End of the line for landmark Telford buildings
Two Telford buildings at the heart of their communities for generations are disappearing forever this week as demolition continues apace.
The Abraham Darby School in Madeley was the alma mater of sporting greats like the Wolves and England legend Billy Wright and champion boxer Richie Woodhall. Mary Whitehouse, the television clean-up campaigner, was senior mistress in the 1950s and 1960s.
Now the old school, remembered by many as Madeley Modern School, is being razed to the ground following the completion of the £35 million Abraham Darby Academy which has been built on a neighbouring site.
There were calls to retain the iconic main building of the school, which was first opened in January 1937.
However, it was not listed as being of historic or architectural interest, the building is being knocked down along with all the rest of the old school.
Simultaneously work is progressing less than a mile away on the demolition of the Court Centre, Madeley, which for many years was the sports and leisure hub of that town.
It was originally part of the Madeley Court School complex, and first opened in August 1971, with the school itself taking pupils the following September.
The official opening, by the Duke of Edinburgh, did not take place until July 14, 1972.
The school part of the complex was demolished in February 2010 following the opening of the new Madeley Academy a few hundred yards away.
The sports and leisure complex, which included sports halls, function rooms, and a large swimming pool in an distinctive U-shape, is now disappearing too.
Proposals for redevelopment of the site include a new doctors surgery and up to 140 homes.
