COUNCIL bosses are to have another attempt at spending more than £1m left in a will by the 16th Marchioness of Winchester.

The city council has a possibly unique problem with the bequest which has grown from £500,000 to a seven-figure sum today.

Indian-born Bapsybanoo Pavry died in 1995, aged 93, and stipulated that the money be spent on building a community hall next to Winchester Guildhall.

She had been reputedly upset when on a visit to the city she was not greeted with the expected enthusiasm from local people.

So she insisted that her hall be called The Bapsy Marchioness of Winchester Memorial Hall.

The present-day problem arises because the Guildhall is a different place from when she drew up her will in the 1950s.

Then it was primarily council offices - today it is a public building.

The council believes a separate Bapsy building in Abbey Passage is feasible but would need at least another £1m.

In 2003 it proposed to build an extension for an art gallery, studio and meeting place - but these will be available when the Dis-covery Centre opens.

The the council would prefer to use the money to improve public access to the Guildhall and some other alterations.

Little progress has been made in recent months as the council waits to revamp its civic offices in Colebrook Street. A spokes-man said: "A feasibility report on the council offices is coming back in December.

"Bapsy's money might not be spent on a community hall because a hall is already there, but it will clearly be identified as the Bapsy money being spent."

There was some concern that the Charity Commissioners may oppose the change of plan.

But a council spokesman said: "We won't be proposing to use the bequest outside of the terms for which we are advised it can be used."

Bapsy was reputedly the daughter of a Zoroastrian high priest. She was considered a society beauty. In 1929 she met Monty, the 16th Marquess of Winchester. She became his third wife in 1952 when he was 90 and she was 52.

The marriage hit the national headlines when the Marchioness sought a divorce for non-consummation of the marriage.

The Marquess left her for another woman with whom he lived until his death in 1960.

Bapsy lived on in London but returned to India in 1985.