In its heyday there was no place like Rocky’s of Papworth Everard and even after it closed – in 2018 – enthusiasts organised a reunion last year in Huntingdon to celebrate the best of it. Today, however, it sits forlorn and crying out for TLC – which may happen if a buyer is found when it comes up for auction next month.
The one-time sports and social club that later became Rocky’s bar/restaurant is being offered for sale with a guide price of £75,000 to £100,000.
Rocky’s is known as The Conservatory and comprises a bar area, function room, kitchen, utility areas and cloakrooms, as well as multiple car parking spaces. It overlooks the village cricket ground and sports pitches.
Auctioneers Cheffins says the building is “in need of full renovation or replacement”.
Rocky’s is known as The Conservatory and comprises a bar area, function room, kitchen, utility areas and cloakrooms, as well as multiple car parking spaces. It overlooks the village cricket ground and sports pitches.
It is one of the properties being sold in the final Cheffins property auction of 2023, taking place on 13th December from the firm’s salerooms in Cambridge.
Rocky’s is known as The Conservatory and comprises a bar area, function room, kitchen, utility areas and cloakrooms, as well as multiple car parking spaces. It overlooks the village cricket ground and sports pitches.
Cheffins says the building “offers a fantastic footprint for a business to occupy a space in the centre of this popular Cambridgeshire village.
“The building is located on Chequers Lane with a large private parking area for multiple vehicles to the front of the building.
“The building itself is variously of brick/block constriction, lightweight timber construction and also a large area of UPVC double glazing to the rear, all of which is under a variety of shallow pitched and flat roofs.
“The internal accommodation features a large bar area, a separate function room, a former kitchen and utility areas, lobby, and male and female cloakrooms. The gross internal floor area of the property is approximately 313m² (3,371ft²).
Also heading to the auction room is a three-bedroom Grade II listed thatched cottage in the pretty hamlet of Upend, near Newmarket, is set to be one of the more popular residential lots.
Upend, near Newmarket, cottage for sale
Set in rolling countryside, this renovation project has a pre-sale estimate of £200,000+.
Another opportunity for those looking for a doer-upper is a two-bedroom 1950s bungalow in Brampton, near Huntingdon, which is offered with a Grade II listed barn, and is set to sell for around £275,000.
Brampton, near Huntingdon, property for sale
Similarly, an end of terrace cottage in Cottenham, and close to the village’s High Street, is in need of full refurbishment and is set to sell for between £90,000 and £100,000.
Among the more unusual lots is a former church in Castle Camps, near Saffron Walden, which was constructed in 1856. With far reaching views, two storeys, and a spacious main hall area, the building could be converted to a residential property, subject to planning consent. It sits in a 0.275-acre plot, which includes burial grounds, and it is estimated to sell for over £100,000.
The highest value land lot of the day is 7.52 acres of grassland and woodland in Godmanchester, near Huntingdon, which has a small pond, brick store and shed, and has an estimate of £125,000.
Other opportunities include 10.18 acres of grassland in Lidgate, near Newmarket in Suffolk and 3.5 acres of arable land near Little Downham, Ely.
Ian Kitson, director at Cheffins, said: “The East of England has some of the highest house prices in the country, in spite of the wider fluctuations in the housing market nationwide.
“This stretched affordability is part of the reason why we find that renovation projects which can offer value for money continue to be chased by both private buyers and also investors looking to park their money in bricks and mortar.
“Demand for doer uppers has not waned in spite of rising costs for labour and materials, and the auction room is consistently one of the best places to pick up a bargain property.”
He said past year had been characterised by a “fluctuating economy and political instability”, but Cheffins had found that the property market throughout the residential, commercial and land sectors has remained firm.
“As the overall housing market continues to suffer the ramifications of the interest rate hikes and a potential change in government, I expect that the clarity and speed of sales and purchases through the auction room will become increasingly attractive to both buyers and sellers alike throughout the next year,” he said.
The auction will take place on Wednesday 13th December, from 2pm, online at www.cheffins.co.uk
To view the catalogue, visit: https://www.cheffins.co.uk/property-auctions.htm
For further information, contact Cheffins Property Auction team on 01223 213343,
The United Reformed Church, High Street, Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire, CB21 4SN
A rare opportunity to purchase a former church, constructed in 1856, located within the Cambridgeshire village of Castle Camps.
