Country house on market for £7m after school closure

Once requisitioned by the Army, the property still contains features including William Morris wallpaper

The site of a former private school in the Surrey Hills has gone on the market for £7m.

Belmont School in Holmbury St Mary closed at the end of last year and property consultancy Knight Frank said the site could be taken on by another education provider or developed.

The Grade II listed property was built in around 1880 as a country house.

The building was requisitioned by the Army during World War Two but still contains period features including original William Morris wallpaper.

The property, which includes 14 buildings and more than 44 acres with formal gardens and sports facilities, is being sold on behalf of the joint administrators for Belmont School.

Emma Cleugh at Knight Frank said the site could be used for residential or commercial development subject to planning permission and listed building consents.

She predicted "a generous pool of interested buyers".

The Surrey Hills was one of the first landscapes in the country to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1958.

It is home to beauty spots including the Devil's Punch Bowl, Leith Hill and Frensham Ponds.