The former home of one of Cornwall’s well-known breweries is on the market for more than a quarter of a million pounds.

St Austell Brewery’s former base, Tregonissey House is heading to auction later this month, with full planning permission for conversion into housing.

The four-storey building is in the heart of St Austell, on Cornwall’s south coast, which brings thousands of visitors each year, specifically for its attractions such as the Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan, and its old market towns.

St Austell Brewery has been crafting beer and real ale in Cornwall since 1851. For more than two decades, the historic building served as the Hick’s main brewery site until the company outgrew the space and moved to its current location on Trevarthian Road.

Since then, Tregonissey House has served numerous purposes, including a residential home, a retail unit, a restaurant, and most recently commercial office spaces.

In a rare opportunity to own a piece of the brewer's history, Tregonissey House, the very first steam brewery built by its founder Walter Hicks will be going under the hammer on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, via a livestream auction with a guide price of £425,000.

The property could be set for yet another change, as planning permission for its partial conversion into residential apartments was granted in 2020. Approved plans could see a new owner develop nine homes across the ground, first, second, and third floors while keeping the existing offices intact on the lower ground floor.

Auction House South West which is managing the sale described the property as an ‘attractive investment opportunity.’

Highlighting Tregonissey House’s versatility, a spokesperson for Auction House South West commented: “The exciting opportunity exists to continue receiving a generous income from the commercial tenants or to utilise the planning permission and proceed with the conversion of this historic building, or potentially a combination of both!

“Currently, the property is let to three commercial tenants generating £45,668.13 per annum with a further unit currently vacant. Fully let, the whole property could generate circa £56,000 per annum.”

As an additional benefit for investors, the lower ground floor, currently occupied by Millerson Estate Agents, is not affected by the planning permission and can continue to produce income once the apartments are completed.

Full details of the building’s planning application and approval can be found on the Cornwall Planning Portal under the reference PA20/06665.

Tregonissey House goes up for sale by livestream auction with Auction House South West on Tuesday, March 26.