Cheshire landmark, Fairclough Mill, more commonly known as Warrington’s ‘Pink Eye’ building was one of the highlights of Auction House North West’s 6 February auction in Bolton. The 110 ft former grain store at Athertons Quay, close to the town’s Warrington Bank Quay railway station, sold for £320,000 off a guide price of £350,000, which was later reduced to £320,000.
Local artist Tony Turk painted a mural of a weeping pink eye on the side of the former Fairclough’s flour mill building in 1999 after the local planning department refused to let him paint a scene highlighting environmental issues. It currently produces an income of £55,141 a year, having been converted into six workshops on the ground floor, two large advertisement hoardings and a telecommunications mast on the roof.
The building was one of a total of 93 lots offered at auction, of which 59 sold, representing a success rate of 64% and raising £3.6m. “Although it has become a local landmark, this building is a bit of a tricky one to offer to investors because more than half of it is a void space,” said Stuart Cooper, Auction House North West director. “Overall it has been a tough market for us over the last year but we are starting to see a bit more life coming back into the market this year.” Auction House North West’s next ballroom auction will take place on 12 March at Bolton Wanderers Football Stadium, Bolton.
