A former Methodist church in the Derbyshire town of Swadlincote is one of the more unusual lots in Bond Wolfe’s next auction on 20 October.
The freehold property on West Street has a guide price of £140,000 and lies within the Swadlincote Conservation Area.
South Derbyshire District Council has already granted planning permission for the vacant building’s conversion into eight spacious apartments.
Colin Totney, a land and development surveyor at Bond Wolfe, said: “The former church is centrally located fronting onto West Street in the town centre. The current lofty frontage has three ornate, pillar-flanked entrance doors and five arched windows above, with striking polygonal brickwork corners.
“Once converted, it is estimated that the large apartments in this attractive property would have a gross internal area approaching 8,000 sq ft.
“However, there may be scope to reconfigure the scheme subject to obtaining any further necessary planning permission.
“There are other business centres such as Burton on Trent, Derby, Tamworth and Birmingham around five, 15, 15 and 31 miles away respectively.
“The national motorway network is also easily accessible via junction 11 of the M42 which is about eight miles away.”
An original chapel on the site was built by Wesleyan Methodists in 1816, was enlarged around 1823, then further extended in 1837, and subsequently rebuilt in 1863. It ceased being a place of worship in 2017.
The former church is just one of a total of 188 lots that will appear in Bond Wolfe’s next auction which starts at 9am on Wednesday 20 October. The auction will be livestreamed via Bond Wolfe’s website with remote bidding by proxy, telephone or internet only.
