If an escape to the country, becoming self-sufficient and surrounding yourself with peace broken only by the birds and the beasts, is something that is enticing you to pack your bags then finding the right location is surely paramount.
How does an elevated position above some of the most stunning Welsh scenery sound, plus owning a hefty slice of a well-loved, well-known national park too?
Ty'r Phillip Evans farm can offer you both of these elements to send you on a one-way trip to the country without ever looking back to the busy roads and noisy streets of a city or town soundscape of your former life.
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Located south of the village of Llangattock and with Crickhowell, Powys less than three miles away, the property is not totally isolated, but it can rightly claim to be viewed as a rural retreat.
Keep climbing up the meandering lanes to finally find the historic former home for humans and animals, through a gate and at the end of a single track and you will instantly know that the trek uphill was totally worth it.
Nestled into a hillside, the sweeping and expansive rural views of the Brecon Beacons National Park below and totally surrounding the farm are utterly breath-taking. And the bonus aspect of the house to make it elevate to a super special level is that up to 71 acres of the national park can be called your own as the parcel land that comes with the house.
The house secured a Grade II listing from Cadw in 1998 for being 'a fine example a regional sub-medieval farmhouse, the survival of early fenestration being of particular interest' and there are plenty of charming character features to look out for as you wander around.
According to the listing, the main building appears to be of derived long-house type with ‘chimney backing on the entry’ plan that includes a through-passage within the former byre - a late-to-post medieval dwelling for people and their animals under one roof.
In this byre area is a tie beam that bears a date of 1639, although there are later wings of accommodation added to the house that are dated to the 18th century that includes the attached barn.
Later in the property's centuries of history, the inner rooms were converted to a dairy, so the property has clearly seen a lot of changes and developments, and maybe you can be the person to create the next chapter?
The particularly well preserved north gable end of the byre can boast some original windows that are specifically pointed out within the Cadw listing, which states 'within the attic storey there are two timber diamond-mullion windows with dripstones, one above the other. Aligned in the lower storey is a window with a central diamond mullion and timber struts'.
Inside the main house, currently painted pink, the wood panelling and flagstone floors also get a mention within the listing description, as well as a salting slab within the former dairy section.
The house and the site was formerly known as Ty'r Philip Evan farm and belonged to the Duke of Beaufort's estate which is said to have also included Raglan Castle. The estate sold the farm in 1906 to become someone else's castle to call home.
Another area to have impressed the Cadw representative over 20 years ago when the listing was granted is in the main reception room. In this space the substantial fireplace showcases stone jambs (the side pillars) and chamfered timber lintel.
To the left of the fireplace is a flight of curved fireplace stairs leading to the attic storey and to the right is the original doorway into the byre and, in the past, the way to check on your animal neighbours.
The property is now on the market to create a dream home packed full of history and period features without a cow or sheep inside in sight. And if your budget cannot stretch to around £700,000 then there is an option to buy less land to lower the price tag.
The house is an exciting renovation project proposition, if budget and planning run smoothly, offering a dining room boasting that amazing fireplace, and the former dairy to the side, and a hay barn and cowshed to the other side.
The hay barn and cowshed section of the property, adjoining the farmhouse and entered through a huge barn door, is substantial and currently offers a mezzanine level as well as the gable end with the original windows that were gushed over in the Grade II listing.
It could be incorporated into the main dwelling or established as a second home for other members of the family or even a holiday let, subject to all necessary planning consents of course.
To the rear, behind the dining room, is a kitchen and a sitting room, plus a door out to the rear land and the entrance into the attached barn which currently offers a store, a workshop and oodles of potential, again subject to planning and listed building consent.
Upstairs in the main pink house there are three bedrooms and a bathroom that are located above the main front section.
The attached additional barn at the rear is double-height, open to the roof rafters and surely mesmerising anyone who visits with the visual splendour of construction past, that could be dream home future.
The immediate garden that surrounds the house has pretty and mature planting that creates pockets of private, peaceful areas, as well as the obvious alfresco dining and relaxing spots right next to the stone structures.
There is a vast amount of space for parking, so maybe the area where the L-shape between the house and rear barn could be transformed into a beautiful courtyard area. But from wherever you decide to stand in the grounds, the staggeringly gorgeous national park rolls out around you and undulates to the horizon.
When you are wandering around your slice of the national park, however much you decide to buy, you will come across a more modern metal farm building that used to be a collection of sheds for a collection of livestock, including sheep and cattle.
But there's also a cute little detached stone structure that maybe used to be a pig sty - its former use is unclear - but what it could be is your new work from home office once subject of a renovation project, but just remember to keep it neat, tidy and clean so no-one on a Zoom call can claim it actually still is a pigsty.
Ty'r Phillip Evans farm is for sale with about 71 acres of land for £700,000 or as two lots - one lot with the house, barns and 26 acres and one lot with just land totally about 44 acres.
For the price of the separate lots and all other queries and information, contact Williams Associates Chartered Surveyors, Abergavenny on 01873 840726. All photographs by Dylan Borck, Kenaz24Photography.
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