Until recently, the historic Brighton schoolhouse had become nothing more than a large storage room for Big Rock School.
But now, Brighton's first schoolhouse is again filled with highly excitable squealing children, following an eight-month restoration by Little Rock Preschool.
The schoolhouse was built in 1870 on a plot in Queen St, Brighton, and was moved in 1887 to the corner of Brighton Rd and Bath St, at the present Big Rock School site.
Further school buildings were built around it over the following decades.
In 1979, a large fire destroyed much of the school, but the original schoolhouse escaped damage.
It was moved again in 1982, to its present site around the corner in Brighton Rd, and a new school - the one we now know as Big Rock School - was built in its place.
Brighton historian Glenys Bennett said the historic building had been used by the school over the years as a school hall and a library, but more recently it had become a large storage room for school equipment.
The building was taken over by Little Rock Preschool owner Matt King and, during the past eight months, he, preschool staff and members of the Brighton community had banded together to restore it to its former glory.
Mr King said they had to repair the floor and a leak in the roof but apart from that, the building was built to last, and all that was required was some cleaning, painting and carpeting.
''If we had hired contractors, it would have cost $50,000 to $60,000.
''But for us, mostly elbow grease was all it needed. It was hours doing a labour of love.''
The preschool opened at the end of last month with a roll of 17 children.
Mr King said that the preschool decided to set up at the site because Big Rock School needed the building to be maintained but did not have the funding for it, and the community was calling for the historic building to be preserved.
He said the facility also provided children in the area with a seamless route from early childhood education to primary school education right next door.
''Because there's been no preschool here, the kids have gone to Green Island and Mosgiel to go to preschool, and then they make friends and don't come back. This keeps them in the community.
''We thought it was a win-win for everybody. We filled the gap and we've had great support from the community and the school to make it happen.''
