Home / Business and Economy / Cumbria's Ghost Street: Hope for Revival?
Cumbria's Ghost Street: Hope for Revival?
7 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Eleven Victorian houses are on sale for £550,000.
- The early Victorian street previously housed school boarders.
- The property has been subject to break-ins and disrepair.
Lonsdale Terrace, a row of eleven early Victorian houses in the Cumbrian village of St Bees, is heading to auction with a guide price of £550,000. Once a prestigious address for affluent shipping families and later a boarding house for St Bees School, the terrace has suffered severe dilapidation since 2015 following the school's temporary closure.
Previous attempts by developers to restore the Grade II listed street have faltered due to economic challenges and stringent conservation requirements, leading to financial losses for some buyers. The neglect transformed the once-magnificent terrace into a dangerous eyesore, prompting police to secure the area with a gate.
Residents now hold renewed hope as the property goes under the hammer, presenting a unique opportunity for an investor to acquire an entire street at a fraction of typical property values. The sale is seen as a chance to restore Lonsdale Terrace to its former glory, offering potential as family homes or holiday lets.
