The landmark grade I-listed Georgian mansion house, set in 28 acres of parkland in north-west Bristol, hosts events from weddings and conferences to jury inquests and its grounds are popular with walkers.
It is the home of John Hardy, a chartered surveyor who has owned the house for the past 11 years.
The 51-year-old, who runs his business, Hardy Associates, from the mansion, said it had been a difficult decision to put the house up for sale but he could no longer afford to run it.
Mr Hardy said: “I am very passionate about it. It is part of my life and I don’t really want to sell it, but at the end of the day, divorce does that.
“The house has cost me my life and every penny I have earned in the last ten years.
“I have invested £2.8 million in it personally, and I doubt I will walk away with anything.
“I am heartbroken and have had my dark days, but it has to be done.”
When Mr Hardy bought Kings Weston House in 2000 it had been boarded up for seven years.
He converted the 18th-Century building and re-opened it the following year for weddings and civil ceremonies. It has tea rooms, conference facilities and office space on the first and second floors.
It is used by thousands of people every year as a stop-off while they walk through the lush estate grounds.
Inquiries have already been received from potential buyers seeking to run the house as a care home, for weddings, for office space, a conference facility and even as a private residential home.
But Mr Hardy is keen for it to remain open to the public.
He said: “The plan when I bought it was to renovate it as much as possible and keep it open for people. It is a beautiful building, and the suspended staircase in the great hall is one of only two like it in the world.
“The idea is for it to be run as a business. Bristol has very few buildings like this, and Sir John Vanbrugh, who designed it, was one of the best architects of his time.
“I want someone who will invest further in the property to ensure that future generations will continue to benefit from its beauty, without it being turned into a museum.
“Until a buyer is found, the business will continue to be run as it always has been.”
Kings Weston House is for sale with the remains of a 125-year lease, while the freehold owner is Bristol City Council, and comes with just over three-and-a-half acres of grounds.
Martin Booth, from agents Knight Frank, said: “Mr Hardy has decided that it is time to move on. It has been a labour of love for him and he has put a lot of time and effort into bringing the building back into its current position.
“We have had interest from all across the country, and I am certain that some of the interest is foreign money that is UK-based.”
Regarding the £2 million price tag, Mr Booth said: “I am sure that someone will see it as a bargain.”
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons