Site used by the Knights Templar up for sale in Lincolnshire

One of the last remaining buildings used by the ancient order of Knights Templar is up for sale.

The site at Temple Bruer, Sleaford, was a training ground for the warrior knights, who were rumoured to guard the true secret of Jesus Christ's Holy Grail and defended Christians travelling to the Holy Land.

It was home to a monastery of the Knights Templar dating back to the 1100s of which only the tower remains.

Now a manor house and the tower are on the market for £575,000, and give a buyer the chance to own a rare piece of English history.

Ian Pygott, partner at Pygott & Crone which is handling the sale, said: "It's so rare for a property with this level of historic heritage and royal connections to be available on the open market and we see more and more people looking for properties that have a real place in history and a story attached to it.

"Many people dream of owning a property like this so I don't expect Temple House to be on the market for long."

The Templars have a strong connection to Lincolnshire with strongholds not only at Temple Bruer but in Aslackby, South Witham and Willoughton.

The secretive knights have a chequered history with their huge power leading governments to become suspicious.

In Britain, Edward II settled for imprisoning them, and they were accused of witchcraft, torture and heresy

The remains of the church at Temple Bruer is one of the few Knights Templar sites left in England where ruins remain standing.

The three-storey tower is noted for the fine masonry techniques used in its construction, while the ground floor originally served as a chapel.

Eran Bauer, commander of the East of England Templars, says the building remains important to the order and has become a tourist attraction in recent years.

He said: "It has been well-maintained for years thanks to the hard work of Lincolnshire Heritage and the county council.

"It remains an incredibly important building and has been for centuries – it is a wonderful building and the craftsman ship shown on the inside is excellent.

"I have taken people there for a long time and everyone is always very impressed."

While the tower is located on the Temple Bruer estate, which boasts a six bedroom manor house fitted with three bathrooms and five reception rooms – the Templar building can the accessed by the public.

Lincolnshire Heritage is currently contracted by Lincolnshire County Council to maintain the temple and it has been in charge of its upkeep for the last 15 years.

Beverley Gormley, cultural events officer at Lincolnshire Heritage, said: "It has recently been open for heritage open days and attracted 170 people a couple of weeks ago.

"It is almost a secret – not many people know about it but because it is basically in someone's back garden you cannot advertise it too much.

"However, it is a wonderful building and we are always willing to show people around if they give us a ring."

For more details of the Temple Bruer estate see Echo Property inside this edition.

(pic & source: www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Ancient-site-used-Knights-Templar-sale/story-27887619-detail/story.html )