If you're going to build an impressive country manor, plus a range of support buildings, then embedded it within the Pembrokeshire countryside, nestled in the bend of a meandering river with views across a stunning estuary it sounds like a winning location combination.
Boulston Manor and estate can claim such a top podium spot, an elevated position above the estuary with about 61 acres of beautiful grounds that gently glide down to the river bank below. It's such a special spot that two previous owners of the estate have built a home here.
The current Grade II listed house is a Georgian gem but within the grounds are the ruins of the first abode to claim this location as its home. Boulston Old Hall was located by the water as the Wogan family home but it became derelict by the time the estate had changed hands, first to Admiral Sir Charles Cotton and then to Major Dudley Acland who built the current surviving house in 1797.
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Exploring the land around the manor house, down by the river the walls of the original house can be found, now derelict and occupied only by foliage and wildlife. But also waiting to be discovered is the Grade II listed survival of a walled and compartmented garden dating to the second half of the sixteenth century and associated with the ruins of Boulston Old Hall.
The Cadw listing states that 'an interesting and unusual feature is a substantial, long, rectangular walled terrace built along the shoreline and overlooking the Western Cleddau estuary. The site has historical associations with the Wogan family, who lived at Boulston Old Hall'.
The new Boulston Hall, although still over 200 years old, gained its Grade II listed status in 1963 as a 'substantial late Georgian country house prominently facing over the waterway'. Of the outbuildings that surround the manor house, one can also compete on the listing front, gaining its Grade II listed status more recently in 2004 as 'an outbuilding to Boulston House with unusual simple Gothic detail'.
The main manor house is currently a mix of a comfortable and impressive home and a country bed and breakfast venue, so the new owner will have some choices to make - a private home or a home and business?
The estate agent selling this 61 acre, multi-property package states that the current owners have transformed the manor into a romantic retreat for others to enjoy. Weddings can be held at a local church although in the recent past Boulston Manor has had a licence for weddings and civil partnerships that could be applied for again.
In the grounds there are four converted cottages that could be an income stream or could be an opportunity to bring all the layers of the family with you on your massive move to a country estate. Or if the wedding business is developed further, these extra buildings could become charming onsite accommodation for wedding guests.
Plus, there are further outbuildings to convert and grow your mini village of homes. According to the agent, opposite Manor Cottage is a charming two storey barn that is believed to have once been the old school house to the estate. This property has planning permission to convert into a two bedroom holiday let.
The old home farm courtyard includes a number of old stone barns that have full residential planning permission for five, three bedroom cottages and one, two bedroom holiday cottage and further information is available from the estate agent. That would surely take your estate from hamlet to village status.
To the north of the old home farm is a yard of modern and old farm buildings that include old stable blocks, Dutch barns, lean-to sheds, old pig stys, lofts, lambing sheds, grain storage buildings and garages.
Some of these buildings are let out commercially providing an income while others are used for storage or are now redundant or derelict. These barns also have potential for other commercial uses, subject to planning consent.
Lastly, next the impressive sweeping driveway to the main manor, is Boulston Manor Lodge, currently let on an assured shorthold tenancy but could be available to buy separately for £600,000 - although it will not be sold prior to the sale of Boulston Manor Estate. Find out about another Welsh manor with renovation potential here.
And so, finally, to the main elegant, Georgian manor house that has a calm, inviting atmosphere bathed in oodles of light. The property was built with much thought given to the position of the manor, and the spot was chosen wisely, with idyllic views of the water at the end of the garden from its stunning peninsula position overlooking the Western Cleddau river in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The grounds are a stunning slice of this substantial property package at around 61 acres and offering wonderful walks through dappled woodland, pastures and paddocks, as well as the mini village of separate homes and buildings.
The front of the manor looks out over the land to the river via large and distinctive Gothic-style windows, more unusual for a Georgian home but still sporting multiple panes of glass and still constructed conforming to the symmetry so loved by architects from this era.
The entrance is actually on one of the side elevations of the house, with a facade that is also delightfully symmetrical. Once through the charming porch, the vast reception hall offers you a classic, sweeping staircase at one end and one of the fancy Gothic windows looking out over the river at the other end.
The central room of the trio that occupies the front section of the house is a splendid drawing room that can boast a door out onto the pillared veranda. It is one of the highlights of the home as the perfect spot to linger and relax or meet for a meal or a chat, accompanied by the beautiful view.
Next to the drawing room is a large kitchen diner that can also boast a Gothic window, plus a door out to the garden and another window that ensures the cook will always have enough daylight to create a feast and can access the vegetable garden quickly to replenish supplies.
To the rear of this wing of the house you will discover a formal dining room with an amazing and substantial window, a utility room and another garden access point, while the opposite wing houses potentially another self-contained home for another member of the family who wants to be within the walls of the manor house.
This slice of this dream home could also be owners' accommodation if the property remains partly a boutique B&B, as the wing has a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen and a next door office that could become a lounge if required.
The house is actually a four-storey home, not at all obvious from the outside and only obvious from the inside by the abundance of staircases going up and down.
One set of steps leads down to a large cellar with multiple rooms and a climb skywards gets you to the attic on the top floor that currently has three bedrooms - part of the overall 10 that the manor currently offers.
There is maybe potential to use some of the remaining empty rooms in the attic too, subject to a discussion with the agent in the first instance and to eventual planning consent.
In between the floors is the yummy filling of this tasty property sandwich - the first floor principal bedroom suite that would surely be the bride and groom's as it can boast a range of star attractions. As well as oodles of space, the bedroom flows out onto a private balcony that is the gem of this home.
Elevated above the ground floor veranda on the classical Grecian style columns, eating breakfast out here on the balcony, watching the sunset or star gazing will surely make you feel like the king or queen of your own palace that crowns this enchanting location.
The principal suite has a separate dressing room with a range of wardrobes plus an ensuite bathroom where the bath is the throne, positioned in the centre of the space on a plinth with a step up to the edge to climb in, and then sink into the bubbles.
Not only does this raised position make bath time feel like a luxurious experience, the elevation of the bath means from the bubbles you can see directly out of the huge arched window to the land, water and sky beyond.
The house has four more bedrooms on this first floor, three with ensuite and the fourth with its own private, separate shower room, reminding you that this house as well as being a home is also a business, welcoming guests to stay and enjoy the unique welcome this well-loved period property offers surrounded by the most stunning grounds to enjoy getting lost in.
Boulston Manor, the land and the extensive range of outbuildings are on the market with a guide price of £4,950,000, call estate agents Savills, Cardiff on to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent to your inbox twice a week.
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