You can now buy part of a Devon railway station for just £30,000 – and even live there

Railway lovers have an unusual chance to make a home in a Victorian train station signal box.

The Grade II-listed signal box at Torre railway station in Torquay, Devon, is listed for bids above £29,000 in what auctioneers have called a “rare opportunity” in one of England’s most beloved seaside resorts.

Buyers have the opportunity to transform the box into a holiday home or rental as planning permission has already been obtained from Torbay Local Authority, according to Paul Fosh Auctions, which has listed the “quirky” and “unique” property.

“A rare opportunity to acquire a Grade II-listed signal box with previous planning for conversion to a holiday home,” the description reads. “Situated in the seaside resort of Torquay and renowned throughout the world as the English Riviera, this would be an ideal property for a landlord looking for a unique and quirky holiday let or a family looking for a summer retreat.”

Potential buyers could turn the box into a three-storey holiday home located just one mile from the English Riviera, or even choose to live there themselves.

Proposed plans suggest a “snug” ground-floor living area, an en suite bedroom on the second floor, and a kitchen and open-plan living room on the top floor with views of the railway.

Pictures show the top floor of the box, which still has levers in place from its time as a functional signal box, and features from the signalling system.

The property is currently undergoing an online auction, which ends on Thursday.

Torre railway station is still in use, but is unmanned. It is on the Riviera line and features a number of Grade-II listed buildings.

The property previously sold for £65,750 in 2021, according to BBC News reports at the time.

It is the latest unusual property on the market after a whole corner of a beloved village featured in Netflix’s Sex Education was put up for sale last month.

Straddling the River Wye on the border between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, Symonds Yat East is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most breathtaking natural beauty spots. Several of its leisure businesses have been put up for sale as a single portfolio for £6.75 million.

The listing includes 6.7 acres of riverbank land, the historic Saracens Head Inn, the 26-bedroom Royal Lodge Hotel, a dedicated wedding venue complete with a timber ceremony pergola, as well as the four-bedroom Wye Rapids House, which can accommodate up to 30 guests.