Former Victorian Leeds school put up for sale by social enterprise Shine
It’s the landmark whose links with education in Leeds stretch back more than a century.
The building , between Conway Street and Conway Mount and fronting Harehills Road, will be remembered by generations of pupils.
The one-acre site was originally Gipton Board School when it first opened on October 14 1897.
It was later known as Gipton Council School then around the late 1950s became Harehills County Secondary School. Finally in the 1970s it became Harehills Middle before closing its doors as a school circa 1992.
The Grade II listed building was then closed for a number of years and left to fall into dereliction before being redeveloped and reopening in 2008 by award-winning social enterprise Shine which supports women ex-offenders, local children, entrepreneurs and artists in the Harehills area of the city.
It has now put its landmark property up for sale as the organisation focuses on developing its programme for women-led start-ups. There is no asking price for the property, only a request for offers.
Shine managing director Dawn O’Keefe, who founded the organisation 18 years ago with fellow social entrepreneur Todd Hannula, said: “Shine has become a byword for inclusive entrepreneurship, community, and regeneration.
"What began as a bold £5 million vision for a derelict building, is now a fabulous, high-spec health and education space in Harehills serving public, private, and third-sector businesses. Developed as the Gipton Board School in 1897, it continues to inspire today.”
The Shine business hub is used by a diverse range of organisations ranging from the NHS and the University of Leeds to Goldman Sachs and several international consulting firms.
“Shine is thriving, but we know the building has more to offer and we believe someone with fresh ideas and commercial ambition can take it even further,” O’Keefe added.
Following a sale, O’Keefe and Hannula will turn their focus to the expansion of their SheCanShine programme for women-led start-ups, building peer-powered networks across the UK.
Eddisons director ,Matt Jennings, said: “What the Shine team has built in Harehills is remarkable - a true destination that blends architectural beauty with commercial viability and community impact.
“There are very few opportunities like this in Leeds right now, and we’re already seeing interest from investors, operators, and institutions across sectors.”
The Shine building in Harehills features modernised offices and co-working spaces, a conferencing centre and meeting rooms. The site includes an amphitheatre style garden, an allotment, parking for 55 cars, two EV chargers, and cycle-friendly infrastructure close to St James Hospital.