For sale: church conversion by the coast is one of the best you’ll see thanks to one woman’s determination and a crack team of craftsmen builders

With all that and more on her plate, it begs the question: “why would the business buy a church to convert?”

Turning churches and chapels into homes is rarely an easy proposition and yet Sharon couldn’t resist after spotting that historic St Edmund’s Church in the pretty coastal village of Fraisthorpe was due to be auctioned.

“I put in a sealed bid because I just got carried away with how beautiful the building was and the location is spectacular with views looking south over open fields and a beach just a mile away,” says Sharon, who adds that the fact the church has no graveyard was another plus point.

She admits that her heart ruled her head when buying it but has no regrets and those who have visited the former church since its change of use, agree that it could not have wished for a better custodian to take it from ecclesiastical to residential.

She won the bidding for it just as the UK went into the first lockdown of the pandemic. Fortunately, the Church of England had already gained planning consent to turn the Grade II listed property into a dwelling but Sharon wasn’t happy with the layout and didn’t think it was sympathetic to the building, which has its roots in the 13th century and was virtually rebuilt in 1893.

So another planning application went in. After the go-ahead was given it took the Liebre team nine months to transform the church with meticulous attention to detail.

“It wasn’t easy because the space was awkward and everything we did was bespoke but my partner is a skilled craftsman builder and great at problem solving,” says Sharon. “He worked out how to create the mezzanine floor for the bedrooms and managed to get the walnut staircase up there so it didn’t interrupt a beautiful church window. He was brilliant.”

Having an archaeologist on site while digging up the church floor to install underfloor heating and recovering a pre-reformation altar stone, which was buried in the grounds, was a planning stipulation.

When unearthed, the altar stone was in bits so the team battled with the jigsaw of pieces and managed to turn them into a stone surround for the new fire, which also features a 19th century altar rail.

The iron stands that held the altar rail were used to create a garden table and this wasn’t all they upcycled. Sharon was determined to use the font under the West Window as the base for a glass top dining table.

“How they moved that font in the 13th century I have no idea, it weighed a ton but we used a mix of old and new techniques,” she says. “We had a block and tackle but we added a motor to it so we didn’t have to use brute force to move the font.”

While the team were hard at work on the building, Sharon was busy with the usual barrage of paperwork while sourcing items for the former church via eBay, auctions and antique shops.

Among the best finds was a set of organ pipes now sprayed gold and on the entrance hall wall. A set of organ stops have made perfect kitchen door handles and a chandelier from a wedding venue adds sparkle.

“I ended up hiring a lock-up to keep my finds in, I’d collected so many,” says Sharon, who chose a Farrow and Ball blue along with a soft cream paint for the walls.

Making the building as energy efficient as possible was also important and it now has a rare EPC rating of B thanks to insulation and an air source heat pump.

While the conversion was strictly business, Sharon couldn’t bear to sell it immediately, so, it was put to work as a holiday let for a time and the reviews on it rave about the location, the church’s wow factor and its peaceful feel.

The no-expense-spared property is now on the market with LinkAgency for £595,000. On the ground floor is an entrance hall with a glazed wall, a kitchen with range cooker and bespoke units made by a local cabinet maker, a dining area and a sitting area. There’s also a luxurious shower room on this level, while the mezzanine has two beautiful bedrooms.

Outside, there is parking, a storage shed, electric vehicle charging point and gardens with rural views and a seating area.

The location is sublime and says Sharon: “The church is one of the best things we’ve done. It’s an escape from reality and it’s just a mile walk down a track through fields or a short drive to the golden sandy beach at Fraisthorpe. You can also walk to Bridlington, four miles away, on the cliff top. We will miss it when it sells."

*For details of the sale of the church email the Link Agency at [email protected], tel: 01482 699007.