The new owners of a former college in Huddersfield are appealing for information and photographs about its 180-year history.

Brothers Andrew, Nicholas and Simon Mear, owners of San Pedro Properties, have bought Highfields, the Grade II listed former Huddersfield College building at New North Road, in a £1.25m deal.

Now they want to incorporate elements of the property’s distinguished past into its refurbishment and redevelopment.

Andrew Mear said: “Huddersfield College has a great personal significance to us since both our father and his sister studied there. Our plans are to convert Highfields into 33-plus very spacious, high spec “green” apartments, which also in some way, through the incorporation of important names, facts or historical imagery, reflects the key milestones of the building’s history.”

The brothers said they would be delighted if anyone with information, stories, plans or photographs could send copies to them at ajmear@hotmail.com.

Built in 1839 at a cost of £5,000, the stunning 33,000sq ft building was designed by Pembrokeshire-born architect James Piggott Pritchett. With its distinctive castle battlement-style parapet, it was originally a boy’s grammar school before becoming Huddersfield College in 1909. It later became part of Huddersfield Technical College in 1975 and most recently housed Kirklees College’s performing arts department.

The £1.2m development and makeover is due to start shortly with the first apartments being released for rental later in the year.

Award winning San Pedro Properties, based in Halifax, was established in 1991,

It manages and number of re-developed historical buildings across West Yorkshire. They specialise in installing the latest green and renewable technologies whilst retaining aesthetic and historically significant features.