For sale and flush with potential: Loos with a view in Yorkshire

Estate agent Tim Gower jokingly refers to the latest property on his books as “bog-standard” knowing that it is anything but.

The tucked-away toilet block sits on a plinth overlooking one of Britain’s most famous views.

Nestled into the banks of the River Ure, the 100 sq ft building hovers above the spectacular Aysgarth Falls in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales and it’s flush with potential.

Tim, who manages the Leyburn branch of Robin Jessop, says: “This is a real hidden gem. “There will never be a better opportunity to buy such an affordable and unique property in such an unrivalled position.

“It offers scope for a variety of uses, subject to planning permission and may be of interest to an artist or photographer or it could be turned into a small studio for musicians.”

Rechristened the “loos with a view”, the building is now up for auction for offers over £8,000. Tim describes it as a “small but solid building on a concrete apron built onto rock” and adds: “It provides a great viewing platform, which could be made safe with a railing or perhaps a glass balcony to provide a super, small terraced garden and the front of the building could also be glazed to give an amazing view from inside.”

Any alterations would need the blessing of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority but there is precedence as properties further down on the other side of the river have Juliet balconies.

The toilet block is now used as a storage space and viewing platform but was originally built for the late 19th century cottages across the road. It contained three privies in the days when bathrooms were a distant dream and tin baths, chamber pots and shared outside lavatories were the norm.

Owner Ann Kiely has owned the block for 15 years and lives nearby.

She says: “We have used it for sitting out and we’ve allowed photographers to use it too. There’s a small island in the river where birds nest and at dusk you can see bats flying, so it’s a great place to take pictures.”

She adds: “I’m not sure who will buy it but it could appeal to someone who wants their own little part of the Dales, somewhere to sit and enjoy Aysgarth Falls in private.”

Prospective buyers will be pleased to know that the “loos with a view” come with no chain.

Access is via a gate by the road, which leads down stone steps. The gate is kept locked and viewings are conducted entirely at the viewers’ own risk.

*The toilet block is for sale by public auction on Tuesday, April 10, at 6pm at The Allerton Court Hotel, Northallerton. For more details visit www.robinjessop.co.uk, tel: 01969 622800.

*A popular tourist attraction, Aysgarth Falls are a triple flight of waterfalls that tumble over a one-mile stretch of the River Ure on its descent through Wensleydale. They cascade over a series of limestone steps and have attracted visitors for over 200 years. They have been captured by a number of famous artists, including Ruskin and Turner. The section by the toilet block featured in the film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in the clip where Little John is pushed into water.