Historic mansion with seven bedrooms sells for £230,000 – but there’s a huge catch
A grand Grade II listed mansion has sold for £230,000, but its new owner faces a huge restoration project before they can move in.
A historic Welsh mansion with seven bedrooms has sold for £230,000 – less than the price of many new-build homes – but its new owner has one enormous problem.
Dolforgan Hall, near Newtown, Wales, was snapped up at auction on September 25 after attracting plenty of attention with its grand Georgian features, sweeping driveway and 1.4 acres of land.
But the bargain property comes with a rather sizeable catch.
The Grade II listed mansion is not currently habitable and requires a complete renovation and refurbishment before anyone can call it home.
The brave new owner will need to tackle extensive work throughout the sprawling property, including major repairs to the external rendering.
Inside, however, there is plenty to tempt anyone with deep pockets and a passion for period properties.
The seven-bedroom mansion boasts a grand columned entrance, bespoke staircase and period Georgian skylight.
The building has also been divided into six apartments, each featuring ornate plasterwork and intricately painted ceilings.
A grand hallway with high ceilings leads to a collection of spacious lounges, many complete with fireplaces.
Outside, the property is surrounded by formal gardens, woodland and countryside views across 1.4 acres of land.
Despite the huge amount of work required, the mansion sold for £230,000 – £80,000 above its auction estimate.
And incredibly, that figure is still around £100,000 below average house prices in the surrounding area.
Allen Gittins, chairman of Halls auctioneers, described Dolforgan Hall as one of the most important country houses in the Kerry Vale.
The property has a history stretching back centuries. A manor house stood on the site from at least the 17th century, before much of the earlier building was replaced by the Georgian and Regency mansion seen today.
John Herbert bought the property and extensively rebuilt and extended it between 1790 and 1800.
Between 1807 and 1818, one of the world’s early iron bridges was constructed to carry the main drive to the house.
The estate later passed through several hands before being bought by John William Willans, chief engineer of the Liverpool Overhead Railway.
Historian and photographer John Bancroft Willans inherited the hall in 1895.
During the Second World War, the mansion was used to house evacuees. John died in 1957, after which the property was sold to the family of its current owners.
Gittins said the hall now needs “complete renovation and refurbishment” and will require a sympathetic approach and a passion for historic buildings.
Even the mature gardens and woodland, he added, will need plenty of “tender, loving care”.
So while £230,000 may sound like an extraordinary price for a seven-bedroom country mansion, the final bill for its new owner could be considerably higher.