At auction: 1970s modernist church in Neath, South Wales
With an auction price of £18k, this 1970s modernist church in Neath, South Wales, could be a dream of a project for someone.
But it isn’t one that is likely to be an easy project. Converting this into something usable will likely be expensive and require some thought. After all, it was only ever designed as a church.
But look at it. This is a statement modernist design, and although not listed, it is on the ‘Buildings of Local Importance List’. It would be a crying shame for this circa 1970 building to disappear from the landscape.
Specifically, you will find this former chapel in the village of Cimla. It sits on the main road through the village linking Neath and Pontrhydyfen, Port Talbot.
It was formerly the Church of St Peter and St Paul, consisting of the main church building and a hall. The church area looks in good shape, but the hall doesn’t look fared as well, as seen in the photos. But obviously, a viewing would be required to get a clear picture of this.
The main church looks interesting from the outside, with the ‘wow’ factor stepped up once you get inside. I wasn’t expecting what you have here, which is the timber detailing and heavy glazing combining to create quite a dramatic space.
Of course, the cross to the far end adds some drama, too. But it does look like a building in need of some love, with some of the windows boarded up and the room looking pretty sparse. Presumably, this is because most of the fixtures and fittings have been removed.
An entrance hall takes you into both spaces. The first is the congregation area I mentioned above, which has folding doors that open to link the hall and the chapel together. There are also male, female, and disabled toilets, along with kitchen and storage facilities. According to the agent, the internal area is around 3,588 sq.ft. in total.
Externally, the buildings occupy a plot of approximately 0.42 acres, with a walled, lawned area to the front of the buildings and a tarmac car park for around 18 vehicles to the south of the site.
All of that is being sold freehold, as well as via auction. That auction has just opened in terms of registering an interest, with the actual auction running between 26th March and 27th March 2025.
The opening bid is just £18,000 and you can find out more and see all the relevant documents at the agent’s site.
Images and details courtesy of Property Auction Agent. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
