Landmark Doncaster educational building boarded up after closing down

Workers have moved in to secure the The Mary Woollett Centre in Danum Road which was also known as the William Appleby Music Centre and Danum Grammar School for Girls during its lifetime.

Last year, union Unison announced City of Doncaster Council’s closure of the centre, with plans to move services within the building to the Holmescarr Centre in Rossington.

Last summer, a union spokesman said: “As the possible closure of the centre has been rumoured for some time, with the inevitable frustration and uncertainty that this has meant for staff based there, this confirmation has been expected.

“Many Unison members have expressed their concerns that moving their teams out of the MWC will impact on the work they do and the groups that they serve.”

In recent years, the building has served as the headquarters of the Doncaster Safeguarding Children’s Partnershi, the statutory multi-agency group with a responsibility for monitoring how local services are planned and delivered in order to ensure Doncaster’s children and young people are looked after properly, kept safe and protected from harm.

It served as a hub comprising a team of professionals and practitioners from various agencies working closely together to prevent, investigate and safeguard vulnerable adults and children who are at risk of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation.

In previous years, the William Appleby Music Centre was based at the building, which was formerly known as the Carr House Centre.

The site was originally Danum Girls Grammar School, and the Music Centre shared the building with Carr House Middle School until its closure in 1997. Following the establishment of the Doncaster Music Education Hub in 2012, the Music Service offices are now based in Bentley.

The Danum Grammar School for Boys and Danum Grammar School for Girls merged in 1970 to form the co-educational selective Danum Grammar School which was based on Armthorpe Road.

It is now called Outwood Danum Academy.

We have contacted City of Doncaster Council for more information about the closure.