Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Joanne Ridout & Graeme Murray

Huge 15-bed rural mansion up for auction for same price as a London flat

A huge 15-bed rural mansion up for sale for same price as a London flat.

The Grade II listed property is hidden away in a wooded hillside and comes with 3.6 acres of land, a cottage, an outbuilding and even a mobile classroom.

The Georgian pile in in north Wales also boasts fine views of the countryside which can be enjoyed from one of its 15 bedrooms

Would-be buyers have the chance to owning the three-storey property when it goes up for auction in March.

Marle Hall stands out from its surroundings and has been used for a range of purposes, from a luxury country home to a convalescent home, WalesOnline reports.

The property has been put up for auction with an astonishing guide price of just £400,000.

In London this amount would only buy a four-bedroom house in London such as one being sold by Foxtons in Docklands.

Marle Hall is up for auction in North Wales (WalesOnline / Savills, National Auctions)

It was hit by a fire in the mid 18th century which destroyed the main house, according to Cadw.

The only section that remained habitable was the east wing.

The house that once stood on the plot is said to have been built in 1661 for Sir Hugh Williams, 5th Baronet of Penrhyn, dated by a beam in the hall that survived the fire.

With views over the beautiful Conwy Valley from its elevated position, near Snowdonia National Park and the coastline at Llandudno, it's not a surprise the spot was chosen by Williams for his striking mansion.

The mansion gained its Grade II listing in 1950, amended in 2006, for its 'special architectural interest as primarily an early 20th century convalescent home of definite character, with significant earlier origin as a country house.

(WalesOnline / Savills, National Auctions)

It was then opened as a convalescent home in 1903 and became a nursing home from 1965.

In 1971 it was bought by Warwickshire County Council who operated it as an outdoor learning centre providing residential trips and courses for schoolchildren from that English county.

However, the centre closed in October 2021 and has now been put up for auction with a guide price of just £400,000.

From 1894 Cadw states Marle Hall was rented by the Birmingham Saturday Club, who later purchased, refurbished and rebuilt the house, with extensions at the rear.

The impressive pile comes with 15 bedrooms (WalesOnline / Savills, National Auctions)

The imposing mansion greets you with an impressive, symmetrical Georgian façade with a delightful glass covered front veranda surely the most pleasing place to gather and socialise whilst admiring the views.

And although the interior is set up as the outdoor centre, plenty of period features survive, with a few in the core of the house dating back to its Tudor beginnings.

Arguably the most glorious of the features is the entrance hall and staircase, boasting wood wall panelling, intricate carved newel posts, Jacobean-style balusters and stained glass window panels.

Exposed ceiling beams, a stone fireplace and fancy wooden double doors are extra features that instantly impress once you walk through the carved stone archway dating back to Tudor times, from the front door into the main reception hall.

(WalesOnline / Savills, National Auctions)

There's multi-layered cornicing to reward you if you look up and either tiles, wood floorboards or beautifully sanded parquet flooring if you look down within some of the main ground floor reception rooms.

The huge, classic Georgian windows in the main rooms ensure each space is bursting with light and the abundance of wood in the primary rooms add visually warmth to the white and pale blue colour palette.

There's a fancy metal and tiled fireplace in one of the reception rooms but the decor is, of course, set up to be operational as an outdoor education centre, so the interior design is minimal and simple to be ideal for its past commercial usage.

There's a large, commercial kitchen, a large dining room with long tables and multiple chairs, carpeted classrooms, offices and lounges.

The property has a large dining room and several lounges (WalesOnline / Savills, National Auctions)

The house has a large boot room and changing room, and a space allocated to drying out wet kit.

The remaining two floors above are mainly dedicated to dormitories and washing facilities, as well as a few more classrooms and break-out rooms.

The accommodation in the main house is completed by a basement.

Marle Hall when it was used as an outdoor education centre (Warwickshire County Council)

Outside, as well as woodland to explore, there are outbuildings to have a rummage around too.

The main property within the grounds is a Grade II listed cottage, with a charming ceiling beamed kitchen, fireplace in the living room and three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.

This property proposition overlooking Llandudno in Conwy, can offer a new owner plenty to consider.

The dream home scenario is an amazing and super posh country pad once the house has been returned to a residential dwelling, as it currently has C2 use.

This classification is for the provision of residential accommodation as use as a hospital or nursing home, residential school or college, or training centre.

The property comes with outbuildings (WalesOnline / Savills, National Auctions)

Any changes to the house will need planning consent, with the Grade II listing as an important element.

But the agent selling the house suggests a number of uses for Marle Hall, such as a boutique hotel with its location so close to the coast and Snowdonia, with owners' accommodation in the onsite cottage.

Conversion into a complex of apartments might be an option to investigate too, but who wouldn't want to dream about owning this country pile all for themselves, as Sir Hugh Williams did all those centuries ago?

Marle Hall is going to auction with a guide price of £400,000 on March 2, but is likely to sell for more, with Savills.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.