An entire slate quarry village in north Wales that was on the market for six years has been bought by a London real estate investment company. Back in August 2016 the 16 houses and cottages in Aberllefenni, near Machynlleth, in Gwynedd were placed on the market with estate agent Dafydd Hardy for £1.5m.
The houses had been built around a working slate mine of the same name, where quarrying dates back to the 16th century, making it one of the oldest running quarries in Wales. Slate product supplier Wincilate Limited had owned quarry and homes since the 1950s and 1960s, with the quarry sold in the spring of 2016.
Despite huge interest in the village it had failed to secure a deal, and the guide price was later reduced to £1.25m. But now a sale has been completed to Walsh Investment Properties Limited for an undisclosed sum, reports the Daily Post.
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John Lloyd, of Wincilate Limited, said: “Whilst we are sad to end our 65 year family association with Aberllefenni and Corris, we are pleased that we have sold to a reputable company who are based in north Wales and who are committed to continue as at present, to rent out the properties, and so the existing tenants will not see much change in the short term.
"However, the new owners are committed to further improve and update the properties in the future, which will benefit the current tenants in the long term."
He added: "We bought Aberllefenni Quarry in 1956, Braighgoch Quarry in 1964 both of which included land and properties. We invested heavily and modernised the underground slate quarries and this enabled the mining of slate to continue for considerably longer than would otherwise have been possible without the investment. Aberllefenni Quarry was sold to D Meredith & Sons in 2016 and is still operational.
"Over the years the company has also upgraded the quarry properties. The sale of the properties at Aberllefenni and Corris ends the company’s interest in the region but are proud that we made a positive difference during our ownership, and are pleased that the new property owners are also committed to the future of this rural community."
Dafydd Hardy, of Dafydd Hardy Estate Agents, said: “I’m so pleased that we were entrusted to act as the agent for John and Wincilate Ltd. We marketed this site for a number of years with both a local and national marketing campaign. Enquiries came from around the global as articles were published about the village.
"The desire to find a trusted buyer, who would retain the village and preserve its community, was shared by us and the owners. I’m so pleased that we have successfully steered this complex sale to its completion and wish the new owners all the best in its future.”
A book covering the interesting history of the quarry - including the Lloyd family's 65 year involvement - will be published in the next 12 months. Entitled 'Aberllefenni Slate Quarry', it is currently being written by author Jon Knowles.
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