Flounders Institute
Benjamin Flounder established the Institute by his will in 1845, when he left 40,000. It was to provide a college for Quakers as they were barred from University education.
The institute covered 5 acres and the stone used to build it was quarried from its own grounds.
It opened in 1848 and trained until 1894 when the students transferred to Leeds. It remained empty until 1900.
In 1902 it was bought by Ackworth School and in 1903 became the North Midlands Inebriate Reformatory.
During WW1 it was a St John’s Army Hospital and in 1934 Mr & Mrs Dyson opened part of the building as a junior boys home.
In 1946 it was converted into a residential block for Quaker School staff.
In 1971 it was demolished to make way for the Flounders Estate housing that now stands on the site.
Councillor Tommy Dando (who Dando's Way was named after) shortly before Flounders Institute was demolished to make way for new housing circa 1970.
The red square marks the spot where Flounders Institute stood, and the red line shows the route of College Lane which emerged onto Hillside at the point where College Lane Surgery now stands. A small section of College Lane can still be seen at the top of the lane alongside the Card Gallery, running behind the houses on Mount Pleasant (shown by the darker line).
College Lane (marked by red line on the map above)
One aspect of its history...
