A rare opportunity to own a piece of Norwich history has arisen - with an online auction set to seal the future of a building which has an unique story to tell.

Eastern Daily Press: Carrow Bridge Master House, which is being sold at auction next month Picture: DENISE BRADLEYCarrow Bridge Master House, which is being sold at auction next month Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant)

Carrow Bridge House, which stands on the banks of the River Wensum, next to Carrow Bridge, has been listed for auction more than a year after being spared demolition by Norwich City Council.

The bridge house, which is a familiar sight for football fans on their way to Carrow Road, has been vacant since 2017, having been built in the 1920s.

It is owned by Norfolk County Council which, in 2018, applied to Norwich City Council for planning permission to demolish it.

However, the bid was knocked back by officers at City Hall, which argued the demolition would cause harm to a wider conservation area nearby, including the medieval Boom Tower on the opposite side of the river.

The proposal was also poorly received by Historic England, which argued against the loss of Norwich's only 'bridge house'.

At the beginning of this year, though, the county council indicated its next intention was to sell the property, either opening the door for a Grand Designs-style renovation or a fresh bid to demolish it.

Now, the sale has been put in motion, with an online auction run by SDL Auction Partners opening on Friday, October 25 - with a minimum opening price tag of £50,000.

Thomas Plackett, of SDL, said already the listing had received a great deal of attention ahead of the hammer being raised.

He said: "It is certainly an unique property and is already attracting quite a bit of interest.

"This is one of the first properties I have dealt with where people are ringing up to express and interest and sharing their memories of it from their childhood."

The most recent tenant of Carrow Bridge House was rehoused in 2017, having lived there for more than 50 years. However, the house is now in desperate need of renovation, having fallen into disrepair over the years.

The online auction begins on Friday, October 25 at noon, before closing three weeks later on Thursday, November 14.