George Herbert Strutt was a cotton mill owner and a philanthropist who lived in Belper, Derbyshire. Him and his ancestral family had a wealthy cotton business in Derbyshire, and their business brought so much money to the local villages and towns, that he later in life became High Sheriff of Derbyshire.

​

In 1907, George planned to build a brand new elementary school in Belper, for the children of the town and the surrounding villages who were in poverty, but wanted an education. Later that same year, he was given planning permission to build it. The school was designed in the style of the Workhouse building located on the opposite side of the main road. The total cost of the school's construction was £20,000, and in 1909, the Herbert Strutt School officially opened. It was such an auspicious occasion, that he had Duke of Devonshire himself visit Belper and officially open the school. The first Headmaster of this school was Mr W. W. Tunnicliffe, who remained at his post here until 1936 when he retired.

 

In 1914, Alderman Strutt funded an extension to the school which costed a further £10,000. Later it became a Higher Education School, before becoming a Grammar School in 1936.

 

During the Second World War in 1940, evacuees who arrived in Belper by train attended the school to continue getting their education. They attended classes at the school in the morning, while the Belper pupils attended classes in the afternoon. In 1973, the Herbert Strutt School became the Herbert Strutt Middle School, and in 1986 it became the Herbert Strutt Primary School.

​

The school remained active and in use until 2008/9, when the Herbert Strutt Primary School moved to a new premises, leaving this building empty and uncertain of its future. The local council discussed different options of what to do with the place, but ultimately the authorities agreed to change the ownership and put it in the hands of the community, who now use it as a venue for social activities. The Strutts Centre as it's now called is run by a charitable enterprise who volunteer to provide the community and local businesses with the building's facilities, under similar terms of the deed of covenant set out by George Herbert Strutt when he gifted the premises for the people of Belper.

 

An interesting fact, actors Alan Bates and Timothy Dalton both attended the Herbert Strutt School. Plus, British supercentenarian Reginald Dean (Mr Dean) was a teacher for 10 years at this school too.

​

​