THE Morphew School of Dance is on the lookout for a new home, as their current premises at Courtfield House has gone on the market for £1.1m.

Owned by Trowbridge head teacher and long-serving councillor Mary Pearce until her death last year, the house and its 1.6 acres on Polebarn Road dates back to around 1754 and was used between 1970 and 2011 as Roundstone Preparatory School.

The Morphew School of Dance has been operating from there for the last 60 years, and school principal Gill Dobroczynski said it would be a great loss to the pupils when they have to move from the Grade II Listed building.

She said: “People tend to think of us as a group that could find a church hall or something, but we operate seven days a week and practically every day we have two halls in use and so it needs to be a premises we have sole use of.

“Courtfield House needs a lot of work doing to it but we are hopeful that if someone does have interest in it, they may be prepared to lease it to us.

“I have had feelers out in trying to find somewhere but the suggestions we have been given are places that we can’t afford.”

Once Courtfield House has been sold, it is understood that Mrs Pearce wanted the money to be split between local charities including Dorothy House, the Trowbridge Town Trust, the Trowbridge Sensory Garden and Trowbridge Museum.

Cllr Graham Payne has called for Trowbridge Town Council to purchase Courtfield House through the Public Works Loan Board to increase the size of the park as well as the museum facilities.

Lance Allan, Trowbridge town council clerk, said the matter will be debated at council meetings next month.

If you have information on a space that the Morphew school of Dance can use, email info@morphewschoolofdance.co.uk.