County Hall fails to sell at second auction

Ipswich County Hall has been empty since 2004

A Grade II listed building that once served as a prison, court and council headquarters has failed to sell at auction for a second time.

Ipswich County Hall on St Helen's Street was previously up for auction through Savills on 13 May with a reserve price of £895,000, but no successful bids were placed.

Back up again during an auction that started on Wednesday morning, the bidding did not meet the reserve of £750,000, although a bid of £745,000 was made.

County Hall was where the divorce of Wallis Simpson was granted in 1936 before her marriage to the then King Edward VIII.

There is already planning permission in place to turn County Hall into 40 new flats

The Tudor-style building came with planning permission to convert the site into 40 new flats.

Last year, Ipswich Borough Council members voted to approve these plans.

County Hall dates back to 1837 and originally served as a prison and law court before becoming a council building from 1906.

Years later it became the home of Suffolk County Council after its formation in 1974.

In 2004, the council moved its 1,300 staff to new headquarters and the site has remained vacant ever since.