21 February 2012 Last updated at 07:01 ET

Ex-Ashley hotel Llangoed Hall up for sale

Llangoed Hall dates back to 1632 and was opened as a hotel in 1990

A four-star hotel formerly owned by Laura Ashley co-founder Sir Bernard Ashley has been put up for sale after going into administration.

Llangoed Hall Hotel at Llyswen, near Brecon, Powys, has 23 en-suite bedrooms and sits in nearly 15 acres (6 ha).

The hotel was bought by von Essen Hotels in 2010, but the group went into administration last April.

The property has been placed on the market by the administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Savills, the estate agents handling the sale, said offers were invited for the hotel.

Included in the sale are a five-bedroom staff lodge, offices, a warehouse and a helicopter hangar.

Meanwhile, fabrics company Elanbach, which was also founded by Sir Bernard, has offices in a former stable block at the hotel on a short-term lease until November.

Llangoed Hall is Grade II-star listed and dates back to 1632, although it is thought a house has stood on the site since 560 AD.

Martin Rogers, director at Savills in Exeter, said: "This is a unique opportunity to acquire one of the most historically significant homes in Wales.

"Llangoed Hall offers tremendous business potential and has an excellent reputation as one of the UK's best country house hotels. We anticipate a strong level of interest from the UK and abroad."

Sir Bernard, who died in 2009, opened Llangoed as a hotel in 1990, and it was bought by Von Essen in 2010.

The acquisition included Sir Bernard's private art collection of 20 drawings by American James Whistler.

Last year, PwC said the current economic climate had caused problems for the hotel.

From humble beginnings at the Old Railway House in the village of Carno, near Newtown, the Laura Ashley company grew to have 5,000 retail outlets worldwide.

In 1984, the firm opened its new company headquarters in Newtown, creating 500 jobs.

But in the 1990s its fortunes faded, and in 2004 its former headquarters in Carno closed.

Laura Ashley died in an accident at her daughter's home in 1985.