SPECULATION is rife that a general election will be called for May - and Knight Frank has just the house for politically-minded buyers.

The estate agency is marketing The Bury House, in Odiham, which was once lived in by the sisters of Neville Chamberlain, who was prime minister between 1937 and 1940.

The impressive Georgian townhouse occupies arguably the most prominent location within the country village. It lies in gardens in the conservation area of The Bury and next to the historic 13th century All Saints Church.

A wrought iron gate leads to the classical pillared Georgian entrance, set behind a mature yew hedge. The formal drawing room and dining room have full-length windows opening to a veranda at the back of the house, which forms a walkway to the conservatory leading off the kitchen.

The drawing and dining rooms also have ceiling mouldings believed to have been made by French prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars, who were imprisoned locally.

Double arched doors in the drawing room open into a sitting room, which has a marble surround to the fireplace and an angled bay window with French doors to the garden.

An inner hall leads to the study and kitchen-breakfast room, next to which are the former stables that are now used as store rooms and garaging but could be converted into extra accommodation.

There is a dry cellar under The Bury House and the upstairs rooms lead off a central landing with wonderful views.

The master bedroom has its own dressing room and bathroom and there are three more bedrooms and a family bathroom. All the bedrooms retain original fireplaces and wardrobes.

An inner landing area leads to a fifth bedroom which has a bathroom and kitchenette, and the second floor has the potential to create three more bedrooms and another bathroom.

Old stables dating from the 18th and 19th centuries have been converted into a two-bedroomed flat and the original coach house is used for storage, garaging and a workshop.

The Bury House has been owned by the same family since 1969 and, at some stage in its history, is thought to have been a girls' boarding school.

The house is set in a walled garden, which has a wooden gate leading to the grounds of All Saints Church.

Knight Frank believes local interest will be strong and has produced a postcard of the brochure to mail out to Odiham residents.

"The Bury House offers a rare opportunity to acquire a most elegant house in one of the most sought-after locations in Odiham," said Mark Potter, of Knight Frank, who has taken the property to the market with a price guide of £1.35million.