A derelict Whitehaven church – due to be sold at auction this week – was withdrawn prior to the sale.
The former Wesleyan Methodist Church on Lowther Street was listed as a lot in the SDL Property Auctions today, Tuesday December 10, with a guide price of £60,00 to £70,000.
The building 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.
Nick Browne applied to the then Copeland Council for permission to convert the building, which is in Whitehaven’s Conservation Area, into a luxury house. It was given the go-ahead.
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. However, by 1995, the congregation had dwindled and the church’s condition was beginning to deteriorate.
It 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.
