Former Shropshire Methodist churches eclipse guide prices at auction
Two former Methodist churches in Shropshire villages are to be given a new lease of life after being sold at a collective property auction in Shrewsbury on Friday.
Edgerley and Melverley Methodist Churches, both near Shrewsbury, eclipsed their guide prices at auctioneers Halls’ seven-lot auction at the company’s Battlefield headquarters.
Both churches were described by Halls’ director and auctioneer Allen Gittins as having great potential for a variety of alternative usages, subject to planning consent.
“Former churches in village locations always seem to capture the imagination in Shropshire and the Marches and both these properties have interesting original features, which added to their charm,” he said. “We were delighted with the prices achieved at the auction and with the huge interest they generated.”
Edgerley Methodist Chapel, which had a guide price of £5,000 to £10,000, sold for £54,000. The former church is situated just outside the hamlet of Pentre, close to the village of Kinnerley and within 11 miles of both Shrewsbury and Oswestry.
Constructed as a primitive Methodist Church (Jubilee Chapel) in 1860, the building was extended in around 1920 and the 1960s. Original features included timber panelled walls, a raised timber seating area/stage to front and windows with part stained glass work. The accommodation comprised an entrance lobby, kitchen and main church.
Dating to 1865, Melverley Methodist Church, which had a guide price of £15,000 to £20,000, found a buyer for £61,000. Attractively situated in the centre of the rural hamlet of Melverley, the former church had many interesting internal features, including a vaulted ceiling with possibly enough height for a second floor, arched metal windows and a raised altar area.
Outside there was an 'L' shaped area of grass to the front and side of the building with potential for a parking area, garage and gardens.
