A Grade I-listed country manor gutted by fire in tragic and suspicious circumstances has been put on the market for £3 million.

Parnham House, near Beaminster, Dorset, was the family home of Michael Treichl, an Austrian-born financier who had spent 15 years restoring the Elizabethan pile.

Last year the stunning and historic mansion was destroyed by a major fire.

Mr Treichl was arrested on suspicion of arson but drowned in a suspected suicide two months later in Geneva.

Dorset Police has since concluded its investigation, saying it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the blaze.

The home, described as being "at risk" by Historic England, was this week put on the market with Knight Frank for £3 million - despite being a burned-out wreck.

Knight Frank wouldn't discuss the 38,000sq/ft estate, but they're calling it "an opportunity of a lifetime".

They describe the house, set in 131 acres of magnificent parkland, as "completely derelict, requiring total restoration"

The sale of the property has been instructed by receivers Sanderson Weatherall on behalf of Coutts Bank.

Whoever takes on the huge project will have to consult Historic England due to the grand property being Grade I Listed.

A report from the government body revealed stabilisation work should be carried out in 2018 to prevent "likely" collapses of the walls. It is not known if any of the work has commenced on the property.

Parts of Parnham House date back 500 years and in the 19th Century John Nash, the man behind Buckingham Palace, was commissioned to renovate and improve it.

Following the First World War, it was used as a country club and then sold to Edward Bullivant in 1930 as a private home.

It was used by the US Army in World War Two before being converted into a nursing home.

Furniture designer John Makepeace bought it in 1976 and he converted the stables and coach house into workshops before selling it to Michael Treichl in 2001.