Listed County Hall fails to sell at auction

No-one has stepped forward to buy County Hall despite the site's rich history spanning almost 200 years

A historic building in the heart of a town that has laid empty for more than 20 years has failed to sell at auction.

Ipswich County Hall - a Grade II listed site where the divorce of Wallis Simpson was granted in 1936 ahead of her marriage to the then King Edward VIII - was not sold during the online event.

The Tudor-style building had a reserve price of £895,000 and came with planning permission to convert it into 40 flats.

However, no successful bids were placed at the remote auction, which started at 09:00 BST and was conducted by Savills.

Wallis Simpson divorced her husband at County Hall so she could marry Edward VIII

Dating back to 1837, County Hall in St Helen's Street has been a prison, a courthouse and the headquarters of Suffolk County Council.

The local authority moved its 1,300 staff to nearby Russell Road in 2004 and it has remained empty ever since, falling into a state of disrepair.

Last year, Ipswich Borough Council members voted to approve plans to convert the hall into flats.

County Hall has been a court, a prison and council offices over the years