Sedgley police station auctioned off for £820,000

The building in Vicar Street, next to All Saints Parish Church, was first to go under the hammer in an online auction run by Bond Wolfe Auctions.

The station had a guide price of £260,000 with bids starting at £300,000. It was said to have potential for housing or a variety of uses including apartments, offices or hospitality, subject to planning permission.

The building, which extends to more than 7,000 sq ft, was once the local workhouse before it was converted into a police station in the 1860s, and parts are thought to date back to the 1730s. The last officers based there left in October moving to Dudley Fire Station. Police chiefs argued at the time that many of the buildings were under-occupied and the money could be better spent on frontline officers.

The station was due to close in the summer of 2019 but the last officers based there only left finally in October last year to move to Dudley Fire Station as part of a shared-premises scheme. The station had not been open to the public for some time before that.

The sale was branded “diabolical” by Sedgley Conservative ward councillor Michael Evans who believes the station should have been kept in the community.

The auction was filmed for the BBC Homes Under The Hammer TV show programme.