A former community church in Brechin is set to be put on the market and could be snapped up for just £70,000.
The old Maison Dieu Church, which dates from the 1890s, has been empty for several decades but could now be given a new lease of life.
It is being sold with planning permission attached for conversion into seven two-bedroom apartments.
Amber Cochrane, marketing and PR manager at Verdala Properties – which is handling the sale – said: “It will be coming to the market at offers over £69,000 and includes planning permission for seven two-bedroom apartments.
“Verdala has been trading for one year and this is our first listing in Brechin which we are very excited about.
“As a team we feel incredibly fortunate to help find the perfect purchaser to breathe life back into the Maison Dieu Church.
“We believe the building has been vacant since the early 1980s/late 70s, although we are having difficulty sourcing a year for this.
“The church was first marketed by the Church of Scotland in 1995, selling to an American sailor in 1997, who wished to restore the building.
“Since posting on our Facebook page we have received lots of comments from locals.
“Attending the school Christmas church services at Andover Primary School seems to be a favourite memory for most.”
What is the history of the building?
The church was built by Sir George Washington Browne in 1891 in a late classical-neo Georgian style.
It is made of sandstone with ashlar surrounds, and its Greek-style front overlooks Withden Road from the top of a hill.
According to the Buildings at Risk Register, a preservation trust was set up in 2001 to support the future of the building – and in 2003 a feasibility study is thought to have been carried out into its use as a Scottish fiddle centre.
An inspection in 2009 found its condition was deteriorating rapidly and by 2011 the church had been put up for sale via Ryden in Dundee.
The site was put up for auction in 2016 and again in 2018 while listed building consent was granted for the flats plan in 2019, followed by full planning permission later that year, but has remained in a poor state of repair since.
