Down a tiny lane in a quiet village on one of the UK's most famous and loved coastal peninsulas, there's a property packed full of potential waiting to be found. The first exciting element of this period farmhouse hiding in the hamet is the location in the heart of Gower Peninsula, Britain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Swansea is only 30 minutes away, the stunning Gower beaches including Penmaen and Oxwich are nearby and the village of Penmaen that offers a shop, pub and artisan bakery is just a short walk away from this traditional Welsh farmhouse going to auction.
Nestled within open countryside with only a few character properties to call neighbours, this period farmhouse in need of renovation oozes potential from the moment you see it until the moment you leave it. It's a rare find indeed - a farmhouse dating back to the 1700s in need of updating in such a special spot in Wales.
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Add to the list of features to get you over-excited at this property is the surrounding garden, an outbuilding and the rolling Gower landscape as your nature-based cloak that surrounds the site.
Arriving at the white-washed property it greets you with a traditional farmhouse facade of symmetrical windows and an enticing central porchway. But the porch doesn't need to work hard to get you interested in nosing about inside, the anticipation of what might be revealed once you push the front door open is enough.
The house is Grade II listed, awarded by Cadw in 2000 for being 'a well preserved superior vernacular farmhouse of the period c1700, which has retained its character and interesting internal details including its original fireside settle'. And the new owner will, of course, have to keep this at the front of their minds, as well as building a working relationship with the local conservation officer, to achieve a sympathetic renovation and restoration that preserves this wonderful home's features far into the future.
The listing states that the house appears from available records to have always been a tenant Gower farm. In 1844 it was recorded as Great Lunnon Homestead, tenanted to Benjamin John, with 90 acres (36.5 hectares), under Major Thomas Penrice of Kilvrough.
By 1871 the farm had risen to about 200 acres (81 hectares), which is very large by Gower standards. No wonder the property's name changed to Big House Farmhouse.
Now the site has shrunk to the house and about 0.3 of an acre, so not so big now on land size but the property can still claim its big house name - it's now big on potential.
The collection of detached buildings within the rear garden and across a small yard are, according to the listing, the former bakehouse and washhouse but be careful doing any renovations here without checking, as they are both covered by the main property's Grade II listing.
There's also a greenhouse, shed, walled animal pound, and a collection of former farm buildings that include an old cow shed perfect for storage or ripe for conversion, subject to planning consent. Plus there's a generous garden that wraps around the house giving ample choice for alfresco dining, relaxing and growing your own produce and maybe an excuse, albeit flimsy, for the purchase of a longed for ride-on mower.
The house is a rare find also because it has a Grade II listed old, stone built animal pond and a rickyard, which is part of a farm where hay, ricks or fodder are stacked. The rickyard area may, in the opinion of the estate agent, have potential for alternative uses subject to obtaining the necessary planning consents. So Big House Farmhouse appears to have a bundle of possible projects to realise the potential of the outside space.
Stepping inside the house and wandering around is like a journey through time as well as potential. There's the original ceiling beams, exposed stone walls, flagstone floors and panelled internal doors in some rooms, the 1930s are represented via a fireplace, the utility room and kitchen offer units from probably the 1970s and the 1980s, and there's furniture in situ dating from 1960s and decor from the 1960s.
Whichever era you are spotting in each room the atmosphere is the same - welcoming and warm. The house likes to hug you with features and potential in every room, and those with the vision and the budget can see what this traditional farmhouse could become; a dream home on Gower bursting with features but also updated to suit modern living.
The house has two staircases and is a warren of spaces to discover. Arguably the most exciting is the former kitchen now used as a sitting room, which can boast a 19th century fireplace as its stand-out feature that still includes a bread oven, central fireplace and hob boiler.
Add in the ceiling beams, flagstone floor and charming wood panel doors with black ironmongery and this room is probably the most impressive when it comes to period features. The next door lounge can boast black beams and maybe a continuation of the flagstones under the 1970s pattern carpet.
The brick fireplace is probably 1970s too, and a new owner may be tempted to update it or paint it, as long as it is not included in the listing.
The kitchen breakfast room and utility room are a later dated, rear extension that are both sizeable spaces and both looking for an update and, if permitted, a direct connection to the garden as an ideal part of the renovation.
There's a bathroom on the ground floor to find on this level, before choosing the main staircase of the two on offer to climb and find three bedrooms, one of which leads directly into a fourth room. This extra room could be transformed into an ensuite and dressing room, a nursery or a home office, tucked away from the main busy areas of the house. More potential to get you excited.
The second staircase, a later addition according to Cadw, takes you to the attic storage rooms which, of course, are ripe for renovation and optimising their potential but are, of course, subject to listed building consent. The agent states that the house has mains water, electricity and drainage already in place, which is a relief to anyone wanting to bid on this auction property.
Big House Farmhouse offers a big house renovation opportunity in a location many house hunters would see as a coastal dream, and is going to auction on Thursday, July 14 2022 at 3pm with a guide price of £400,000 at The Rasoi Indian Kitchen, Pontlliw, Swansea, with the winning bidder bound to complete by Thursday September, 15 2022 or earlier by arrangement.
For further information contact agents Rees Richards at the Swansea branch on 01792 650705. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter which is sent to your inbox twice a week.
