Beautiful Omaze Bath mansion now to let through Sykes Holiday Cottages - and it’s not cheap

A beautiful Bath mansion recently won by a couple in the Omaze prize draw is now up for rent - but only for a week at a time. The £4 million Batheaston House is now a holiday let costing £4,000 a week for the pleasure.

Bar manager Paul Knight, 47, discovered he had won the home in Bath - once owned by the inventor of the flushing toilet - while sitting on the loo. Paul, and his partner Jason Snowdon, 36, have now advertised the stunning 16th century property for guests to stay in at a cost of £3838 a week.

The pair won the home - alongside £250k in cash - for just a £20 entry in February this year and Paul has since shared their intention to 'share' the beauty of the property with others.

He said: “Justin and I were shocked when we found out we’d won Batheaston House through the Omaze Million Pound House Draw – but once the initial shock had subsided, we started to think about what we could do with such an impressive property.

“We were adamant that we wanted to share its beauty with other people and holiday letting seemed the best way to do this, allowing us to generate a healthy income while still getting to use it sometimes.

"It’s been a complete career shift for me, but I’ve loved every minute, and the Sykes team has been wonderful as we find our feet too. We’re excited to see where this journey takes us."

Paul, who had been working in bars since he was 18 years old left his job managing a bar in Reading after their big win and now manages the property. His partner of more than 12 years, Justin, has continued to work as part of an airline cabin crew.

When Omaze first contacted Paul to tell him he’d scooped a prize, he was scrolling through his phone while taking a toilet break. An overjoyed Paul said: “When I got a message from Omaze, I was actually sitting on the toilet at work reading about a lost lottery ticket thinking that it would be just my luck - but how wrong was I!?

“As I was at work, I had to take an early break to nip out and meet the Omaze team to find out exactly what I'd won - but it was well worth skiving off for an hour! I knew something was up when I saw all the cameras - I thought they’re not rolling this out for a £10 gift voucher, are they!? When they revealed I’d won a £4m country house, I was just utterly gobsmacked.

“It was all so crazy - but I didn’t have to let it compute as I had to rush back to work straight afterwards. I was very tempted to say drinks are literally on the house when I got back, but it was all so surreal I just told one colleague and cracked on with my shift as if nothing had happened. She was saying you’re a millionaire now - you don’t need to be clearing tables.

“My partner Justin is a flight attendant, so he came back late from New York Friday night. I woke up very early, which is rare for me, to tell him the good news. He couldn’t comprehend it and said it must be the jet lag kicking in and he’s hallucinating.”

The home itself was part of the estate of Sir John Harington, the godson of Elizabeth I, during the reign of Queen Anne - and inventor of the first ever flushing toilet. The exterior has remained almost unchanged since 1712 and the interior still retains many unique historical features including an internal functioning well, a secret Georgian drawer safe, and graffiti dating back to 1636.

The grade II listed house has been meticulously restored in 2015 to create a truly exceptional home and includes one acre of manicured gardens and grounds.

Chief Commercial Officer for Sykes Holiday Cottages James Shaw said: “There are so many different routes into holiday letting, and Paul and Justin are a great example of this. Opening up their Million Pound House to holidaymakers allows them to fully reap the rewards of their win, not only from a financial point of view, but also because of the flexibility holiday letting can give them.”