A Huddersfield cemetery lodge is among the buildings Kirklees Council hopes to offload in upcoming auctions.
When the local authority’s financial position was particularly tough back in 2023/24, with a £47m black hole in the budget, the council announced it would be looking to sell off several assets, from landmarks and historic buildings to plots of land, in the hopes of bringing in at least £4m.
Over the past months and weeks many of these auctions have come to fruition, with pieces of Kirklees’ history sold to the highest bidder. The iconic former Red House Museum at Gomersal was sold for £650,000 and the former Almondbury Library at Stocks Walk went for £253,000.
Now, the lots to be sold in June via Pugh Auctions have been published, with several from Kirklees Council.
Among them, the Grade-II Listed cemetery lodge at Edgerton Cemetery, Cemetery Road, Huddersfield. The lodge has a guide price of £150,000 plus and was last used as office premises.
The listing explains that works have been undertaken on the property since 2020, including fitting of new floors and windows, as well as repairs to the roof. However, it is said to be in need of “comprehensive refurbishment”. Once refurbished, the property is said to be suitable for a range of uses including as offices or a home.
Another part of Edgerton Cemetery made headlines last week, when it was revealed that its chapel had made the Victorian Society’s most endangered list.
Elsewhere, at Nettleton Road in Mirfield, Pathways – a former day centre making up part of the recovery college, which provided courses and workshops to boost wellbeing – is up for sale with a guide price of £300,000 plus. When the closure of Pathways announced, hundreds signed a petition hoping to save the centre to no avail.
The property is set over two storeys, with a basement and private courtyard and is located close to the centre of Mirfield.
The final Kirklees plot to go under the hammer next month is former council offices and retail premises at Huddersfield Road in Holmfirth. The site comes with a guide price of £150,000 plus and has been branded a “possible redevelopment opportunity”.
The property is located in Holmfirth town centre, with Victoria Park to the rear. The office portion of the building has three storeys, with the retail section set over two storeys. Auctioneers believe that the upper floors could be converted into residential accommodation, subject to the necessary planning consents.
