A derelict school which was the site of a brutal murder has been given a fresh start after reopening as a nursery.
Wimbledon House in Dorset Road was previously home to the privately run Wimbledon House School which closed in 2005.
The locally listed building was boarded up but blighted by squatters and in 2006 was the scene of a murder in which 41-year-old homeless man Paul Doohan was brutally kicked to death.
Dean Forde, 22, was jailed for life after he was found guilty of beating Mr Doohan to death in an attack which saw him rain down 54 separate blows to his head and chest.
Both had been using the former school as a squat.
In May 2011 there were plans to create a 210-place coalition Government-inspired free school however the site was ultimately deemed unsuitable by the government.
Finally in April 2012 the site was sold to Castergate Real Estate, a subsidiary of Bright Horizons, a chain of day nurseries and pre-schools, who have since extensively refurbished the building.
Wimbledon House Nursery was officially reopened with a family fun day on Saturday, August 3, where dozens of families enjoyed a magician, face painting and a zoolab, marking a fresh start for the site.
Councillor Peter Southgate, leader of the Merton Park Independents, said: "In a way it’s come full circle from when it was a local authority nursery 35 years ago.
"We are very pleased that it will be used as a nursery after a bit of an uneven history.
"We encouraged the council to look for a buyer and we are very pleased it was turned to educational use rather than being put up for residential development, so it was a good outcome."
A spokeswoman for the nursery said: "We would like to thanks all the families and residents that attended our launch party on Saturday.
"It was a great success.
"We are very much looking forward to providing exceptional care and education for the young children of Wimbledon and surrounding areas and are looking forward to working in partnership with our families in creating lifelong happy memories."
(L-R) Sarah Jayne Henderson, Cadence Cerniglia, 3, Emily Egan, 9, 'Stevan' and Peppa Pig.
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