A HISTORIC manor house in the heart of Newton Abbot has been put up for sale.

Currently in the possession of Teignbridge District Council (TDC), Old Forde House has been put on the market by Vickery Holman Property Consultants.

They are inviting offers in the region of £1.5 million.

The sale also includes the car park at the rear and the lawns in front.

TDC have been looking to dispose of the building for some time, its running costs of £120,000 a year being no longer sustainable.

Newton Abbot Town Council expressed an interest in taking ownership of the centuries-old treasure in late 2024, comissioning surveyors in order to understand whether taking on Old Forde House would be viable.

In the wake of the listing, Newton Abbot & District Civic Society has raised concerns about the possible loss of public access to the historic building should it come under private ownership.

The Grade One listed Tudor manor sits near the Penn Inn junction and Brunel Industrial Estate and has been used as offices and a venue for weddings and events in recent years.

Old Forde House, originally known as Forde House, was built in the mid-1500s. In the early 1600s it was redeveloped for Sir Richard Reynell, then MP for Mitchell in Cornwall.

The changes included an E-shaped floor plan, possibly in in honour of Queen Elizabeth I who died in 1603.

In September 1625 King Charles I stayed at the house while on a trip to Plymouth.

During the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell and Colonel Fairfax rested there before the second Siege of Exeter.

William of Orange stayed at the house in 1688.

It was on this visit that the prince announced his intention to become King of England for the first time.