Historic town church complete with pipe organ and choir stalls can be yours for £90k

A historic church has come on the market in the centre of a Welsh town and can be yours for as little as £90,000. St John’s Church is located in Priory Street in Carmarthen, a short distance from the many shops and businesses in the town's King Street.

The church, which has now been closed for a few years, was built more than 130 years ago and first opened by the Bishop of St Davids in 1890. It was a Welsh language church for the parish of St Peter, located around 500 yards from the much larger St Peter’s Church which is still fully operational. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.

The building of St John’s Church, which was designated as Grade II listed in 1981, is now up for sale after congregation numbers dwindled in the years leading up to its closure. What happens to former church buildings is an ongoing issue across the country, with data released in 2017 from the Church of Wales revealing that 115 Anglican churches had closed in the previous decade.

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The building is being advertised for sale by Swansea-based RJ Chartered Surveyors, who describe it as: “A purpose-built former church building. The building is Grade II listed as are the external railings. The construction comprises of masonry walls with facing stonework and bathstone quoins to the window openings. There are mainly single glazed windows with some stained glass.”

The pews inside the church were removed some years ago but the choir stalls and pipe organ remain. There is no parking on the site but the building is surrounded by a small lawned area which could be developed for parking subject to any buyer being granted the necessary planning permission.

It’s unclear what the building will or could be used for in future, but its location - close to town centre shops and within easy access of the A48 and M4 - is bound to be attractive to potential buyers. However, RJ Chartered Surveyors added that the property must not be used for the “manufacture, distribution or sale of alcohol”.

Furthermore, the building must not be used for religious use or immoral, sacrilegious, offensive or noisy purposes. It cannot be used for occult or psychic mediums, as a club or a venue which could “cause nuisance or annoyance to the vendor or the use of the retained churchyard”. Weddings will also not be allowed to take place at the site.

St John’s Church, also known as Eglwys Sant Ioan, is available to buy for £90,000.

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