Great Ayton Friends' School

Great Ayton Friends' School (1841–1997) in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, England, was an independent, co-educational, agricultural boarding school, run by the Religious Society of Friends (the Quakers). The school was situated on High Green on an estate of around . The River Leven (a tributary of the River Tees), ran through the school grounds and was bridged in several places. History Quakers in County Durham, having concern for children of disowned Friends who were not eligible for Quaker education, were searching for a suitable site to establish an agricultural school on their behalf. Unable to find a site in the preferred area of Bishop Auckland, Durham Friends sought the assistance of Thomas Richardson, a Quaker from Darlington who had come to live in Great Ayton on his retirement in 1830.