Arson-hit Gothic hall on market

Offers are being invited from buyers with the "vision and the money" to develop a Grade 1-listed Gothic hall.

Hafodunos Hall, near Abergele, Conwy, which was described as one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture, was burned down by arsonists in 2004.

Halifax-based estate agent Walker Singleton is marketing the hall, which comes with 40 acres of ground.

The property has no price tag, because the company does not want to "eliminate interest from any interested parties".

Spokesman Howard Singleton added: "Whilst the main hall is in a derelict state it provides a unique opportunity to acquire a Victorian country house of such high stature, complete with its original grounds."

He said the grounds were "currently totally overgrown," but remained "almost unchanged since they were laid out over 150 years ago".

"Whilst any purchaser would require incisive vision and substantial capital to carry through a restoration, a glimmer of the ultimate reward is clear to see from walking the estate today"
Howard Singleton, of estate agent Walker Singleton

He added: "Whilst any purchaser would require incisive vision and substantial capital to carry through a restoration, a glimmer of the ultimate reward is clear to see from walking the estate today."

The hall was designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 1860s, who was commissioned by the Sandbach family to build it on the site of a manor house which dated back to the reign of Charles I.

The architect's other works include London's St Pancras Hotel, and the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens.

Hafodunos Hall stopped being a home in the 1930s and was later used as a boarding school and an accountancy college.

But it closed in 1993 and remained empty, falling into a state of disrepair.

Then, in 2004 two arsonists burned most of the hall down after starting a fire with petrol.

In 2005, one, then aged 22, was jailed for three years and the other, then 20, was sent to a young offenders institution. Both admitted arson.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard it was questionable whether the hall would ever be restored, with an estimate of £8m.

Developers had previously unveiled plans to turn the hall into a hotel with 70 holiday lodges.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Walker Singleton
hafodunoshall.co.uk
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