The nine storey clock tower at St George’s Church at Castlefield has come onto the market for a nice, neat £1m.
I first looked round it back in 2004 (here) when the conversion of this landmark building had just been completed and it was then apparently the tallest living space in Europe. At nine storeys maybe it still is.
Eight years ago it was on the market for £1.2m but it didn’t fly off the books and I seem to recall it going for closer to £500,000.
I found it a strange old place. Access is via the cleverly divided soaring main body of the church but the tower itself felt confined despite the use of glass bricks everywhere to try and bring in more light.
The front door leads to the second floor which has a dining room and living room and spiral stairs down to the kitchen and a second sitting area.
There’s a spiral staircase from the second to the third floor but after that you have to take the miniature lift up to the bedrooms and finally the roof.
When you live in a tower you expect amazing views but several of the windows, apart from one spectacular full height masterpiece, are compromised by floor levels so you only get the vista from the roof.
Eight years ago it was on the market for £1.2m but it didn’t fly off the books and I seem to recall it going for closer to £500,000.
More lately the building has had problems with the roof and has been shrouded in scaffolding for the past 18 months as repairs were carried out. But all work is now apparently complete which probably explains why a number of other apartments here, as well as the clock tower, have come onto the market.
The tower and others are on with Jordan Fishwick whose Liz Kenworthy admits it was tricky to value the tower.
She said: “It is a complete one-off so there are no direct comparisons.”
You do get three car parking spaces and access to some private space.
More details with Jordan Fishwick on 0161 833 9499. Click here.
If you fancy living in the church but don’t have seven figures they have a two bed/two bath which seems good value at £144,950. Click here.
Or if you can get a stained glass window of saints watch over you in the bedroom for £300,000. Click here.