Old chapel with graveyard could become family home

People visiting graves at the former Coton Methodist Church will be given access under the plans

Plans have been revealed to turn a 19th Century chapel in Shropshire with its own graveyard into a family home.

People visiting the graves at Coton Methodist Church, near Whitchurch, would still be given access.

The chapel was put up for sale in 2022 with a guide price of £35,000.

The new owners, Mr and Mrs Dennis, want to extend it to make it a two-bed house and have lodged a planning application with Shropshire Council.

A condition of the purchase will see the graveyard remain untouched and it will be separated from the home by a new fence.

The couple are responsible for its upkeep under a 999-year lease but people visiting the graves will keep access rights.

WW1 plaque to be relocated

A statement in support of the application from a planning agency said the building, dating back to 1888, would be sensitively restored.

Original features, which include the stained glass windows, would be kept while pews would be reused in the renovation.

A marble plaque commemorating members of the congregation who died during World War One would be relocated in the building.

The couple want a one-and-a-half storey extension be added to the back of the building to replace a 20th Century lean-to.

The planning application will be decided at a future date by Shropshire Council.