Condover Hall to be children's adventure centre?

A Shropshire stately home which was put on the market with a £6 million price tag could soon be turned into a children's adventure centre after it was snapped up by a travel firm.

Condover Hall, near Shrewsbury, was put up for sale last year and has now been bought by JCA, part of the TUI group which also owns holiday firms Thomson and First Choice.

The company provides residential activity courses for young people and has 13 UK centres.

The new centre at the former Condover School for the Blind will offer a range of activities such as climbing, abseiling, archery and fencing and is due to open next year.

JCA has submitted plans to Shropshire Council to convert the courtyard building to a refectory, change the use of existing classroom buildings to sleeping accommodation, conduct a programme of external works to include outdoor games and activity areas and demolish an elevated walkway.

A statement on its website says: "Our flagship centre with its themed internal rooms provides a challenging and fun, learning environment plus a brand new purpose built high ropes course and other activities which will only be available at Condover, are sure to provide an experience second to none for your students."

The hall was previously owned by Priory Education Services and was run as an education centre for young people with autism.

The firm decided to sell the four-storey property because of mounting maintenance costs and it was put on the market in July 2009.