A FORMER care home is to go under the auctioneer’s hammer with a guide price of £1.15 million to £1.25 million.

Stoneham House at Bracken Place, Chilworth, is among 155 lots being sold by regional land and property auctioneers Clive Emson in September.

The 40-bedroom property, on more than an acre of land, closed after the owners retired.

Rob Marchant, Clive Emson’s auctioneer for Hampshire, said: “Stoneham House could well have a new lease of life under new ownership.

“This is a sizeable property, with accommodation over four floors and serviced by a lift.

“A prospective new owner may wish to reopen as a care home or, subject to planning consents, explore conversion opportunities or site redevelopment.

“Land and property of this size in Chilworth, a sought-after area close to Southampton and motorway links to Winchester and London, are rarely on the market.”

Clive Emson’s next regional auction takes place on September 14, at the Solent Hotel & Spa, Rookery Avenue, in Whiteley, near Fareham. in south Hampshire.

The company catalogued 171 lots for the July sale, which took place across five days in five venues across southern England and raised almost £20 million.

Managing director James Emson said: “We strive to offer as diverse a list of lots as possible – from the biggest buildings to the most quirky properties – which continues to attract huge numbers of customers to our sales.

“Add this to the natural transparency surrounding auction transactions and you can see why we continue to offer the best deals for vendors and purchasers.”