Grade-II listed 18th-century folly – featured on Grand Designs – goes on sale for £1.95million
The original building was a hunting lodge dating back to the 1700s and was at one point owned by the Sheriff of Monmouth
Kemeys Folly, in Langstone, near Newport, South Wales, an historic hunting lodge that was transformed into a luxury home and featured on Channel 4 property show Grand Designs, is on the market and could be yours for a cool £1.95million.
Before purchasing the property back in 2005, the current owners were living in a house in Islington. They wanted to create a very contemporary family home, but we also wanted to make the most of the setting and ensure that the folly itself wasn’t lost, but instead stood proud. The architect guided the couple in terms of the intricacies, but the new structures were designed around the views.
Today the stunning home sits in 24 acres of its own land and offers exceptional entertaining spaces, as well as inviting family areas.
This incredible home boasts six bedrooms, five bathrooms, an open-plan kitchen, diner and lounge and a cinema room.
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The master bedroom, which takes up an entire floor of the tower, opens up to reveal it’s own roof terrace, while a huge glass extension, which runs across the top of the ridge offers stunning views of the nine counties it overlooks.
'One of the things that I love is the fact that we’ve restored and enhanced this lovely old building, and at the same time we’ve also been able to incorporate a wealth of technology and bring it up to modern standards.
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We have high speed broadband, Cat-5 in every room, under-floor heating in the new areas, completely new plumbing and electrics throughout and we also installed a commercial biomass boiler, which is not only more environmentally friendly but also incredibly efficient,' says the current owner.
The property also features a spectacular leisure building, pool house, stable block, two acres of paddock and an all-weather menage.
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The current owners paid £830,000 for the tower in 2005 and work on the property began in earnest in January 2007. The couple moved in just before Christmas 2008 and spent just over £1million painstakingly restoring the property.
'My favourite room in the house is the cinema room, not only because I’m a big film fan, but also because it’s a lovely family room and one that has a very different feel to the rest of the house,” says Dean. “It was once the Great Room of the folly and it’s now accessed via ‘secret’ mirrored doors. We had all the hunting scenes that adorn the cornicing restored and we’ve given the room as a whole the feeling of an old library,' says the owner.
'Kemeys Folly is a unique property that would make an amazing family home in the Welsh countryside. The original building was a hunting lodge, today it's the ultimate in peace and quiet with 24 acres of its own land. We expect the future buyer to be a young family who want a historic home that is perfect for modern living, ' says Joe Parry from Fine & Country.
'In every direction all you can see is this incredible natural beauty, but the location is also surprisingly convenient,' says the owner. 'We enjoy good access to places such as Cardiff and Bristol, Newport is around fifteen minutes away by car and London can be reached in only 1 hour and 40 minutes on the train.'
The cameras from Channel 4’s Grand Designs followed Kemeys Folly’s progress as the Grade II listed castle became the stunning house it is today.
The owner and his wife both originally from Newport, said that Kemeys Folly was ‘love at first sight’ when they first saw the building. Would you part with £1.95million for this sprawling property?
Kemeys Folly is listed for sale at Fine & Country.
Jennifer is the Deputy Editor (Digital) for Homes & Gardens online. Prior to her current position, she completed various short courses a KLC Design School, and wrote across sister brands Ideal Home, LivingEtc, 25 Beautiful Homes, Country Homes & Interiors, and Style at Home.
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