Finzean Old School

With the aid of a grant from the Scottish Land Fund, BCT bought Finzean Old School on behalf of the community in 2003 when Aberdeenshire Council decided to sell it. They had managed it as an Outdoor Centre for school groups since the current Finzean Primary School was built in 1964.

There are two buildings on the Old School site. The smaller one, known as the Soup Kitchen, dates from the original 18th century school, while the larger one was built in the 19th century to replace it. These 18th and 19th century former schools are in a row with the current 20th century school and BCT shares the same access and parking area with the School.

Once used as BCT’s office and filing centre, the building is now in need of major refurbishment and a sustainable future purpose. Following an extensive community consultation in 2018/2019, BCT is in the process of narrowing down options for the building’s future as well as appropriate funding streams for the work required. In the meantime, BCT has installed free WiFi and encourages local people to use the space for formal and informal meetings.

The Soup Kitchen building is used by BCT as the Birse Parish Archive and a venue for Trustees’ Meetings.