The building was originally built in 1854 as a school serving the Gifford area. The new Yester Primary School opened around 1967, replacing the Old Yester Primary School. The Council then leased this building out as a commercial property and it was used as a carpenter’s workshop until November 2008, when it became vacant. Old Yester School is a detached building, which enjoys countryside views to the front and a south facing yard to the rear. The building is of mainly stone construction with some brick walls and a slated roof. Internally the original school layout has been retained. There is an entrance area, four large rooms, a storage area, office and two WC.’s. Some of the rooms retain their original features with timber wall panelling, original fireplaces and timber panelled doors. There is good natural light in the building, however all of the windows are currently boarded up as the building is vacant. Old Yester School is currently in a poor state of repair and requires extensive refurbishment throughout. The storage area marked on the floor plan has no lighting and the wall linings have been removed with the bare brickwork exposed. There is pedestrian access to the building through a gate from Duns Road, leading to the entrance of the building with a path around to the rear. There is vehicular access from a lane adjacent to the building into the yard at the rear. The owners of the adjacent property, the School House, currently hold the vehicular rights of access across the yard area to access the rear of their property. However, over the past few months works have been undertaken to provide the School House with seperate private vehicular access. The outbuildings within the yard have been demolished and a new boundary wall is currently been built. On completion of these works the purchaser of the Old Yester School will have a private yard. These works should be completed by October 2012.
Location
Gifford
The historic village of Gifford is surrounded by beautiful East Lothian countryside close to the Lammermuir Hills. The village has local shops to cater for everyday requirements and there is a primary school, bowling club and two country pubs within the village. Three golf courses are located nearby. The market town of Haddington, approximately five miles away, provides a wider range of shops, a Tesco supermarket, a leisure centre and a secondary school. The village is approximately 22 miles southeast of Edinburgh. The excellent road network in and around Edinburgh makes the city centre and Edinburgh Airport easily reached by car in around 35 minutes. The new A1 expressway to Dunbar also provides easy access to the South. The town is served by a bus service to Haddington and there are train facilities at Drem and Longniddry Stations approximately 25 minutes away by car.
Old Yester School
Old Yester School is situated towards the eastern side of the village, on the corner of Duns Road - the B6355 and Walden Terrace. The building lies within the Gifford Conservation Area.
Accommodation
The accommodation at the former Old Yester School is as follows:
GEA 262 sqm (2,820 sq ft) GIA 222 sqm (2,390 sq ft) NIA 197 sqm (2,120 sq ft)
The yard to the rear is approx 206 sqm / 0.051 acres / 0.021 hectares.
Terms
Planning
Old Yester School currently has a Class 4 Business Use. The Planning Department have advised that they will, in principle, support a Class 4 or Class 6 use. However interested parties must satisfy themselves that their proposed use will be permitted. Preference may be given to offers not subject to planning consent. If after three months of advertising for the above uses, no buyer has been found, Planning may consider residential use for the property. In this instance the particulars will be amended and the offer price may be revised, a new set of particulars will then be issued.