What it is: A former lodge on the southern edge of the Margravine Cemetery, near the Hammersmith flyover in west London, which was used to accommodate gravediggers in the late 19th century. Since that time, it has been mostly left empty. The property is now being sold by the London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

The two-bedroom, single-storey building has a kitchen, a bathroom and an entrance hall, with a walled garden on three sides. The graveyard is next to Barons Court Tube station and backs onto the Queens Club sports complex. The property does not come with planning permission, but the auctioneer has a statement from the council that it would probably grant permission to extend it to the rear, providing enough room for a large kitchen and breakfast room.

The lot is going under the hammer at the Royal Garden Hotel, on Kensington High Street, London W8, tomorrow, so you will have to book a viewing today if you’re interested.

The problems: “Not all of us want to live next to a graveyard,” says Paul Mooney, a director at Savills, which is auctioning the property. The facilities are all there, but it needs a full refurbish-ment. Obtaining planning permission will take extra work and money.

Because the building is in a conservation area, a buyer will also face constraints on what can be done with the property. “You will not be able to extend it upwards or build a second floor,” Mooney advises. The house isn’t big in the first place, and the garden is small. Even with planning permission, “you won’t be able to make any more than a two-bedroom house out of it”.

The advantages: “You won’t find a freehold, two-bedroom property in W6 for less than £300,000,” Mooney says. “It is in a good location, it is unique and it certainly tells a story.

“It’s in a pretty cemetery, if you’re not put off by that sort of thing. A few years ago, a similar building sold at the other end of the graveyard, and that has been successfully redeveloped into a four-bedroom property – all the plans went through.”

South Lodge could even make you a handsome profit, if it is done up well. Once it has been refurbished and modernised, Mooney estimates that the property could be sold on for £450,000.

Savills; 020 7824 9091, www.savills.co.uk

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