Silver Jubilee: pictures show former Peterborough pub reduced to rubble as demolition starts in Bretton

Demolition crews from RG Carter Construction have started work at the site of the former Silver Jubilee pub in Heltwate, Bretton.

The pub has been closed for many years and the site had fallen into disrepair. The building was hit by an arson attack in 2018.

The site was then purchased in 2020 by Peterborough City Council for £650,000 to allow for the expansion of Heltwate School.

The demolition has originally been set to take place that year but has been delayed for several months due to a change in government guidelines regarding public houses.

The council purchased the site with the intention of the school using it to build a new two-storey building for early years pupils, alongside a new footpath and parking area. Heltwate, a mixed special school, currently offers education for pupils aged 4-19 years. It is situated over two sites - the main site in Bretton which is home to Reception to Key Stage 3 pupils, and Heltwate St George’s in Lawn Avenue where Key Stage 4 and post-16 students are based.

It had been proposed in 2017 to relocate Heltwate to a new site in Newark Road, however, the project had to be cancelled in February 2018 due to the financial collapse of contractors Carillion.

Currently, the school only has one hall which is oversubscribed, while there are also insufficient classroom sizes.

Mobile classrooms were provided to the school in September 2016 and February 2020 which provided the additional space required but took up outdoor sports, play and sensory space.