THE owners of Ridley Hall say they are devastated at the prospect of selling the historic property, which has served as Haydon Bridge High School’s boarding wing for more than 40 years.

But the Evans family, which has owned the Georgian house since 1949, insist they have been left with no other option, because the two organisations at loggerheads over future boarding provision at the school have expressed no interest in the hall’s continued use.

Bright Tribe, the trust expected to take over the school when it becomes a sponsored academy, does not want Ridley Hall to be included as part of the package.

Northumberland County Council, which has leased Ridley Hall from the Evans family since 1976, insists future boarding provision is Bright Tribe’s responsibility, and will not be renewing its current lease, which runs out in July.

Now the family, which placed the property on the market for £1.6m on January 19, have expressed their disappointment that the legacy of the Rev. Eryc Agard Evans, who bought Ridley Hall in 1949 for the benefit of young people, will not continue.

The Evans’s property surveyor, Martyn Lytollis, director of Lambert Smith Hampton, offered the family’s sympathy to the 26 boarders currently based at Ridley Hall, who could soon face round trips of more than 80 miles to school from far-flung communities.

Mr Lytollis said: “The Evans family want to make clear to those students and their parents, that their preferred option has always been to retain ownership of Ridley, to grant a new lease to the council or Bright Tribe, and continue to make the hall available as a boarding facility.

“It is the council calling time on Ridley Hall as a boarding wing for the school, not the Evans family.

“The family are devastated at the prospect of having to sell Ridley, but there is no other option. The property has to be brought back into use and occupation.”

Mr Lytollis refuted claims by the county council that the authority was unaware that Ridley Hall would be placed on the market on January 19, leading it to seek assurances over a previously arranged extension of the existing lease, from April to July 2017.

He said the family’s representatives had been in contact with the council over Ridley Hall’s future since March 24 last year, and had since exchanged 44 emails and a similar number of telephone conversations.

He added: “The county has been aware of the family’s intention to bring Ridley Hall to the market either for sale or reletting since last August, after Bright Tribe confirmed the trust had no future interest in the hall.

“There was never any question of the county having to seek guarantees from the owners that the hall could stay open for boarding until the end of July.”

Mr Lytollis said the family delayed the marketing of Ridley Hall last September, to await the outcome of a key meeting about Haydon Bridge High School’s future, on October 28.

A Northumberland County Council spokesman said: “We were aware that the property would be marketed imminently although not the precise date.

“The Evans family and the agents working on their behalf have been extremely helpful and co-operative and we are grateful for all their goodwill.

“We have been working closely with them to temporarily extend the lease on Ridley Hall until the end of the school year.”