Dotheboys Hall, The Street, Bowes, Durham
This large house was formerly the Bowes Academy. It has since been divided into 7 flats. It dates from the late 18th - early 19th century. Bowes Academy was a private school for 200 boys run by William Shaw. It was visited by Charles Dickens on February 2nd, 1838. Outraged by its disgraceful conditions Dickens, in his novel Nicholas Nickleby, exposed the Academy and its principal (as Wackford Squeers). This caused a public outcry that forced many such schools, including the Bowes Academy, to close down. The building is listed for historical interest rather than architectural merit.
