Two vacant offices in Bath’s Laura Place - one of the main settings in Jane Austen’s final book Persuasion - are to be sold at auction next week.
The offices, along with two unoccupied flats in the same three Grade I listed buildings, will go under the hammer with a guide price of £4m-plus.
Acquired by their current owner between the 1960s and 1980s, 10, 11 and 12 Laura Place, pictured, have a total of 16,877 sq ft of space and produce current annual income of £226,773.
Laura Place was built for Sir William Johnstone Pulteney in 1788 and named after Henrietta Laura Pulteney, who inherited the estate in 1792.
Jane Austen wrote Persuasion in 1815-1816 and one of the main characters – the wealthy Lady Dalrymple – lives ‘in style’ in Laura Place.
The properties will be sold at an online auction next Tuesday, December 15, staged by specialist auctioneers Acuitus Bespoke.
Acuitus investment director Peter Mayo said: “These properties are genuinely unique and occupy a prominent position in a beautiful part of Bath. We expect there to be interest not least because of the location’s associations with Austen and the opportunity to own a landmark in the city.
“Close to The Rec and within minutes’ walk from Pulteney Bridge, these are truly exceptional buildings in a UNESCO World Heritage City.”
