Eastbourne retro: Explorer's pictures show inside of historic school building

Moira House School was an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 0 to 18 years.

Photos inside the institution, which permanently closed in 2020, have been shared by explorer UrbanRot on Facebook to 26,000 followers.

Moira House School, in Upper Carlisle Road, opened its doors in 1887, although the school was founded in 1875 by Charles Ingham.

The school was born out of Mr Ingham’s dissatisfaction with the education his sister and wife had both received.

He and his wife were regarded as pioneers in female education in Victorian England.

In 1947, the school was registered as a charity.

According to a school document from 2009, pupils were encouraged to explore the huge range of educational opportunities available to them, to excel within realistic expectations and to discover individual strengths through an extensive programme of sporting, cultural and sporting activities.

The document said the school attracted over 400 pupils from ‘all cultures, backgrounds and age groups’.

In 2018, the institution was taken over by the Roedean Group of Schools, amid struggling finances, and became known as Roedean Moira House.

However, the school eventually closed in August 2020 due to its poor financial situation.

In March 2020, Andrew Pianca, chairman of governors of Roedean Moira House, announced: “It is with great sadness and regret that we have taken the difficult decision to close Roedean Moira House.

"Our legal advisors tell us it is the only route available to us.”

The school’s motto was ‘nemo a me alienus’ which translates to ‘other people matter’.

In May 2022, Eastbourne Borough Council approved plans to redevelop the five-acre site into a residential development of 33 apartments and 19 houses.

Agent Ecotecture said its client sought to ‘retain the historical buildings located on-site’.

It was included as one of 28 key development sites in the council’s Local Plan in 2023.

Did you attend Moira House School? We’d love to feature your photos in another retro piece.

Submit your photos by emailing: [email protected].