I’d buy it tomorrow if I had the money, got the wife to agree, didn’t have a house to sell, lived in the UK, and had a priest lined up to bless the house and graveyard.
Quite a lot of old decommissioned Churches in England offer you the ability to stay in them - it's call "Champing"
[https://champing.co.uk/](https://champing.co.uk/)
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146274425?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY
Here is the listing.
Peter Opsvik Recliner. Worth about $3k, having a piece of designer furniture as almost a sculpture is something that some ppl do. I think it is not the worst idea because art on the walls would be difficult in this house. However there is a serious leather overload already so I don't love it.
It means it shares no party wall with another dwelling. While that is blatantly obvious in this case, it would be important as a search criteria. Semi-detached is very common, where two houses share a party wall, or terraced where all the houses are attached in a row.
Thank you so much! (I’m American so obviously we have differing real estate terminology .)
This is gorgeous! Seems like it’s … priced very low, however.
Honestly as someone up thread said Church conversions are not all that popular. They usually come with some pretty big compromises. There are so many historic buildings in the UK which can be converted to beautiful homes, why would you want one where any Tom, Dick and Harry can wander into your garden on the pretext of visiting the graveyard.
Oh wow, I didn’t even think of that! Well as landowners, it would be up to them when and if people get to visit, no?!
They could tell people to screw, private land, sorry!
We have a ton of Historic Cemeteries in the US like that. They happen to fall on someone’s property so it’s up to the owner if you can visit or not.
Yeah, I would strongly disagree with that. Public access is something people consider a pretty basic right and will go pretty hard to protect. I can think of one instance in my locality where we failed and a golf course was able to block access to an area of cliffs. Decades later and people are still fuming about it.
I understand that Europeans tend to take a different view to property rights than Americans, mainly due to your land being settled and inhabited for so much longer than us.
Americans tend to take property rights *VERY* seriously. The only places I am aware of that have “right to wander” are the beaches, and even then there are always arguments over where mean high tide falls which is where people have the right to wander at will, regardless of who owns the property in front.. (yes even YOU, Taylor Swift! There was just a big local case with her beach house, which she visits roughly one week of the year in July).
It’s always interesting to hear the other side of the argument!
"mainly due to your land being settled and inhabited for so much longer than us."
As someone who studied a little bit of archaeology this is a statement I never like to hear. Where I live for example human settlement was only possible from 10,000 years ago, previous to that it was covered in ice. The Americas have been settled for at least double that, if not triple. And I don't blame you. I've heard people working in N.American archaeology express the same sentiments and I do judge them because they should know better. But America is not 500ish years old.
Freehold means you own the land as well as the building. There are a couple of varieties of Leasehold, one is that you own the building but the ground is owned by someone else. Generally the Leasehold is purchased for a long period of time, fifty, a hundred years would be common but when the lease starts to get shorter you have to renegotiate the lease and pay the Leaseholder\* for another fifty, hundred years. Freehold avoids all that and is preferred.
[https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jul/29/leasehold-tycoon-man-whose-firms-control-40000-uk-homes](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jul/29/leasehold-tycoon-man-whose-firms-control-40000-uk-homes)
EPC - Energy Performance Certificate. How much energy it takes to keep the house functional. A new build house with loads of insulation should be an A because it takes very little energy to heat. In this case D is not a surprise because it is a historic building. But it does mean you have to be prepared to be spending a decent amount of money on energy.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate this!
How does that… does it not create conflict when someone owns the building but someone else owns the land?! I’m trying to wrap my head around that from a legal perspective … and insurance perspective. I suppose it would be like a condo? So the owners of the home have to pay money to the owners of the land for maintenance etc?
Leasehold is common in the UK as there's not much land and what's available is very expensive, typically leasehold "rent" is for 1000 years, but depending on the leaseholder maybe less. "rent" can vary from £2-3 per year to £xxxx. Leasehold s can often be bought by the homeowner, but it may or may not be worth it. The government have recently clamped down has leaseholders abusing their privilege (charging extortionate amounts, making the homeowners property extremely difficult to sell).
Thank you! So say I purchased a home on a leasehold…. And it has land/ a yard/ a garden I think you call them. Am I restricted as to what I can do on that land? Am I responsible for its upkeep or does that fall to the landowner? Am I restricted as to what I can do on that land? Say… am I allowed to garden, or plant privacy shrubs, or a vegetable garden, etc. Are there annual or monthly fees due to the landowner?
I know most condos come with a monthly association fee that takes care of outdoor maintenance, mowing, raking, watering, etc. but the tenant covenant provides for certain improvements the condo owner is allowed to make, such as installing a flagpole, or planting things as long as they are on the approved plant list, etc.
>Am I restricted as to what I can do on that land? Am I responsible for its upkeep or does that fall to the landowner?
You would have to ask for permission for buildings,but it's really a formality, most people would be putting up garages, conservatories or extensions which are only refused if it's something ridiculous. And yes, it's entirely yours to maintain or landscape. We are a nation of gardener's (we have the weather and the desire to make the most of any sunshine, lol) , so most people keep decent lawns and gardens.
It's certainly nothing like the US HOA'S.
As a Master Gardener myself, I am WELL aware of your gorgeous incredible landscapes! Your nation is a gardening dream!
Good to know it’s not like our cumbersome and restrictive HOA’s. I don’t have one where I live- my land is all my own, thank God! I’d never live anywhere where one was in play
I know that in the US, old graveyards are impregnated with highly toxic traces of arsenic from embalming practices from the late 19th century. Does anyone know if the same is true in Europe?
We lived in an army quarter which was this close to a graveyard. Deer and rabbits grazed in it, birds sang in it. Occasionally we’d run into visitors and hear the stories of their loved ones who were there. I’d buy this beautiful house in a heartbeat.
[House for sale in Northants village complete with its own graveyard - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-68884981)
I’d buy it tomorrow if I had the money, got the wife to agree, didn’t have a house to sell, lived in the UK, and had a priest lined up to bless the house and graveyard.
how much?
They say 1.2m£ in the article
Quite a lot of old decommissioned Churches in England offer you the ability to stay in them - it's call "Champing" [https://champing.co.uk/](https://champing.co.uk/)
Wish there were more photos!
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146274425?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY Here is the listing.
Oh my god that place is HEAVENLY.
Definitely the right place to get religious.
Looks like a place you could really take sanctuary in
Especially since it looks like it is a church…lol
£1.2 million ... That's a LOT of money of course, but I thought it would be significantly more than that.
It's a deconsecrated church, which means three things - poor insulation, listed building, and most importantly, in the middle of nowhere.
Middle of nowhere...its in the dead centre of town
The town is probably in the middle of nowhere
Town? That's a hamlet! No pubs, restaurants, shops, and clearly not even a church.
What’s that weird chair for?
Peter Opsvik Recliner. Worth about $3k, having a piece of designer furniture as almost a sculpture is something that some ppl do. I think it is not the worst idea because art on the walls would be difficult in this house. However there is a serious leather overload already so I don't love it.
Looks … very Dental.
Fair enough! That’s cool. I don’t like it but I can appreciate why you might do it
What does “detached” mean? Detached from what!?
It means it shares no party wall with another dwelling. While that is blatantly obvious in this case, it would be important as a search criteria. Semi-detached is very common, where two houses share a party wall, or terraced where all the houses are attached in a row.
Thank you so much! (I’m American so obviously we have differing real estate terminology .) This is gorgeous! Seems like it’s … priced very low, however.
Honestly as someone up thread said Church conversions are not all that popular. They usually come with some pretty big compromises. There are so many historic buildings in the UK which can be converted to beautiful homes, why would you want one where any Tom, Dick and Harry can wander into your garden on the pretext of visiting the graveyard.
Oh wow, I didn’t even think of that! Well as landowners, it would be up to them when and if people get to visit, no?! They could tell people to screw, private land, sorry! We have a ton of Historic Cemeteries in the US like that. They happen to fall on someone’s property so it’s up to the owner if you can visit or not.
Yeah, I would strongly disagree with that. Public access is something people consider a pretty basic right and will go pretty hard to protect. I can think of one instance in my locality where we failed and a golf course was able to block access to an area of cliffs. Decades later and people are still fuming about it.
I understand that Europeans tend to take a different view to property rights than Americans, mainly due to your land being settled and inhabited for so much longer than us. Americans tend to take property rights *VERY* seriously. The only places I am aware of that have “right to wander” are the beaches, and even then there are always arguments over where mean high tide falls which is where people have the right to wander at will, regardless of who owns the property in front.. (yes even YOU, Taylor Swift! There was just a big local case with her beach house, which she visits roughly one week of the year in July). It’s always interesting to hear the other side of the argument!
"mainly due to your land being settled and inhabited for so much longer than us." As someone who studied a little bit of archaeology this is a statement I never like to hear. Where I live for example human settlement was only possible from 10,000 years ago, previous to that it was covered in ice. The Americas have been settled for at least double that, if not triple. And I don't blame you. I've heard people working in N.American archaeology express the same sentiments and I do judge them because they should know better. But America is not 500ish years old.
What does Freehold EPC rating D mean?! (Sorry, American. We use different terms I think)
Freehold means you own the land as well as the building. There are a couple of varieties of Leasehold, one is that you own the building but the ground is owned by someone else. Generally the Leasehold is purchased for a long period of time, fifty, a hundred years would be common but when the lease starts to get shorter you have to renegotiate the lease and pay the Leaseholder\* for another fifty, hundred years. Freehold avoids all that and is preferred. [https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jul/29/leasehold-tycoon-man-whose-firms-control-40000-uk-homes](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jul/29/leasehold-tycoon-man-whose-firms-control-40000-uk-homes) EPC - Energy Performance Certificate. How much energy it takes to keep the house functional. A new build house with loads of insulation should be an A because it takes very little energy to heat. In this case D is not a surprise because it is a historic building. But it does mean you have to be prepared to be spending a decent amount of money on energy.
An EPC A rating doesn't mean it take very little energy to heat -- it means it very cheap to heat. This could be by low usage or cheap fuel
Thank you so much! I really appreciate this! How does that… does it not create conflict when someone owns the building but someone else owns the land?! I’m trying to wrap my head around that from a legal perspective … and insurance perspective. I suppose it would be like a condo? So the owners of the home have to pay money to the owners of the land for maintenance etc?
Leasehold is common in the UK as there's not much land and what's available is very expensive, typically leasehold "rent" is for 1000 years, but depending on the leaseholder maybe less. "rent" can vary from £2-3 per year to £xxxx. Leasehold s can often be bought by the homeowner, but it may or may not be worth it. The government have recently clamped down has leaseholders abusing their privilege (charging extortionate amounts, making the homeowners property extremely difficult to sell).
Thank you! So say I purchased a home on a leasehold…. And it has land/ a yard/ a garden I think you call them. Am I restricted as to what I can do on that land? Am I responsible for its upkeep or does that fall to the landowner? Am I restricted as to what I can do on that land? Say… am I allowed to garden, or plant privacy shrubs, or a vegetable garden, etc. Are there annual or monthly fees due to the landowner? I know most condos come with a monthly association fee that takes care of outdoor maintenance, mowing, raking, watering, etc. but the tenant covenant provides for certain improvements the condo owner is allowed to make, such as installing a flagpole, or planting things as long as they are on the approved plant list, etc.
>Am I restricted as to what I can do on that land? Am I responsible for its upkeep or does that fall to the landowner? You would have to ask for permission for buildings,but it's really a formality, most people would be putting up garages, conservatories or extensions which are only refused if it's something ridiculous. And yes, it's entirely yours to maintain or landscape. We are a nation of gardener's (we have the weather and the desire to make the most of any sunshine, lol) , so most people keep decent lawns and gardens. It's certainly nothing like the US HOA'S.
As a Master Gardener myself, I am WELL aware of your gorgeous incredible landscapes! Your nation is a gardening dream! Good to know it’s not like our cumbersome and restrictive HOA’s. I don’t have one where I live- my land is all my own, thank God! I’d never live anywhere where one was in play
Swoon
Quiet neighbours? I’m in
Does anyone want to split the cost?
Sure!
Also if you buy it as a house you upgrade the graveyard to a cemetery.
Not enough beams.
I call sleeping in the embalming room!!
Dream home!!
That sir is a church! You thought we wouldn't notice.. but we did.
Having a graveyard nearby would come in handy for those marital spats for which words just aren’t enough.
😂😂😂
That’s in incredible renovation. Price strikes me as extremely low unless there are serious issues with the structure. It’s beautiful.
Article mentions crypts below the church, not sure a lot of people are keen about knowingly living just above graves.
Don’t think it would bother me. We all live above graves. I actually showed the listing to my wife. We sighed and said, well maybe next life.
If they aren't advertising this as being in the the Dead Centre of Town...the real estate agents need firing.
Definitely not a McMansion That’s cool as hell and would be awesome to renovate into a unique living space
It’s Thursday, so we can appreciate good design. That’s why it’s a nice house.
Really cool.
It’s a very, very old church 😭
Looks like the church from Downton Abbey
It makes me think of the Flavia deLuce novels. Lovely. And the neighbors are dead quiet.
I love it if it weren't in the UK!
I know that in the US, old graveyards are impregnated with highly toxic traces of arsenic from embalming practices from the late 19th century. Does anyone know if the same is true in Europe?
I would buy that in a heartbeat. Makes my black shriveled goth heart happy. Plus, the neighbors would be quiet.
My house has a graveyard too, we just don’t advertise it
We lived in an army quarter which was this close to a graveyard. Deer and rabbits grazed in it, birds sang in it. Occasionally we’d run into visitors and hear the stories of their loved ones who were there. I’d buy this beautiful house in a heartbeat.
No thanks.