MORE than 100 years of scholarly history came to an end this week with the demolition of an old school building.

Workers stripped tiles from the Arthur Pease School, in Trinity Road, Darlington.

The building is to be replaced by a block of 23 luxury apartments.

The school building demolition is the final phase in a development of 43 flats and 18 townhouses, called Scholars Park, by home builder Barratt.

It is planning to complete the luxury apartments by September.

The sale of the site raised about £2.5m for Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College towards the college's expansion plans.

The school has been used most recently as the college's drama centre.

It first opened in 1889 as a location for trainee teachers from the nearby Training College for Women, in Vane Terrace, to practise their skills.

It provided French classes and was described at the time as providing "a middle class education".

Following the First World War, the school was renamed as the Arthur Pease School and, in 1934, three open-air classrooms were added to the south side of the school.

Since 1965, the school has been an adjunct of the Sixth Form College - finding new life as a home for drama students.

Patricia Crack, of Darlington, was a pupil at the school from 1942 to 1949.

She said: "I've very fond memories of the school.

"I remember a special assembly to celebrate the end of the war where all the pupils got certificates from the King.

"It's certainly the end of an era."