A historic Swansea cottage is set to go to auction this month in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a slice of the city's history. Owner, Swansea Council, hopes the move will preserve it as a home for future generations.
Sketty Hall Cottage neighbours Sketty Hall, which has been home to a number of historic prominent families and dates back to the 1700s. It goes on sale on June 23 at a residential auction with the proceeds set to be invested into public services.
The building sits amongst mature, relaxing greenery and shares an access route with Sketty Hall off Sketty Lane. It’s believed to have been built as a coach house serving Sketty Hall during the 1700s. It has three ground floor rooms, an upstairs room, linked outbuildings and an enclosed garden. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Council cabinet member David Hopkins said: “We want Sketty Hall Cottage to be preserved for future generations and would like it to remain a home. Due to its location and possibilities, we expect a high degree of interest when it goes to auction this month , offering a great refurbishment opportunity for a local developer.
“Any council-generated income from the sale will be reinvested to help fund essential services for the community.” You can read more stories about Swansea here.
Sketty Hall was built in the 1720s by Rawleigh Dawkin (later Rawleigh Mansel), son of the squire of Kilvrough in Gower, and on his death it passed to his brother Mansel Dawkin (later Mansel Mansel).
Other occupants include Ralph Sheldon, MP, Charles Baring of the London merchant banking family, and Lewis Weston Dillwyn, owner of the Cambrian Pottery in Swansea, who commissioned architect Edward Haycock Snr in the early 1830s to build the present entrance hall and adjacent large room on the north side of the house.
In 1881 Frank Ash Yeo, Chairman of the Swansea Harbour Trust, added the dining room to the east of Dillwyn's entrance hall. Then, in 1898, Richard Glynn Vivian, whose family gave the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery to Swansea, bought the property, adding balconies and masks of Italian marble. He also laid out the ornamental gardens and installed the gazebo tower on the roof.
During the Second World War, The house was requisitioned to serve as an ARP area headquarters during the Second World War, before later being used by the British Iron and Steel Research Association as a major research centre for the steel industry.
Potential bidders are encouraged to register their interest with leading UK auction house Allsop which has been appointed to market the property. It will come under the hammer at Allsop’s next residential auction on June 23.
Jamie Clarke, partner and auctioneer at Allsop, said: “Sketty Hall Cottage is brimming with potential for someone keen to breathe new life into a heritage asset. It will be one of the excellent opportunities going under the virtual hammer at our June auction, where a mix of Welsh, UK and international investors will bid online on a range of properties.”
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