The historic former Southport Visiter office is being auctioned, eight years after its closure.
The premises on Tulketh Street in Southport town centre were closed by owners Reach plc, publishers of titles including the Liverpool ECHO, Daily Mirror and Daily Star, in December 2014.
The two-storey building had been home to generations of journalists, photographers, advertising executives, IT staff, printers, receptionists and many more since it opened in 1889.
It was closed by owners Reach plc just before Christmas 2014 as part of a cost-cutting drive and has remained empty since then.
Despite its ornate frontage and long history the building is not Listed and is suitable for redevelopment. There is a large, enclosed car park attached.
It is being auctioned by Pugh with a guide price of between £375,000 and £450,000.
The building is in a prime site in Southport town centre. It is next door to the Sports Direct / Flannels / Everlast Gym development which was opened in a £3.3million scheme in 2016, creating 70 new jobs, and close to the busy Chapel Street shopping centre.
On its website, property auction experts Pugh wrote: “A substantial detached office building extending to approximately 1,869 Sq M (20,118 Sq Ft) on a site extending to approximately 0.23 Hectares (0.57 Acres). The property comprises an original period building to the front together with a modern extension to the rear with a service yard and car park to the rear.
“The property may be suitable for alternative uses or redevelopment, subject to obtaining the necessary consents.”
The Southport Visiter newspaper was first published on 4th May 1844, from offices on Lord Street in Southport nearby.
The name ‘Visiter’ was an accepted spelling of ‘visitor’ at the time. Early editions recorded the names of visitors to the town, and the hotels in which they stayed, along with local news and opinion pieces.
The ground floor of the building previously houses substantial printing presses, which were used for printing three editions of the newspaper every week.
Ongoing cuts in recent years have seen Reach plc close the Southport Visiter website in 2016 and the Midweek Visiter newspaper in 2020.
The paid-for Southport Visiter is still published every Thursday.
The ground floor of the Southport Visiter office was temporary home for Southport Library between 2010 and 2013, following a campaign led by Coronation Street star and former librarian Jean Alexander to maintain library services in the town while the £20 million redevelopment of The Atkinson was taking place.
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