Property
Fire station, Baptist chapel and a blacksmith’s –all redundant – go to auction
A former fire station, a one-time blacksmith’s shop and a Baptist chapel will go under the hammer as part of the final Cheffins property auction of 2022 on December 7.
The late 1950s former fire station is a Papworth Everard is a rare freehold opportunity, with residential development potential, and has come available following the relocation of the fire service from Papworth Everard to Cambourne in March 2022.
Papworth Everard fire station
The building is over 1,900 sq. ft in total, and has a large, tarmacked yard. Internally, there is the main fire appliance hall, an office, stores, and staff facilities. It is offered with a guide price of £250,000.
Another unusual property available at the auction is the Mepal Union Chapel.
This large former chapel dates from the 1850s and has a kitchen, cloakrooms, school room and vaulted ceilings in the main chapel of over five metres high.
It has the potential for a range of other uses, and is offered freehold, in this popular village a few miles west of Ely. It has an estimate of £150,000.
In Cambridge is a Grade II listed former blacksmith’s shop, which dates from 1814 and has seen several uses, most recently as a car workshop.
The Old Smithy is on Mill End Road in Cherry Hinton, and is an attractive building with a workshop area, former kitchen, cloakroom, and a storeroom, as well as being on a corner plot on the junction of Mill End Road and Forest Road.
The Old Smithy
Only two miles from the centre of Cambridge, the building has a range of potential uses, and is available with a guide price of £150,000.
The highest value lot within the auction is a development site of 0.48 acres in the village of Elmswell, between Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket in Suffolk.
The land has outline planning consent for six dwellings and has an estimate of £450,000 – £500,000. Being sold on behalf of investors, the site is offered freehold.
Another residential opportunity is Vine Cottage in Royston, which is offered with an estimate of £275,000.
This three-bedroom Victorian terraced property has a large garden, is offered freehold and is offered in good condition but would benefit from some upgrading.
In addition, there are six different land lots offered from throughout East Anglia.
These range from a small single parcel of 0.058 acres in the centre of Mattishall, near Dereham, Norfolk, which has a guide price of £5,000 and 25.4 acres of grassland, offered in four parcels, in Witchford, near Ely, with a guide price of £165,000.
Ian Kitson, director, Cheffins said: “The final sale of this year sees a diverse catalogue, full of quirky opportunities for property investors.
“The market for investment properties and doer uppers continues to be strong, despite the rumblings in the property market of declining house prices.
“Private investors and end users continue to head to auction to try and find a bargain, and this has increased as global uncertainty continues to make property and land even more attractive as assets.”
The auction will take place on Wednesday 7th December, from 2pm, online at www.cheffins.co.uk
To view the catalogue, visit: https://www.cheffins.co.uk/property-auctions.htm
For further information, contact Cheffins Property Auction team on 01223 213343, property.auctions@cheffins.co.uk
