Inside the B-listed blue church on Scottish island for sale for £47,000
The church is due to go under the hammer this month.
A former church painted blue on a Scottish island has come on the market.
Dunrossness Church, in the south of mainland Shetland, is set to go under the hammer with a guide price of £47,000.
The B-listed building, which dates back to 1790, according to Church of Scotland, has been fully refurbished, property agents Online Property Auctions Scotland (OPAS), said.
The 319 square metre-building has a sanctuary (with first floor gallery), a meeting room, a kitchen, two toilets and three entrance vestibules. It is understood the organ was rehomed when it was sold to a private buyer last year.
The former Church of Scotland church sits within a graveyard, but this will continue to be maintained by Shetland Islands Council and the public, and relatives of anyone interred there will continue to have access.
OPAS said the building was previously purchased by a builder who has carried out extensive works to the external and internal of the building in order for it to be a fresh start for anyone wishing to buy it.
Subject to planning permission, the property company said the building, with views of the north sea and surrounding countryside, could present “an exciting development opportunity” such as a holiday let potential.
Situated in Dunrossness just off the A970, the main road that runs from south to north of mainland Shetland, the site is close to services, including a mini market and a petrol station. There is also a local primary school nearby.
Sumburgh airport is a 10-minute drive from the church, which has flights to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow and Kirkwall.
The Church of Scotland agreed in 2018 to close 20 of its 31 buildings on the island as falling congregations made the retention of so many buildings unviable.
While some have been sold publicly, some kirks have been bought by community groups.
When the church was first sold to a private buyer last year, Rev Frances Henderson at the time told Shetland News: “We pray that Dunrossness Church will have a good future, but most importantly, the population of Dunrossness and its surroundings remains in our pastoral care, and all members and friends of the congregation will be warmly welcomed at Sandwick Church for our regular 10am Sunday services.”
Bidding for the church opens on 23 October at 9am via OAPS.
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