Clarence House School - Formby

History

“Clarence House in Formby began its life in 1885 as St. Anne's Industrial School for girls, where residents learned domestic skills alongside academics. After the school's closure in 1922, the building was repurposed as St. George's Industrial School for boys, and later became Clarence High School. This school provided educational placements for girls and boys aged seven to 19 with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Sadly, Clarence High School closed its doors around 2018 due to financial pressures, prompting Nugent Care, the company running the school, to announce its closure. This left the building abandoned. In April 2023, firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 1:00 AM. They found the third floor and roof of the empty school building well alight. Firefighters used two main water jets at various access points to combat the blaze. One crew, wearing breathing apparatus, tackled the fire on the third floor, while another addressed the blaze in the roof area. The fire was extinguished by 4:05 AM, with firefighters spending nearly two hours dampening down the scene before departing at 6:02 AM”.