A LANDMARK Ilminster pub is being sold at auction next month - with a guide price of between £140,000 and £160,000.

The freehold for High Street watering hole The Bell Inn is among the lots in the next auction by regional land and property auctioneers Clive Emson on Wednesday, June 17.

The auction will take place online only, due to coronavirus restrictions.

As well as boasting a courtyard garden and car park, The Bell features two-bedroom owner/managers’ accommodation, together with three bed and breakfast rooms.

Senior auction appraiser, David Henwood, said: “This is a well-known pub full of character in a prominent position in Ilminster.

“It could easily be resurrected as a commercial venture although there is clear potential for sub-division into a number of properties subject to the necessary consents.”

The auction, the fourth of Clive Emson's West Country regional auctions in 2020, features 83 lots, making it largest online auction the firm has ever held at www.cliveemson.co.uk.

James Emson, managing director, said: “Our June auction, once again being held solely online because of the restriction in place, is packed with interesting lots for discerning buyers with a long-term view beyond current economic events.

“For example, yields on rental income continue to be attractive because the UK base rate is at a historic low of 0.1% - some banks are paying as little as 0.01% on cash savings.

“Given these financial dynamics, and other factors which drive purchases, we saw buy-to-let investors and owner-occupiers acquire 70% of the 65 lots in our May sale, with post-auction offers still coming in.”