Potential buyers who viewed an impressive scheme to create nine homes in a Winchester city centre church have been quick to come back with reservations.

The scheme at St Thomas Church in Southgate Street drew an enthusiastic response from guests invited to preview it on launch night and now two have come back with reservations for homes at the multi-million pound scheme.

“I knew as soon as I saw the plans for St Thomas’s that we were looking at something special,” said Chris Gooch, partner in charge of residential sales for Carter Jonas in Winchester. “But seeing the high quality of the finished showhomes inside the Victorian church shows that Hemdean Ltd is the perfect developer to carry out the scheme.

“For many years the Victorian and Grade II-listed church has successfully fulfilled other roles within its unaltered exterior, most notably as home to the Hampshire County Records Office. The current scheme is seeing it converted into nine superbly luxurious homes with a total value in excess of £8 million.

“I have been receiving an enthusiastic response since the launch event. The church is an integral part of the city centre and a short walk from all the features that make Winchester such a vibrant and appealing place. It’s easy to see why The Sunday Times recently Winchester declared Winchester the best place to live in England.”

The new apartments, including one within the tower itself, just beneath the spire and with spectacular views, are being created by Hemdean (St Thomas) Ltd to offer comfortable layouts, the best quality fittings from Bulthaup, Miele, and Porcelanosa, and a sumptuous lifestyle. Guide prices range from £625,000 to £1.45 million but owners of each apartment will take satisfaction from the high standards of unique design, construction, and finish.

While in a prime city centre position giving occupants at St Thomas’s easy access to the railway station, Cathedral, and everything else in the city its position outside the city centre traffic system simplifies access to the major roads network.

Thanks to its elevated position compared with much of the city centre, St Thomas’s enjoys fantastic wide vistas across the city roofscape to the South Downs escarpment that forms a backdrop to the Cathedral. In return, St Thomas’s offers such a significant landmark from beyond the city confines that the spire, a 160 foot high edifice added in 1857 a decade after the Church was consecrated, is mentioned in Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

Hemdean has a high regard for the integrity of its schemes, resulting in its work being held in equally high regard by those who live in them. Hemdean is experienced in refurbishment work and has completed many high-end specialist repair and refurbishment contracts on historical and listed buildings, so the future of St Thomas’s is in good hands.

The nine new homes enjoy a variety of layouts and take advantage of existing fenestration to fully exploit natural light and the superb outlook.

There is good choice for potential owners, who will find a layout that fits their needs when they visit this unique scheme. Other important features include on-site allocated car parking, missing in some other conversion schemes where surrounding land is at a premium.

For more details about the St Thomas scheme, contact Carter Jonas on 01962 842742 or email winchester@carterjonas.co.uk