The controversial deputy chairman of Newcastle United has put his �8m mansion up for sale in order to live nearer the football club.

Douglas Hall has put Wynyard Hall, near Stockton, Teesside, on the market through London estate agents FPD Savills.

The property comes with 800 acres of parkland, two lodge cottages, a 15-acre lake and a former horse racing yard.

Mr Hall hit the headlines in 1998 when he was reported to have allegedly made disparaging remarks about Tyneside women.

Executive village

A spokesman for Mr Hall said the sale was not linked to reported difficulties with his business Cameron Hall Developments.

They said the move was because Mr Hall had found somewhere to live that was more convenient for the airport and Newcastle United's St James's Park football stadium.

Mr Hall's father Sir John Hall bought Wynyard Hall in 1987 and restored the mansion.

He also developed the 8,000-acre Wynyard Estate, and created an executive village and business park.

The hall dates from the 18th century and was owned by the Marquess of Londonderry.

Statue gallery

Visitors during the 20th century have included the Queen, George VI, Winston Churchill, and Harold Macmillan.

Features include the Octagonal Hall and Statue Gallery, a mirrored drawing room and an 1841 ballroom.

Cameron Hall Developments sold 3,000 acres of the estate in March, and has also sold a large proportion of its stakes in Newcastle United and Wynyard Hall Golf Course.

The company, which has its offices at Wynyard Hall, is overdue on its last set of annual accounts.