THE devastation which lies inside the burnt-out school once attended by Stan Laurel has been revealed thanks to a group of mystery explorers.

Wildboyz Urban Exploration took a series of photographs showing what remains of the King James I Grammar School, on South Church Road, in Bishop Auckland, after climbing over the fence to see for themselves earlier this month.

The Grade-II listed building was extensively damaged in an arson attack in 2007. Since then it has been protected by plastic sheeting, scaffolding and a metal fence.

Although a number of plans have been suggested to secure the future of the building, people living in the town are concerned about its safety.

The Wildboyz Urban Exploration have been inside a number of abandoned buildings before but this is one site they have been determined to walk along the same corridors as the legendary Stan Laurel.

They said it was difficult to find a way in but when they did, the building looked worse than they had anticipated.

Writing on their website wildboyz-ue.com, the group said: “We walked, tentatively, across the first room, after realising that most of the floorboards were so decayed they crumbled beneath our feet. It was mainly decomposing carpet that constituted the floor now.

“With each step a bittersweet stench stung our nostrils. Strangely nostalgic and repellent at the same time, the odour hung heavily throughout the room.

“Further into the school, it was obvious that the entire structure was in a sorry looking state and, other than peeling wallpaper, crumbling fireplaces and stained toilets, there was very little by way of visual stimuli.

“None of this mattered though. After all, it is likely Arthur Stanley Jefferson had walked through these very rooms. Determined to reach the top floor, we continued with our slow pace. None of us suddenly fancied plummeting through the floor. Thankfully, the stairs, which were caked in years of grime, were made of stone and concrete, so they seemed much more durable than anything else we’d seen so far.

“Step by step, we ascended to the uppermost floor of the school. There was no doubt about it, this was clearly where the fire had been back in 2007. A large metal support structure filled the entire room, and above we could see a large white tarp, clearly covering a gaping hole were a slate titled roof should have been.

“Fearing this floor more than the others we’d encountered, we decided to stick to the sides of the room as we made our way across.

“There was no real reason why we needed to wander around up here, but since Laurel had been here it seemed worth it.

“With the sound of Dance of the Cuckoos ringing in our ears, we thought we’d take a chance, doing a dance, because, well, I’m a cuckoo and you’re a cuckoo. Laa laa laa laala la.

“And, now all the folks have gone wild, it’s time to bring this report to an end. As with all explores, an extraordinary amount of courage, or perhaps it was impatience, blanketed us.

“Needless to say, it took a fraction of the time to get back out.”