Auction gem
Up for auction: 1960s radar training station in Fleetwood, Lancashire
One of my favourite buildings, the 1960s radar training station in Fleetwood, Lancashire, is about to go up for auction.
It’s such a favourite that I dragged my young children over to Fleetwood last year to see it. I’ll be honest: they were more interested in the dine-in fish and chop shop up the road and a run around on the beach. But in time, I’m sure they will learn to love it. They would if I bought it, but that’s unlikely to happen due to financial constraints.
But if I had the money, I would make it mine. It isn’t up with the biggest of guide prices, but I suspect that’s the least of your worries. This grade II-listed gem from 1961 is likely to need considerable work to make it a functional space once more.
As you can see, this is a modestly sized, single-storey building with a strong midcentury modern, perhaps even futuristic vibe about it. This is a building that stops you in your tracks.
It was the work of the Lancashire County Council architects and sits just off the promenade, with stilts to protect it from the high tide. Its purpose, as the title suggests, was radar training via the local authority. It was later leased to Blackpool and The Fylde College, with ownership about to return to the local authority ahead of sale. As far as I can see, very little happens here at present. That’s the feeling I got when I visited.
According to the Historic England listing, the building is made of reinforced concrete, with a flat roof and a simple single-storey layout. There is a timber door just off the promenade, timber floors and a wonderful sweep of glazing looking out to see.
What could you do with it? I suppose that’s only limited by your imagination and your budget. I suspect you will also need to investigate the listing conditions, the condition of the building and permissions in terms of change of use too.
When I first saw it, I thought it would make a perfect Airbnb/holiday let with the help of a good architect. Space is modest, and you would have to squeeze some use out of every corner. That floorspace is officially listed as covering 1,819 sq. ft. Possibly a beach house or small shop too. You would really need to view it to see just what you could make of it. I imagine the local authority would be keen to see such an iconic building brought back into use rather than see it decay further.
There is time to think about it, as the auction is on Tuesday, 30th January 2024. So a couple of months to ponder and book a viewing of this radar station. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and with a £50,000 guide price, I suspect there will be interest. Of course, if any TV production companies want to film me doing this up, you know where I am.
Images and details courtesy of Pugh Auctions. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
