton Hall Primary, which moved into a new building a year later.

Earlier plans to demolish the Byron Street were put on hold when a covenant requiring the council to maintain a building on the land came to light.

It was part of a 999-year lease from Sir Joseph Percival Radcliffe.

The covenant was removed after the council took on the freehold lease last year.