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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

The £1m Gothic home for sale in the shadow of Llandaff Cathedral

Wander down this distinctive street in one of Cardiff's not only poshest but most historic suburbs and you are walking in the footsteps of kings.

High Street and the Cathedral Green at Llandaff were beamed across the world as King Charles III greeted crowds of local, flag-waving people who lined the pavement, waiting to catch a glimpse of him and The Queen consort.

The royal couple were visiting Cardiff during their tour of the four UK home nations after Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, and this beautiful Gothic house had a front row seat to the whole royal visit, which included a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral.

READ MORE: Amazing transformation of dated country house into a stunning dream home

Set back from the road in Llandaff village (Google maps)
The Bishop's Palace as a neighbour (Google maps)

But this house called St Andrew's is no stranger to history on its doorstep. Nestled within the high street of Llandaff village, the property can call Llandaff Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace as its direct neighbours and the building itself can claim to be part of the overall cathedral estate.

The left-hand house of a pair of semis, its neighbour is called St Cross, St Andrews was built between 1859 and 1861 by Ewan Christian, the architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Both semi-detached houses were constructed for minor canons of Llandaff Cathedral.

The visually engaging pair of houses are constructed from multi-coloured stone, square or rectangular in shape and laid in irregular courses, with Bath stone ashlar dressings, a Welsh slate roof, and designed in a restrained Gothic style.

This combination of elements ensures the houses are likely to stop you in your tracks as you take that walk down the high street, even though the buildings are surrounded by a multitude of characterful and charming, head-turning period properties.

Three-storeys plus a cellar (Savills, Cardiff)
Who wouldn't want to see behind this amazing Gothic front door? (Savills, Cardiff)

St Andrews was awarded a Grade II listing by Cadw in 1975 for being 'an unaltered design by Ewan Christian and for its group value with the other listed buildings around The Cathedral Green and on the High Street'.

It's not every day you plan to spend a cool £1m on buying a property and then have to spend more on renovating it - St Andrews proves that if you are a rare and historic building in one of the hottest property spots in Wales, then you are worth a great deal indeed.

The house might be a semi-detached but it is a big beast of a building, with a hidden cellar below ground rising to a ground floor that spans over 22 metres in width.

Floor-to-ceiling window in the drawing room (Savills, Cardiff)
Big and beautiful bay window in the sitting room (Savills, Cardiff)

At the front of the property, as well as the truly charming arched, stone front doorway housing an eye-catching berry shade Gothic front door, there are two bathrooms in the centre and access to the cellar. There's a study to the right of the front door and a kitchen to the left, down the hallway and past the bathrooms.

The kitchen has the bonus of a good sized pantry and utility room, plus a door out to the garden. At the very end of this ground floor layout is a bonus space, tucked under the stepped roofline that wanders down from the first floor to the ground floor.

This intriguing area can only be accessed from the garden so it might be the perfect home office after some attention, away from the main house, and the hard working occupant not easily disturbed.

The dining room is located opposite the kitchen (Savills, Cardiff)
At the very far left of the house is a hidden space, only accessible via the garden (Google maps)

At the rear of the ground floor are three bright, light and lovely reception rooms, all looking out over the private, walled garden and providing a wall of nature in each space via huge windows. These characterful feature windows include a floor-to-ceiling bay in the central sitting room and a substantial picture window in the drawing room.

At the end of the hallway the third of this terrific trio of garden rooms is the dining room, handily located opposite the kitchen. On the first floor there are three bedrooms, a second kitchen and a bathroom. Up again and the top floor offers an extra bedroom and a very handy storage room.

The intriguing layout can be attributed to the fact that the house is currently two apartments but the estate agent selling this unique property states it could easily be converted back to one spacious and special home.

The house may be described as a renovation project but the potential to make a truly spectacular home here is clear; it oozes out of every room and surely will over-excite anyone with interior design vision and creativity.

Handsome home in a prime Cardiff location that is a rare proposition (Savills, Cardiff)

Outside there is a large, mature, walled rear garden with paved area and a lawn. It's a peaceful place that feels so private considering it is in the middle of a popular suburb in a major UK city.

At the end of the garden is a garage in need of some attention but the cars shouldn't worry about their future at this site, having to park on the main street and not tucked away safely at night.

This is because, according to the estate agent, the property comes with planning permission to provide vehicular access and parking via the demolition of the garage. Go to Cardiff County Council's planning website and search for reference 21/02533/DCH.

Private and peaceful walled garden (Savills, Cardiff)

The house is being sold by the representative body of the Church in Wales. The agent selling the house states that in accordance with their client's charitable status (registered charity number 1142813), the property may remain on the open market until exchange of contracts; the vendor reserves the right to consider any other offer which is forthcoming.

In addition, the property will be sold subject to the vendor's standard covenants, further details of which are available upon request, so a chat with Savills, Cardiff is vital, call them on 029 2036 8900 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter , sent to your inbox twice a week.

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