A chapel and its accompanying Sunday School have gone on sale for £1.6million after they were converted into two luxury homes for buyers wanting a touch of Georgian splendour.
The Old Chapel in Throop, near Bournemouth, Dorset, fell into disrepair after closing its doors more than a decade ago due to a dwindling congregation.
The lead was stolen from the roof, resulting in leaks and mould and fungus growing inside leaving the once grandiose property a far cry from its glory days.
A chapel and its accompanying Sunday School have gone on sale for £1.6million after they were converted into two luxury homes for buyers wanting a touch of Georgian splendour
The two run-down properties were bought two years ago from the United Reformed Trust by interior designer Elizabeth Frank.
She has since converted the Grade II listed chapel and the old Sunday School attached to it into a pair of state-of-the-art homes.
The Old Chapel still has many of its original features, including wood panelling, church pews and part of the original altar inside while the former graveyard makes up the garden complete with tombs and gravestones.
A pew forms a bench for the dining table and part of the original altar has been incorporated into the kitchen units.
The Old Chapel in Throop, near Bournemouth, Dorset, fell into disrepair after closing its doors more than a decade ago due to a dwindling congregation
The two run-down properties were bought two years ago from the United Reformed Trust by interior designer Elizabeth Frank
There is an open-plan kitchen-come-living space with a vaulted ceiling and arched windows flooding the area with light. It has a galleried master bedroom suite, two further bedrooms and a bathroom.
Ms Frank, 62, lives in the chapel while her daughter Emma Thorogood and her partner James Ballard live in the three-bedroom Schoolhouse.
But the family have now decided to sell both properties for £800,000 each due to work changes. The chapel was built in 1828 and served as the Throop United Reformed Church.
The Schoolhouse, which is also Grade II listed, was built in 1830 but rebuilt in 1866 after it was destroyed by fire.
She has since converted the Grade II listed chapel and the old Sunday School attached to it into a pair of state-of-the-art homes
The Old Chapel still has many of its original features, including wood panelling, church pews and part of the original altar inside while the former graveyard makes up the garden complete with tombs and gravestones
A pew forms a bench for the dining table and part of the original altar has been incorporated into the kitchen units. There is an open-plan kitchen-come-living space with a vaulted ceiling and arched windows flooding the area with light. It has a galleried master bedroom suite, two further bedrooms and a bathroom
The Schoolhouse has 1,549 sq ft of accommodation with an open plan kitchen and living area, a utility/shower room and three bedrooms, with an en suite in the master bedroom.
By 2006 the congregation had dwindled to just ten people and the chapel was closed.
Ms Frank said: ‘When I bought the chapel it had been boarded up for about ten years and it was totally derelict.
‘I just drove past and saw the board outside saying it was for sale, I looked at the building and just went ‘wow’.
‘It was little more than a shell, it was leaking because all the lead had been stolen from the roof and there was mould and fungus growing everywhere.
There is an open-plan kitchen-come-living space with a vaulted ceiling and arched windows flooding the area with light. It has a galleried master bedroom suite, two further bedrooms and a bathroom
Ms Frank, 62, lives in the chapel while her daughter Emma Thorogood and her partner James Ballard live in the three-bedroom Schoolhouse. But the family have now decided to sell both properties for £800,000 each due to work changes
The Schoolhouse, which is also Grade II listed, was built in 1830 but rebuilt in 1866 after it was destroyed by fire. The Schoolhouse has 1,549 sq ft of accommodation with an open plan kitchen and living area, a utility/shower room and three bedrooms, with an en suite in the master bedroom
‘It was pretty hideous but I could see the potential it had. I fell in love with the building and my daughter came back from living in Dubai and I thought it would be a perfect place for us both to live.
‘But they are now moving to Italy for work so we’ve decided to sell.
‘We did the work on the two properties more or less simultaneously and it took about 18 months.
‘I absolutely wanted to include any original features I could, so the fretwork from the altar has become part of the kitchen units and the wood around the television is the framework from the altar.
By 2006 the congregation had dwindled to just ten people and the chapel was closed. Ms Frank said: ‘When I bought the chapel it had been boarded up for about ten years and it was totally derelict
‘The two properties, the Old Chapel and the Schoolhouse, can be bought individually or as a whole for extended families or somebody who wants to live in one and run another as a holiday let. There are endless possibilities’ the sellers said
‘All the windows had to restored and everything had to be done very carefully and in consultation with the planning department because the property is listed and in a conservation area.
‘The dripping water had caused a lot of problems and it was certainly more work than we had originally envisaged, but it was worth it.
‘The spaces are wonderful, it’s very large and airy with beautiful high ceilings, but because we put in underfloor heating it’s also very cosy in winter.
The Schoolhouse has 1,549 sq ft of accommodation with an open plan kitchen and living area, a utility/shower room and three bedrooms, with an en suite in the master bedroom
The Schoolhouse, which is also Grade II listed, was built in 1830 but rebuilt in 1866 after it was destroyed by fire
‘In the garden, the altar tombs are still in their original positions, the church trust had already moved the gravestones to the side and everything was covered in brambles and ivy when we bought it.
‘We gently cleaned it all up. The names on the tombs are all old local family names dating back to the 19th century.
‘The two properties, the Old Chapel and the Schoolhouse, can be bought individually or as a whole for extended families or somebody who wants to live in one and run another as a holiday let. There are endless possibilities.’