An attempt by villagers to have their old National School and associated school master’s house listed has failed.

Historic England has rejected the listing application for the building which stands in a prominent position overlooking Bearsted Green, near Maidstone.

The Bearsted and Thurnham Society applied for the listing in February 2022 at a time when there were concerns for the future of the building as it had been offered for sale at auction by Kent County Council, the previous owners.

In the meantime, however, the new owner has converted the school - which had last seen service as the village library - into a private dwelling.

The school was built in 1839 to a design by the architect Martin Bulmer. He went on to design the schoolmaster's house at Bearsted, the National School at Detling and the National School - which followed the teachings of the Church of England for the children of the poor - and school house at Thurnham.

Several of his works do have listed status, including the Faversham Assembly Rooms and the Bridge Chambers in Rochester Esplanade, home to the Rochester Bridge Trust.

However, Bearsted School was his first commission and, according to Historic England, not the best example of his work.

Built on land originally owned by the Dean and Chapter of Rochester Cathedral, the school’s first four trustees were all nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury: the Rev Dr John Griffith of Boxley, Rev William Cobb of Detling, Rev John McMahon Wilding of Thurnham and Rev Charles Cage of Bearsted.

The exact date when the school first admitted pupils is unknown.

The addition of a new wing in 1848 to accommodate the schoolmaster's house was one of only several extensions over the years, although the front facade has remained essentially the same.

In 1972, the school body transferred to new premises and three years later KCC turned the building into the village library.

However, the collapse of a floor necessitated the urgent closure of the library for repairs in April 2017.

It never reopened, with KCC instead finding new premises for the library at the nearby old station master’s house.

The building was left vacant until it was eventually sold at auction in February 2022, for £702,000.

In its listings application, the Bearsted and Thurnham Society pointed out that the school was not only the first in the village but the first National School in Maidstone.

Heritage England agreed that was the case but said there were much earlier examples of national schools, dating from 1811 elsewhere, that were already listed and it didn’t need another.