Former police box near Edinburgh beauty spot up for auction starting at £22,000

One of Edinburgh’s iconic police boxes close to a beauty spot is going up for auction an opening bid of £22,000

Located on the corner of Brandon Terrace and Howard Street in the Canonmills area, near the Royal Botanic Gardens, the former police box was most recently operating as a florist, but a new owner could opt to use it for a variety of different purposes.

The inside of the unit is in fair condition with a number of original character features retained, with the added benefits of electricity supply, water connection which is currently shut off and a telephone point to reinstall a landline if required.

A rolling ground rent lease is in place with the council at £50pcm to cover the box site and small surrounding area.

Dating back to the 1930s, the capital’s police boxes are very much a part of the city, with some now operating as coffee shops, eateries and even a pop-up for hire.

The inside of the unit is in fair condition with a number of original character features retained. Auction House Scotland

In the days before mobile phones, the police boxes were an important lifeline to police on the beat, who used them to check in with the station and receive their orders.

Mandi Cooper, managing director for Auction House Scotland, said: “This former police box offers a small business owner the chance to own a piece of Edinburgh’s history and operate their business in a truly unique setting.”

“What’s more, the unit is in a fantastic location that benefits from high levels of local and tourist footfall, along with a number of bus stops close by.”

The former police box is due to go under the hammer at Auction House Scotland’s next in-room auction at 2.00pm on September 13 at the Radisson Red hotel, in Glasgow.

The auction will also be live streamed allowing interested bidders the option to watch and bid online, whilst telephone and proxy bidding is also available if potential buyers are unable to attend the auction to bid in person.