An historic Cockermouth building will be up for auction next month, with no reserve price.
The Old Courthouse on Main Street is described by the Carlisle-based Auction House as a "substantial Grade II listed town centre property in need of major structural repair".
The details state: "This mixed use investment property was last occupied by five tenants, the Honest Lawyer restaurant, two hairdressers, an antiques business and a residential flat.
"It was producing an annual income of around £38,000.
"Erosion of the riverbank has led to undermining of the rear, right hand corner of the property causing movement and cracking within the building. As a result a section 78 notice has been served by Allerdale Borough Council."
The 192-year-old building next to Cocker Bridge had to be evacuated in November after the fast flowing river eroded the stone section underneath it, rendering it unsafe. It is owned by a Cockermouth family.
Divers and a marine structural engineers were called in to inspect the damage.
Emergency interim repairs were carried out at the beginning of the year. A dive team placed two tons of bags filled with special cement underneath the property. The cement sets when water hits it. The owners spent £12,000 doing the work.
Repair work was also carried out by the Environment Agency on a nearby bank and flood defence wall which was also badly damaged.
Darren Ward, architectural adviser to Cockermouth and District Civic Trust, said: "The Old Courthouse is a significant building in the town's history. The centre of Cockermouth used to be Market Place, where there was a Moot Hall which was used as the courthouse.
"Town elders decided the town needed to grow and so a new courthouse was designed. The bridge was built about the same time.
"It marked a huge leap forward economically for Cockermouth. It became a major market town."
The auction will take place on July 14 at Auction House on Warwick Road, Carlisle.
Emergency repairs on historic building: https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/19892836.dive-team-emergency-repair-work-cockermouth-building/
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