There are plans for luxury later living homes, a spa, gym and restaurant at a former 19th Century country home whose previous owners include ironmasters, a Catholic order and a Russian millionaire.

The Timeless Collection Holdings Limited want to turn Blaisdon Hall near Longhope in the Forest of Dean into an over 55s rental accommodation.

The plans include 26 new rental accommodation units, with a full range of supporting communal facilities with 24-hour staffing.

The developers say the conversion and re-use of the heritage assets will enhance and celebrate the history of the buildings and features on site.

They pledge to undertake specialist exterior stonework restoration, roof and window repairs where required to address years of neglect.

The proposal for the 87-acre site also includes enhanced landscape and formal gardens and removing large expanses of tarmac to be replaced with sensory planting and edible gardens.

And, if approved, the scheme will see the conversion and reuse of Blaisdon Hall to host communal facilities with refurbishment of existing and creation of new residential accommodation.

The proposals would retain and refurbish the ground floor communal and reception spaces in the Main Hall for communal use by new residents.

And they would refurbish and enhance existing ground floor, fist and second floor living quarters to create nine new residential rental apartments.

Common areas on ground floor such as the entrance hall, main lounge, music room and orangery are to be retained as residents’ communal areas for lounge and private bar.

The existing coach house would be repurposed from its current use as storage and a groundsman’s shed to a new residents wellbeing centre.

This will include an exercise studio, treatment rooms, sauna rooms, experience showers and changing facilities.

The developers also propose a freestanding central orangery housing a heated lagoon spa within the open central courtyard.

The plans have been submitted to Forest of Dean District Council and the authority is expected to consider the scheme by November 26.

Blaisdon Hall has had a colourful past, ranging from ironmasters to religious orders, and Russian oligarchs.

And even, it is alleged, a passing interest from iconic pop star Madonna in her English country countess period. The hall was built in the 1870s for Edwin Crawshay, who came from a long line of ironmasters.

This was a time when British manufacturing was soaring and there was a hungry demand for iron.  By the 1930s, there was to be a sea change at Blaisdon Hall with the arrival of a religious order helping, as they described it, ‘maladjusted’ boys.

The Salesian Society bought Blaisdon Hall and the surrounding land in 1935 and established an agricultural school for the training of young boys from inner-city suburbs. The ballroom of the house was converted to a chapel.

Much of the land was sold in 1960 but Blaisdon Hall itself continued as a school for vocational training until 1993, when the Salesian Society closed down the school.

It was sold to Hartpury Agricultural College. Even today, old boys who studied at Blaisdon Hall under the Salesian Order, meet annually in the village, with occasional visits back to their former home.

By 2009, Blaisdon Hall was purchased by a Russian millionaire, Andrey Zhelamskiy, and Blaisdon Hall entered another chapter of its interesting life. It was on the market for £7,250,000 last year.

Now its new owners the Timeless Collection Holdings Limited say their plans will ensure Blaisdon Hall is protected and maintained long term.