A historic Welsh mansion is going to auction that offers a new owner a bundle of buildings, as well as land and sweeping views of a popular location.
The main, super-sized property is a 15-bed, three-storey mansion that is nestled into a wooded hillside with an impressive rural aspect of rolling hills.
As well as the Grade II listed mainly Georgian manor house going the hammer, within the 3.6 acre plot, there's also a Grade II listed cottage, an outbuilding and a mobile classroom, which gives a hint of the property's most recent history.
READ MORE: Popular Welsh coastal location named one of the UK's most upmarket towns
Called Marle Hall, the distinctive building has had a varied past that has ranged from a fancy country home to a convalescent home.
The property has had moments of trauma too, with a fire badly damaging the main house in the mid 18th century that saw it standing derelict and roofless throughout the 19th century, according to Cadw. The only section at that time that remained habitable was the east wing.
The house that once stood on the plot is said to have been built in 1661 for Sir Hugh Williams, 5th Baronet of Penrhyn, dated by a beam in the hall that survived the fire.
With views over the beautiful Conwy Valley from its elevated position, near Snowdonia National Park and the coastline at Llandudno, it's not a surprise the spot was chosen by Williams for his striking mansion.
But the majority of the house that stands today is a Georgian enlargement that occurred in the early 18th century.
The mansion gained its Grade II listing in 1950, amended in 2006, for its 'special architectural interest as primarily an early 20th century convalescent home of definite character, with significant earlier origin as a country house'.
From 1894 Cadw states Marle Hall was rented by the Birmingham Saturday Club, who later purchased, refurbished and rebuilt the house, with extensions at the rear.
It was then opened as a convalescent home in 1903 and became a nursing home from 1965.
In 1971 it was bought by Warwickshire County Council who operated it as an outdoor learning centre providing residential trips and courses for schoolchildren from that English county.
However, the centre closed in October 2021 and has now been put up for auction with a guide price of just £400,000.
The imposing mansion greets you with an impressive, symmetrical Georgian facade with a delightful glass covered front veranda surely the most pleasing place to gather and socialise whilst admiring the views.
And although the interior is set up as the outdoor centre, plenty of period features survive, with a few in the core of the house dating back to its Tudor beginnings.
Arguably the most glorious of the features is the entrance hall and staircase, boasting wood wall panelling, intricate carved newel posts, Jacobean-style balusters and stained glass window panels.
Exposed ceiling beams, a stone fireplace and fancy wooden double doors are extra features that instantly impress once you walk through the carved stone archway dating back to Tudor times, from the front door into the main reception hall.
There's multi-layered cornicing to reward you if you look up and either tiles, wood floorboards or beautifully sanded parquet flooring if you look down within some of the main ground floor reception rooms.
The huge, classic Georgian windows in the main rooms ensure each space is bursting with light and the abundance of wood in the primary rooms add visually warmth to the white and pale blue colour palette.
There's a fancy metal and tiled fireplace in one of the reception rooms but the decor is, of course, set up to be operational as an outdoor education centre, so the interior design is minimal and simple to be ideal for its past commercial usage.
So there's a large, commercial kitchen, a large dining room with long tables and multiple chairs, carpeted classrooms, offices and lounges.
As this property welcomed groups of children who went on treks around the surrounding countryside, the house has a large boot room and changing room, and a space allocated to drying out wet kit.
Help with your hunt for a home here:
The drying room appears to have its own boiler and an overhead hanging structure of pipes and beams allowing maximum soggy kits to feel the heat.
Of course, the remaining two floors above are mainly dedicated to dormitories and washing facilities, as well as a few more classrooms and break-out rooms.
The accommodation in the main house is completed by a basement.
Outside, as well as woodland to explore and conquer, there are outbuildings to have a rummage around too.
The main property within the grounds is a Grade II listed cottage, with a charming ceiling beamed kitchen, fireplace in the living room and three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.
This property proposition overlooking Llandudno in Conwy, can offer a new owner plenty to consider.
The dream home scenario is an amazing and super posh country pad once the house has been returned to a residential dwelling, as it currently has C2 use.
This classification is for the provision of residential accommodation as use as a hospital or nursing home, residential school or college, or training centre.
Any changes to the house will of course need planning consent, with the Grade II listing as an important element.
But the agent selling the house suggests a number of uses for Marle Hall, such as a boutique hotel with its location so close to the coast and Snowdonia, with owners' accommodation in the onsite cottage.
Conversion into a complex of apartments might be an option to investigate too, but who wouldn't want to dream about owning this country pile all for themselves, as Sir Hugh Williams did all those centuries ago?
Marle Hall is going to auction with a guide price of £400,000 on Wednesday March 2, but is likely to sell for more, with Savills, National Auctions, call them on 020 7824 9091 to find out more.
Never miss the best property, renovation and interiors stories, sign up for the Amazing Welsh Homes Property Newsletter here.
