Two chapels at Benfieldside Cemetary up for sale

Jan 26 2009 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

WHEN they said the housing market was dead, they weren’t lying. In a unique opportunity for developers, two chapels, which stand on a County Durham cemetery are up for sale with planning permission secured to convert them into three-bedroom homes.

The East and West Chapels in Benfieldside Cemetery Blackhill, County Durham, are on the market for £150,000 each.

The grade II listed buildings were used for burial services up until the 1920s and scores of graves surround them.

Karl Dixon, a valuer for estate agents Rook Matthews Sayer, said he expected the buildings to generate lots of interest.

“This is a good opportunity for a developer looking for a project,” he said.

“It’s a good time to do this sort of thing with building costs being low.

“It’s a unique development, it’s a unique situation and it’s a unique opportunity. So it’s going to take a unique individual who is going to come and see these and fall in love with the architecture.

“You are going to have gravestones on a site like this and you won’t find architecture like this anywhere else.”

Mr Dixon said interest could come from a variety of people.

“You could obviously get developers coming in but it would also be a great opportunity for two sets of friends or two families who are close and want to live near each other.

“It’s not like buying a three-bed semi somewhere, though. But when you imagine the desired finish, it’s a great chance.”

Anthony Crosby, 45, a chartered surveyor, of Fulwell, Sunderland, bought the properties around four years ago. Last month he secured planning permission for the former chapels which would allow them to be refurbished as three-bedroom houses.

“They were used for church services for burials,” Mr Crosby said. “They date back to 1826 but they were used for services up until around the 1920s. The west one is pretty much original and the east one has been slightly altered.

“They are such original properties. It’s something for somebody who is looking for something different.

“Architecturally, they are very pleasing to the eye and I think they would make really good homes.”

Plans have been drawn up for both chapels by Billinghurst George and Partners which would see damaged stonework replaced, lead flashing repaired and windows reinstated in their original designs. The ground floors will house a living and dining area as well as a lobby, a kitchen and a toilet.

The first floors of the homes, meanwhile, will include three bedrooms, a bathroom and a hallway.