A FORMER maternity hospital in the Ribble Valley converted into a luxury mansion by the late property developer John Ashworth is on the market at £2.5million.

And the house, which attracted rock stars like former Wings guitarist Denny Laine to use its recording studio, has already attracted the interest of prospective buyers from across the world.

Bramley Meade in Whalley was built in 1882 and converted by Mr Ashworth from a maternity home into a dream house, with a swimming pool, gymnasium and recording studio, as well as eight bedrooms, three of them en-suite, and an entertaining room with a bar.

The property also boasts its own CCTV security system, a nine-car garage, tennis court and extensive gardens, with a Roman well and wild meadow.

Its interior features marble pillars and fireplaces, carved oak panelling, stained glass windows and a Mezzanine gallery.

The house is in the hands of Whalley estate agent John Atherton, who was keeping tight-lipped about the would-be buyers.

"Bramley Meade is a unique property and there is very little like it for sale in the Ribble Valley. It has only just gone on the market and has already attracted a great deal of quality interest internationally, as well as in the local area," he said.

Bramley Meade was restored by John Ashworth, who lost his battle against cancer last year aged 54. His company, Hurstwood Developments, built Medex Medical on Carrs Industrial Estate in Haslingden, Focus Do It All in Rossendale and the Thwaites Distribution Centre in Blackburn.

The former quantity surveyor formed Hurstwood Developments after helping to construct the Edenfield bypass and built the business into the Hurstwood Group, with interests in property, development and construction, hotels and nightclubs, manufacturing, bathroom retailing and a Bentley and Lotus dealership.

He was behind the restoration of many disused mill buildings in East Lancashire and bought Bramley Meade for £500,000 in 1992 from the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley District Health Authority.

The authority closed it amid a storm of protest in order to centralise maternity services in a new state-of-the-art maternity unit at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn.