A vacant Whitehaven church could be yours for £60,000 as it goes under the hammer next week.
The former Wesleyan Methodist Church on Lowther Street has been vacant since 1996, but plans were lodged – and granted – in 2002 to turn the town landmark into a luxury home.
Sitting at the crossroads of Lowther Street and Scotch Street, the Gothic-style building dates back to the 1800s and is Grade II-listed.
It will be auctioned by SDL Property Auctions on Tuesday, December 10, with a guide price of between £60,000 and £70,000.
Nick Browne applied to the then Copeland Council for permission to convert the building, which is in Whitehaven’s Conservation Area.
The church, which could seat 800 people, cost £5,285 to build and the Methodist Church and Sunday School paid £3,250 for the plot of land – mainly paid for via donations. It was designed by T Lewis Banks.
It was listed in December 1978, when it had just celebrated its centenary and was still a vibrant place of worship, a heritage statement submitted to the council said.
However, by 1995, the congregation had dwindled and the church’s condition was beginning to deteriorate and needed £50,000-worth of urgent work and £104,000-worth of less urgent work. The decision was made to close it.
The building has 19 separate roofs.
The planning application was for the church building only, as the Sunday school and primary school builders were in separate ownership.
The application said: “The lecture hall, vestries, kitchen and caretaker’s flat are in such poor condition that it has not been possible to examine all of this area of the building. The vestry and kitchen area are derelict and the roof has collapsed in places.
“There is no doubt that this is a building at risk. This is a valid proposal and in view of previous alterations and its current condition the work is considered a modest intervention, involving the minimum of interference to the building’s character which still retains original features and maintains its spiritual, architectural and historic significance.”
Andrew Parker, auctioneer and partner at SDL Property Auctions, said: “This landmark historic church has planning permission from Cumberland Council for conversion into a single luxury dwelling and we believe it could also be suitable for a variety of alternative uses.
“A residential scheme, or conversion of the church to a bar, restaurant, retail, or community uses might be viable.
“Redevelopment as a dance or fitness studio could also work well, subject to a buyer gaining the appropriate consents.
“It is something of a landmark building, with many interesting Gothic architectural features, and it would be great to see it become an asset to Whitehaven once again.”
