Sold, Gothic mansion with £1 price tag

THERE is no denying that this crumbling Gothic pile is badly in need of some work.

But the dilapidated Victorian mansion, which was offered for sale for only £1, has sold at auction for £124,000 after attracting bids from across the globe.

The Elms in Arbroath, Angus, attracted interest from Berlin to Boston. The lack of a ‘reserve’ price meant that if £1 had been the highest bid, then that is what the French-Gothic mansion would have sold for.

Despite the global interest, it was a local developer who won the online sale. Seller National Property Auctions said it will be excited to see the ‘finished result’ once the improvements to the building are completed.

The Elms was built in the 19th century for a local mill-owning family but is now near derelict.

In the sales brochure, National Property Auctions described the mansion as in a ‘poor’ state and listed on the national buildings at risk register.

It also recommended that anyone who was thinking of making a bid for the property take legal advice before parting with their cash.

Yesterday, auction house managing director Mani Cooper said: ‘The response globally for this property has been fantastic, from Berlin to America we have had interest and bidders. The Elms sold today and the successful buyer has paid £124,000. It’s a fantastic auction result which shows that an auction can achieve the best price in a short space of time, with a concluded contract offering security for both buyer and seller.

‘We here at National Property Auctions are delighted with the result and the sellers are equally delighted.

‘This lot was sold via an online auction and has exceeded all of our expectations, we would love to the see the finished result when the buyer has carried out the works to the property.’

The mansion was designed by architect William Leiper, famed for the Templeton carpet factory in Glasgow.

The Elms operated as a hotel until the Second World War when it was requisitioned by the War Office.

The mansion was later run as a children’s home for the World-Wide Evangelisation Crusade.

It closed in the early 1990s, and in the years since has been the subject of failed plans for residential conversion.

There have been increasing concerns about its deterioration.

In 2004, developers removed features including stained glass windows, marble fireplaces and ornate hand-painted mahogany ceiling panels. The Elms has been the subject of several notices issued by Angus Council, including urgent works orders aimed at protecting the building.

Dilapidated: The Elms is in a poor state