If you like historic homes that have been in existence for many years, how does the date 1591 grab you?
There are so few home owners in Wales who can boast that they live in an Elizabethan gem, but you could be joining this exclusive gang if you have £1,950,000 to spend.
For the rest of us, a tour around a historic home for sale will have to be enough to satisfy our curiosity and marvel at the feast of period features still waiting inside to impress.
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Grade II listed Hendre Uchaf farm is a slice of Welsh history that is more of a mini estate than just a single country home, albeit it is one of significant stature. It is a unique home that comes with multiple earning potential too.
The 12 acre site that is the setting for this historic property bundle includes three cottages, an array of outbuildings, and a large barn that has already been converted into a commercial enterprise.
The barn was home to a thriving day nursery but would be suitable for a variety of other commercial uses such as offices, tourism venture or events - or whatever your business needs, as long as the planning in place covers it.
And there's no need to worry about where guests and customers might park as the site has a parking area that can welcome up to 25 vehicles. It can also probably claim to be the car park with the best view in the area; lucky cars can see the sea.
Or maybe you could just rent out the barn for someone else's business and enjoy rambling through the Welsh countryside and visiting the nearby coast while they work and you enjoy the rental income.
But it's not the only area where this farmstead can earn you money, as there are three, two bedroom cottages on the land that have gone through a renovation project and currently have tenants.
The agent selling the site states that each cottage is self-sufficient, has their own garden with breath-taking views and allocated parking too, so they could also be rented out as high-end holiday cottages generating a tourism based income.
It's an area in the county of Conwy that would be of interest to holiday makers too, near the small village of St George and just one mile from the seaside town of Abergele. The coast, the countryside and Snowdonia National Park are all easily accessible too.
There are even more extra outbuildings that make this property package one fit to bursting with oodles of potential for it to become whatever your lifestyle and business needs dictate.
But it's unquestionably the main farmhouse that is the gem in the centre of this collection of property jewels, and its unique selling points start with its setting.
Flanked by woodland at the rear and a patchwork of paddocks at the front, the hillside location creates an outstanding view that sweeps down the hillside, across the rural vista, and ends up splashing into the sea on the horizon.
It's a panoramic, uninterrupted sea view that surely you would never get tired gazing at.
The historic home is approached via a winding country lane, but the main road to Abergele is not too far away - a potentially perfect blend of peace for you and easy access for customers to the myriad of businesses that are, and could be, developed on site.
The home, and its little hamlet of additional houses, has its own little country lane that gets you to the main gate that then wanders through the buildings before it turns and goes back down the hill to the main lane; it's the ultimate 'in and out' drive.
The house achieved a Grade II listing in 1997 as 'a good example of a farmhouse with unusually high quality internal fittings for a house of its size, including the guilloche patterned timber partitions'.
And it is the main house that will excite you the most, greeting you with a stone plaque that says 1591 and pretty foliage around the door, inviting you in and tempting you with the possibility of a wealth of period properties to discover inside.
And as the Grade II listing states, there are many period features to gush over inside this wonderful abode. They have been lovingly restored by the current owners and are the showstoppers of the home - from fireplaces to ceiling beams, carved wooden partitions to delightfully wonky original floorboards.
Through the stone arched doorway gets you to a glass panelled, solid oak front door - open it and the journey through Elizabethan history begins.
The entrance lobby with quarry tiled floor invites you through a stunning carved oak panel archway and into the drawing room.
This room is as characterful as they come; a stone fireplace with log burner and massive wooden mantel, a grid of solid ceiling beams, and thick walls perfect for creating seats on the window sills under the wooden lintels.
Look closely and you will spot within the substantial timber over-mantle a Latin inscription, and at one end of the room is a superb oak post and panel partition dating back to circa A.D. 1591 and it's not the only one to be found inside this amazing abode.
The historic stature of this house does not go unnoticed as Hendre Uchaf gets a particular mention in Peter Smith’s book 'Houses of the Welsh Countryside' for its particularly fine set of such partitions, beautifully enriched with Guilloche patterns and dated by well cut inscriptions.
This surprisingly spacious drawing room can easily welcome robust, character appropriate furniture as well as the deep heritage tones on the walls, helped with light by the French doors that lead out into the garden.
Into the dining hall and this is another special space, with a charming carved wood panel at one end that oozes character and also hiding the cutest of doors that prove people have become taller over the centuries. These days most people will have to duck to get through this secret door or their forehead will suffer the consequences.
But they might forget all about the little door because they are fully mesmerised by the incredible fireplace next to it which boasts carved lettering on its huge wooden mantel and stone pillars and flagstone hearth that have seen so many roaring fires over the centuries.
Into the dining hall that has surely been the hub of socialising, able to accommodate a large, formal banqueting table below the solid ceiling beam structure. Again, large pieces of statement furniture are no problem to fit in and light is a constant dinner guest via the duo of large, multi-paned windows.
So choosing the interior design for a modern kitchen within an Elizabethan house is surely a tricky task. Going fully contemporary would probably visually jar with most people, so maybe the choice at Hendre Uchaf is the most pleasing option.
The kitchen diner decor scheme is a visually engaging collection of free-standing, solid wood timeless country style pieces, enhanced by shades of strong blue and an eclectic mix of accessories and curios that reflect the present owners' personality and taste.
But there's also another room to discover that does that too - a games room with a difference.
Whereas most people's games room might contain a pool table or fusbal table as the central source of excitement, this house has a games room full of vintage arcade machines - game of Pac-Man anyone?
Also on the ground floor is a cloakroom and utility room to add modern functions and facilities to this Tudor abode, plus a separate living room that is a quieter space, accessed via that secret little door in the wood panelling in the dining room.
Up the staircase, admiring more wood wall panelling as you ascend, and there are three bedrooms on the first floor and one on the second floor, as well as a bathroom and numerus nooks and crannies for storage and for playing the best game of hide and seek ever.
The master bedroom is of special note because as well as being generous in proportions it has a wonderful collection of ceiling beams that have been looking down on this space for centuries.
Hendre Uchaf is a superb Elizabethan farmhouse with an abundance of character, bonus buildings, business potential, land and amazing views within an idyllic setting - no wonder it's been loved for centuries.
It is now on the market for £1,950,000 with purplebricks, call them on 0800 810 8008 to find out more. And to make sure you never miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent out to your inbox twice a week.
