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Former student block sold to independent school

Alex Pope
News imageBosworth Independent School A building with multiple windows made out of different-coloured brick. It has a path leading to its door, and parking spaces. There is a grass area and bushes in front. The building is four storeys high. It has a grey roof.Bosworth Independent School
The Bassett-Lowke Building previously provided accommodation for nearly 250 university students

A former student accommodation block in Northampton that was to be turned into 170 affordable homes has been sold to a private school.

West Northamptonshire Council had planned to adapt the empty Bassett-Lowke Building into homes but in 2024 it said the proposal was no longer viable, and the building was put up for sale.

Bosworth Independent School said it had bought the property, formerly part of the University of Northampton, and after "months of planning and discussions" it confirmed it would be turned into a boarding house.

The Reform UK-led council said the sale was part of a wider redevelopment of the site, "which will deliver a significant number of new homes over the coming years".

The school said the purchase of the 248-bedroom property was a "significant milestone" in its development. Next year it will mark its 50th anniversary.

The four-storey building is located between two of the school's teaching facilities, the Newton Building and Bosworth Hall, and it will take its number of boarding houses to three.

News imageBosworth Independent School A man standing outside a brick building with its downstairs windows boarded up, holding a key and smiling. He is wearing a yellow high-vis jacket with black trousers, a white shirt and a black jumper. He is smiling. He is bald with a beard. The building is brick and has multiple windows. There are bushes and grass between the man and the building.Bosworth Independent School
Tony Oulton, the school's headteacher, said it was "a hugely exciting moment"

Headteacher Tony Oulton said the school had been working towards the sale for some time.

"As our student community continues to grow, it is important that we invest in facilities which reflect the high standards of education, pastoral care and support that we pride ourselves on delivering," he said.

The building was named after Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke, the Northampton-born entrepreneur who established his model railway and ship manufacturing business in 1899.

The university moved to its Waterside Campus in 2018, leading to the closure of Avenue Campus – where the Bassett-Lowke building is – and Park Campus in Kingsthorpe.

A council spokesperson said it has been working with the school since June 2024.

"Completion of the sale has been dependent on works taking place across the wider Avenue Campus site," it said.

"We are pleased the sale has now completed, enabling the school to consolidate its accommodation in Northampton while also bringing this part of the wider site back into productive use."

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