Historic Braunston Stop House available at auction

The Trust is set to sell the building via auction, with the income from the Grade II Listed property being reinvested by the charity to help support the ongoing care of the nation’s historic waterways.

The Stop House is currently vacant and has been empty for several years. The Trust has spent the past two years trying to secure a rental tenant, and with very little interest from the rental market, the decision has been taken to offer the property for sale via auction at the end of July with a guide price of £200,000.

With the Stop House being vacant for some time, its condition has deteriorated and the sale will enable investment in the maintenance and structural condition of the building, as has been seen with other historic properties along the canal network. As the Stop House is Grade II Listed, the owner will have to abide by the heritage conservation protections in place to safeguard a building of this type.

With costs of caring for the nation’s ageing canal network increasing, the proceeds of the sale will help the Canal & River Trust in its work to protect the nation’s historic waterway network for future generations. The money generated from the sale of properties such as the Stop House is reinvested into other income-generating investments to help provide the year-after-year income which is needed to help with the ongoing maintenance and repair of the nation’s historic canals and river navigations.

Linny Beaumont, Canal & River Trust regional director in the East Midlands, said: “At the very heart of the nation’s canal network, this is a fantastic opportunity to own a cherished canal-side building and play a part in protecting it for future generations.

“There are some wonderful examples across the canal network of historic properties being beautifully restored in private ownership and we think, with the right owner, the Stop House has fantastic potential. The sale will also generate important income that can be used to support the vital maintenance work on our historic canals.”

The online auction will take place on 25 July and more details can be found at Auction - Braunston Stop House.

As part of the sale a section of The Stop House garden is being retained by the Trust for use by patrons of the Gongoozlers Rest café boat.