ANYONE with £5 million to spare is being encouraged to make an offer for Thornbury Castle.

The luxurious hotel, and former holiday jaunt for Henry VIII, has been put on the market with the £5 million price tag.

Property Agents Christie and Co revealed this week that Thornbury Castle was one of the von Essen Hotels up for grabs at a cheaper asking price, after the group announced in April that it had gone into administration.

Von Essen Hotels owns 28 properties across the country including the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, which is on offer for a cool £22.5 million.

Christie and Co had previously asked for £7.5 million for Thornbury Castle but this has now been reduced.

Chris Day, managing director of Christie and Co, said: "As we anticipated, the portfolio attracted a great deal of interest nationally and internationally from a variety of operators and investors.

"Whilst portfolio interest was received, it was decided that the route to best value was through a sale on a sub-group and individual basis.

"The hotels that have not yet received acceptable offers have been reduced in price and will be immediately re-launched to the market — this is quite typical in multi-asset disposals such as this."

The entire von Essen portfolio is thought to be worth in the region of £200 million.

Thornbury Castle was built 500 years ago by the Duke of Buckingham, who was later charged with treason by King Henry VIII, who saw the castle as a threat to his reign.

Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn are known to have stayed at the castle.