Top class result as former school in Etchingham sells for £662,000

Etchingham Primary School, Burgh Hill, Etchingham, was among 140 lots in the latest auction held by one of the top five property auctioneers in the UK, Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers.

Offered under instructions from East Sussex County Council, it exceeded the upper freehold guide price by more than £200,000 at the firm’s auction which ended on Thursday 15 June.

Senior Auction Appraiser and Auctioneer Richard Payne said: “This one really flew. Sustained bidding drove up the price, resulting in a great outcome for the vendor, while our purchaser has acquired a property with huge potential.

“We had long considered this substantial detached property, part single-storey, part two-storey, suitable for development, subject to all necessary consents being obtainable, and the competitive bidding showed others agreed.”

Situated in an elevated position on a site extending to 0.25 hectares (0.64 acres), the property is located on Burgh Hill just off the A265 close to the junction of the A21 close to the village of Etchingham.

It is in the heart of the High Weald between Hawkhurst and Burwash with excellent road links to all surrounding areas.Etchingham Primary School, which originally opened in 1864, moved to a bigger, modern site at Parsonage Croft, High Street, Etchingham in 2015.

 Offered as a separate lot, also under instructions from East Sussex County Council, the former school’s parking area located opposite the school in Burgh Hill, was sold for £72,000, almost three times the freehold guide.

The former amenity land site, extending to 0.10 hectares (0.26 acres) and with two vehicular accesses, was considered to have future development potential, subject to obtaining all necessary consents being obtainable.

The site is on sloping land with a gravel surface, a driveway and dropped kerbs at either end and provides parking facilities for multiple vehicles. A freehold parcel of woodland located on the outskirts of the village of Wadhurst was sold for £45,000 freehold after strong interest. The land, at the side of Tapsells Lane extends to 2.6 acres (1.06 hectares).

Clive Emson Auctioneers holds auctions eight times a year offering specialist advice for auction purposes with offices in Essex, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the West Country, selling with skill, speed and efficiency.

The next auction, the fifth of eight this year, ends on Wednesday, 26 July. Entries close on 3 July and the catalogue is available online from 7 July.See cliveemson.co.uk for more details.