Lancashire church for sale for just £10,000 - here's the catch

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It’s huge, unique, stands in an acre of land - and it could be yours for just £10,000.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Burnley Road, Crawshawbooth, is being offered by the Diocese of Manchester having been closed since 2012 due to dwindling congregations and the theft of lead from the roof.

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But behind the low price is a catch - the building is in such bad condition, you can’t go for a viewing, and to make an offer you need to be able to prove you have the cash for the sale and the restoration.

Agent Alan Kirkham states: “The sellers will require full information from the outset on available funds for both the purchase price and extensive repair/restoration works.”

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According to Historic England, which has listed the church as Grade II, the building is in a “very bad” state, and is at “immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric”, with evidence of water ingress, dry rot and pigeon infestation.

Church for sale, CrawshawboothChurch for sale, Crawshawbooth
Church for sale, Crawshawbooth | Alan Kirkham/Rightmove

The sale is also conditional upon the buyer obtaining planning and listed building consent for the use and alterations, restrictive covenants, the Church Commissioners making and bringing a Church Buildings Disposal Scheme into effect and agreeing the future of any burials/monuments or tombstones.

The vendors alsoreserve the right to remove any of the stained-glass windows, pews, the pulpit, the stone font and other furnishings prior to completion.

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However, in good news, the land freehold, is adjacent to a bridal way and only part of the churchyard is consecrated with an area reserved for the burial grounds for the original landowner.

History of the church

St John's was built between 1890 and 1892 to a design by the Lancaster architects Paley, Austin and Paley. The estimated cost of the church was £6,800 but, because of problems with the foundations, its final cost, including the fittings, was nearer to £12,000 (equivalent to £1,650,000 in 2023). It provided seating for 616 people.

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