Tomison’s Academy will be advertised for sale by Orkney Islands Council’s Development and Environment Service this week.
Also for sale as separate going concerns are the old janitor’s residence at the rear of the building, and 4.6 hectares of adjacent land.
All three properties will be advertised in this week’s local press, with asking prices for the three properties as follows:
• Former Tomison’s Academy (Grade ‘B’ listed) – offers over £85k
• 4.6 hectares of land adjacent to Tomison’s Academy – offers over £35k
• Former Janitor’s House at Tomison’s Academy – offers over £30k
The Council’s Vice-Convener James Stockan said: “We hope by advertising the Academy at the same time as the neighbouring land and the former janitor’s house that it will appeal to as many folk as possible, either as a package or as individual properties.
“We look forward to seeing the properties put into use and enjoyed by new owners and to putting the proceeds back into the community."
Tomison's Academy has been unused for many years but has seen occasional use as a polling station, most recently in 2005.
The Academy was established in 1851 with funds donated by Orcadian William Tomison (1740-1829) who retired to South Ronaldsay, his place of birth, following a highly successful career as ‘Inland Governor’ with the Hudson Bay Company.
Tomison, who is also credited with founding the town of Edmonton as a trading post, had willed the money to the local people only two weeks before his death.
The school closed in the 1960’s and a tablet erected in 1911 commemorating Tomison’s generosity has been retained by Orkney Islands Council as an important part of Orkney’s heritage.
Sale documents will be available on the Council’s website at www.orkney.gov.uk from Thursday July 29. No closing date has yet been set.
The Academy is a B-listed building, described as follows:
"Tall single-storey, 3 piended roof school room pavilions in T-plan arrangment, 2-window fronts except at flanks to re-entrant angles, 1-window with lower porches
in angles; harrow angular coursers, ashlar quoins the width of two coursers, ashlar plinth and porches, fenestration mullion and transom crosses with small lying-panes; slated roofs, that of central pavilion straddled by
group of 3 ashlar chimney stacks, battered with neo Greek capital - cornices, outer stacks square-plan centre stack oblong with columnar chimney cans in 1-3-1 arrangement giving effective silhouette."
