Former school - Berwick, Northumberland

Reader Ellie wrote to me about this fab former school. Here's why:

I am a HUGE fan of Wreck of the Week. I'm writing because there is a
particular wreck that is deeply lodged in my heart, which I'd love you to
share in the hope of finding someone to do it up! Every time I go to visit
my partner's grandmother, I walk by it and it is incredible. It's called St
Aidan's School House and is in Berwick-upon-Tweed, with incredible sea
views.

It is, indeed, an incredible building - and this isn't the first time I've been asked to look at an old building that's been sitting on the market for too long.
The issues tend be similar - a building that's too big to make one home - so it puts off do-uppers, and has awkward development restrictions - so it puts off pro-developers.
St Aidan's has been gradually falling apart since it closed for good in 1998.
The Charity Commission - having discovered that the original trustees had all died - decided to sell it. Local estate agent Mike Rogerson took it on in 2012, winning planning permission to convert it into three houses.
However nothing has happened since and the local community is getting pretty fed up about that.
A covenant, restricting its use to educational purposes, may have deterred buyers, however I couldn't find any information on whether the restriction was still in place.
The details on the agent's website are limited to the point of making me question whether they are serious about selling - just one, external photo and no details whatsoever - including how many rooms, how big, and what land. (Tho' apparently the plans include a "dedicated vegetable garden"...)
However, the news stories did at least furnish me with a few more pictures to show you.

On the market through Mike Rogerson at offers over £350K. Scraps of info here and here

Three fab Anglesey do-ups

Does it sound really bad that I didn't actually know where Anglesey is until I started 'Wreck..'? 
Worse, I thought it was part of that Guernsey/Jersey bit in the Channel, rather than a rather pretty bit of Wales in the Irish Sea.
Sorry about that Anglesey-ians... Angleans...Anglesonions...Moch mon
Anyway, three stunning properties on Anglesey this week.
First, the seven-bedroomed former Rectory, above and below, up for auction at the end of this month.

The property, in the village of Llanfachraeth, comes with around two acres of garden land and outbuildings. It's thought to date from the 14th century but isn't Listed so - yay, plastic windows here we come!
If needs a fair bit of work. The photos show some damp issues (there's a well in the cellar and one in the garden..) and the agent's note mentions Japanese knotweed.
There's an old-lady-gone (or old vicar gone..) look about it - notice the Christmas tree, but it's a handsome property with bags of space.

As well as those seven bedrooms, there are four reception rooms (including a "parlour" with that gorgeous big Aga), kitchen, pantry, and cold room; a first floor bathroom and a shower room.
Up for auction on November 26th through Auction House North Wales (lot 10) with a guide price of £150-£175k. Details and more pictures here.
Reader James sent me this property, below, at Mona, Boddfordd.
The house actually belongs to his parents, who bought it ten years or so ago and are now selling up:

My parents began work and stopped the rot in the late 1990s (the house is 2* listed), my father being a carpenter his entire working life. They didn’t proceed much further due to some issues with the planning department around an intended change of use. Eventually they have decided to sell as they are both now in their 70s.

It has bags of history attached (links to Thomas Telford) and some of the creepiest cellars I've ever seen...

The former coaching inn has an enormous amount of space - seven rooms downstairs and ten upstairs, plus over a thousand square feet of vaulted cellars in the house itself; wrapped around with masses of stone outbuildings - presumably former stables for the 200-year-old, II* listed building.

There are bags of period details and features - but also some serious renovation and repairs to finish.
And the adjoining house is for sale separately. Hmm.

Outside is that massive courtyard, plus an original orchard, and static caravans for living in while you work.
On the market through HouseSimple with a guide price of £545k, details and more pictures here and here.
Last but most definitely not least is this beautiful former chapel in a hamlet close to the village of Gaerwen:

The stonebuilt chapel comes includes two-bedroom living accommodation plus a detached two-storey schoolhouse, and gardens:

There are masses of original details - hopefully they're included in the sale - and the whole lot is on the market through Dafyyd Hardy at offers over £150k. Details and more pictures here and here.

Six Highland crofts and cottages

It's cold,wet and windy today. Perfect weather for a virtual visit to Scotland for a round-up of six lovely wrecks.
Starting with my current favourite - the traditional cottage above and below, at Inverkirkaig, a couple of miles from the fishing port of Lochinver, Sutherland.
Three bedrooms, two reception, kitchen and bathroom - and gorgeous views over Inverkirkaig Bay.
outside is a small, fenced garden and disused outhouse.

It's on the market at offers over £100k through Wilsons - PDF here. Details and more pictures here.

There are no internal pix for the traditional Scottish croft (above), but the riverside location looks gorgeous.
On the market through Strutt & Parker at offers over £120k, you get the three-bed farmhouse above, plus the chunky stone outbuilding (below) and half an acre of land.

The property sits on the River Don, around seven  miles outside Alford, Aberdeenshire, on the A980.
More details and pictures here and here.
Talking of location, the view from this Caithness property is stunning:

Shame the house itself is so ugly:

On the market through Georgesons at offers over £60k, the house is being sold "as seen" (isn't that true of all property...?). It's at Bettyhill, in Caithness, around 30  miles from Thurso - and that view is over Betty Hill Bay.
The three-bed property has two reception rooms, bathroom and kitchen and a small garden.

More details and pix here and here.
Also in Caithness is the prettier cottage below, at East End, Armadale.

Three beds, living room, kitchen and bathroom. And lovely rural and sea views.

It comes with stone outbuildings and around five acres of tenanted and part-shared croft land - making this a more complex sale - but the whole package is on the market through Inksters at offers over £100k.
Details and more pix here and here.
If you're up for a bigger renovation challenge, £108k will get you two crofts (below) and land near the Highlands village of Helmsdale.

There are two derelict houses, one already de-crofted, plus a stone barn and just under five acres of croft land. Again - spectacular views, this time over the North Sea.
The properties are up for sale together or separately (the de-crofted house and plot is £40k) via Re/max Elite - details here.