THE biggest hole in Gloucestershire – and the burnt-out shell of what was once a fine large Victorian country house beside it – has been sold.

The Tidenham property has been bought for £485,000. It includes the house and former huge quarry workings alongside the A48 road approaching Chepstow.

In all there are 76 acres, mostly stone workings, but the real feature of the whole parcel is the flooded floor of the quarry which plunges to depths of 300ft.

Peter Caldwell, of Clifton, Bristol estate agents Chesterton, says: "The site has been granted planning permission for an hotel and dive centre.

"It has the potential to be developed as a water-based leisure facility that will be unrivalled in the area – the site even has its own railway!"

However the company said the buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, was considering selling on the land and house as separate parcels.

"It could be broken up and sold as separate lots – the home and pieces of the quarry site," said the spokesman.

"It has exciting development potential so we were not surprised to find a buyer."

T.S. Thomas and Son ran the quarry for many years. In recent years stone quarrying ceased and for the past year the gates have been bolted and barred – although there are public footpaths across parts of the land.