The ‘Welsh Versailles’ goes for auction . . . with a guide price of over £750,000

A north Wales mansion, listed as one of the UK’s 10 most at-risk Victorian buildings, is going under the hammer – with a guide price of over £750,000.

Dubbed “the Welsh Versailles” – there were concerns that Kinmel Hall, near Abergele, Conwy, was in danger of becoming derelict.

Now its British Virgin Island-registered owners – Acer Properties Ltd BVI’s – have put what is believed to be Wales’ largest country home on the market.

The property is being sold by Allsop auctions, London which has provided 45 photographs of the hall on its website to try and entice interest from potential buyers.

You can see all the photographs of the splendid French chateau-style building here.

Palace

Completed in 1874, it has not been occupied since the turn of the century.

Kinmel Hall was designed by the architect WE Nesfield in the style of the Palace of Versailles.

It was originally built as a ‘calendar house’ since it had 365 windows, 122 rooms and 12 entrances.

It has a grand central staircase, impressive formal rooms, a former chapel and multiple bedrooms.

It has a range of outbuildings including a courtyard stable block and storage barns.

Renovation

The floor area (excluding stable block) is in excess of 7,432 sq m (80,000 sq ft) while the site area is approximately 7.09 Hectares (17.51 Acres)

The auctioneers say the building is “suitable for a variety of alternative uses including hotel, conference centre, educational establishment and conversion to residential units, subject to consents.”

However, they add that it is “in need of extensive renovation.”

The hall was built by the Hughes family, whose wealth was generated from copper mining on Anglesey.

Stunning

They only occupied the house, which also boasted a stunning garden designed by the same designer who laid out London’s Regent’s Park, for a couple of generations.

The building was then leased out and used for a variety of different purposes through much of the 20th Century and was home to Clarendon Girls’ School for about 30 years.

That ended when a fire swept through much of the hall in 1975.

However, much of the inside of the building has now fallen into disrepair and thieves have stripped off much of the lead from its roof.

Any new buyer will have to spend a considerable amount of money to bring it back to its formal glory.

Previously, a concerned group – The Friends of Kinmel Hall – said enforcement was needed to save the empty building becoming derelict.

It was only recently that Conwy council said the owners Acer Properties Ltd BVI’s, which had owned the Grade I listed hall for the past 10 years, had pledged to spend money on repairs which meant it did not think enforcement action was needed at this time.

Kinmel Hall will be sold online by Allsop, London on May 13.