Wootton Hall has been put up for sale by its owner, Sheridan Parsons, months after it was opened as a craft and visitor centre.

The former Royal British Legion hall on Sparrow Lane was opened last summer as a hub for people looking for information about the town.

But a lack of interest and the cost of maintaining it has led the owner to take the decision to put it up for sale.

Sheridan said: “We set it up as a local visitors' centre to see what sort of reaction we would get.

“It hasn’t worked quite the way I wanted it to, and with only a couple of people coming in now and then it’s not feasible to keep running it.

“I have come to terms with it and I can only hope it will be taken up by someone who will use it and keep it in the community.”

The news has come as a shock to residents in Royal Wootton Bassett, who had come to see Wootton Hall as a local community asset.

Bryan Kingscote, a member of the Bassett branch of the Royal British legion, said: “I am surprised. I had only met her once and was impressed with what she was trying to do.

“The Royal British Legion used to use it and keep it going but we had to sell it and that’s when it went to Sheridan.

“I think it’s very sad that it is being sold. But I think the problem is that a lot of what was in there was duplicated in the library in Borough Fields.”

The venue, which has been recently decorated, features a main room with an integral kitchen area, a small storage room, a unisex toilet and an enclosed garden, which Sheridan has kept up over the past months.

The hall has also been a regular site for craft workshops, and a centre for remembrance and commemorations on the First World War.

The Mayor of Royal Wootton Bassett, Coun Linda Frost, said: “I’m saddened to hear that Wootton Hall is being put up for sale.

“It’s a very difficult thing, it’s fantastic what Sheridan has done but it is tucked around the corner a bit and if people don’t know that it’s there they aren’t going to pop in. You have got to pay your bills and if the funding isn’t there, what can you do?

“Hopefully it will be taken on by someone who knows the town and wants to preserve the hall, but it’s the funding that’s the problem.”

The hall has been put up for sale at £150,000 and Sheridan has already had a few viewings.

In the mean time, Sheridan is still letting out the hall at £7.50 an hour. To book the hall call Sheridan on 07891 718211 or email info@woottonhall.com.

For more information about the sale, call Samuel Miles on 01793 855555.