4 bedroom house

*Viewing is highly recommended - No upward chain*

The local village of Llanfyllin has recently been voted one of the best ten places to live in the UK via The Daily Telegraph.

A charming character property with excellent equestrian facilities and approx 9.5 acres of organic pasture, near Llanfyllin, close to the Shropshire/Powys border. Rhos Fawr offers an equestrian and lifestyle opportunity. This idyllic location is truly a little haven and could lend itself to multiple uses such as holiday lets, a smallholding, a retreat - the options are endless.

The property is a well presented 4 bed 15th/16th/17th Century farmhouse with a host of original historical features, and up to date interior, mature gardens with fantastic views. The property comprises of a double kitchen, pantry, living room, further sitting room and office. Master bedroom, large double bedroom, single bedroom/dressing room, single bedroom/historic room, family bathroom, stairs leading to a large attic. Externally there are extensive equestrian facilities and outbuildings suitable for private or professional use, 3 (which could easily be converted into 5) large stables in converted traditional buildings, with scope (and sufficient grazing) to create further stabling, grooming box with solarium, heated tack room, external washing-down, feed room, storage buildings and substantial internal hay storage. There is also a Ménage 20m x 40m with training mirrors and an additional woodchip turnout arena 35m x 19m. Electrified paddocks with mains water. Other outbuildings offer scope for holiday accommodation (subject to planning) or alternative business opportunities

Set within a picturesque rural valley, Rhos Fawr commands truly spectacular views in addition to fabulous air and light quality. The property is located at 700 feet with surrounding hills approximately 1200 ft. A tranquil spot good for the mind, body and soul.

Rhos Fawr stands at the bottom of a private hedge-bound drive of some 300 metres. Access is shared with a neighbouring property (at the top of the drive) and a farmer owning adjoining land. The property is deceivingly spacious. The back door which is off the concrete stable yard provides the most used access. Adjacent to the back door is an outside boot/coat room with space for recycling boxes, lawn mower, garden tools, a clothes dryer and has scope for conversion to a downstairs shower-room/WC/cloakroom, if required subject to planning. Through the boot/coat room, there is a door leading to the garden which is south-east facing and commands excellent views of 'The Globe' hill opposite. The garden enjoys all day sunlight which allows for outdoor eating during the summer months. The accommodation is arranged over two floors, featuring a wealth of exposed beams, timbers and original features.

Front Kitchen - 3.60 x 3.30 (11'9" x 10'9") - The kitchen has been recently refitted and is in two sections this lovely space is used as one large kitchen and the two sections fuse beautifully together. The front kitchen features an oil-fired Rayburn (with glass shelf above and mirrored recess) for cooking and hot water and there is a new attractive biomass boiler/cooker in the back kitchen (which runs on wood pellets). The biomass boiler provides central heating and hot water if required. The front kitchen looks out onto a small courtyard and stable yard beyond and the back kitchen looks up the drive. New skylights make the back kitchen very light. The back kitchen also has an adjoining traditional walk-in pantry with large slate cold slab and it houses a freezer. The front kitchen has a walk-in cupboard/larder. Both are fitted with bespoke wooden worktops, a range of cupboards and quarry tiled floor. The front kitchen has a washing machine and the back kitchen a fridge.

Back Kitchen - 5.20 x 2.10 (17'0" x 6'10") -

Sitting/Dining Room - 5.40 x 4.30 (17'8" x 14'1") - The front kitchen leads to the first living room, a large room with an abundantly beamed ceiling and substantial fireplace with wood burning stove. The room looks onto the garden and enjoys uninterrupted views of the hills beyond. This space is big enough for a large table and sofa and provides excellent space for entertaining.

Living Room/Lounge - 5.00 x 4.80 (16'4" x 15'8") - A substantial space featuring attractive historical woodwork including original plank and muntin wall timbering and another impressive fireplace with stove. This room has a wonderfully warm feel. A porch leads off this room to the front door.

Home Office - 2.20 x 2.10 (7'2" x 6'10") - A lovely space, equipped for home working, which also commands excellent views. Broadband is sufficient for working and video streaming. A video website has previously been run from the property. There is satellite back-up for broadband and a mobile phone booster provides a full signal.

Bedroom Four - 2.30 x 2.30 (7'6" x 7'6") - From the second living room, an old wooden staircase leads to the landing. Immediately off the landing is a small bedroom which has a wealth of woodwork and displays a section of wattle and daub, as well as original handmade bricks. Up a short flight of stairs from the landing is a large insulated loft, an apex shaped space with headroom in the centre offering scope for possible conversion into further living space.

Along the landing, there are three more bedrooms; a master bedroom, a large double room with built-in wardrobes and a smaller bedroom, currently used as a dressing room. The newly restored corridor features a 'sun-tube' in the ceiling which brings in daylight, in addition to new LED lighting. A spacious family bathroom is located at the end of the corridor off another small landing. The bathroom is newly refurbished and has a skylight, bath, sperate walk-in shower, low flush WC and pedestal hand basin. A second stairwell from the small landing leads down to the back kitchen. The stairwell features a Sycamore bannister cut from a tree at the property.

Bedroom Three - 2.69 x 2.10 (8'9" x 6'10") -

Bedroom Two - 4.30 x 3.70 (14'1" x 12'1") -

Master Bedroom - 5.00 x 3.82 (16'4" x 12'6") -

Large Family Bathroom -

Attic - 7.60 x 3.30 (24'11" x 10'9") -

External And Equestrian Features - The property includes a 15th century Grade 2* listed barn which is “the most complete example of a hall house in Wales” and was the original dwelling for people and their livestock. The large barn has exceptional woodwork and is currently used as a hay store, feed room and wood store. (For clarification, none of the other buildings, or the house are listed).
Opposite the barn is a former Granary (with cobblestone floor and timber cladding) which has scope for conversion to ancillary accommodation/holiday accommodation.
There are three extremely large stables, which could easily be converted into five (one of which was originally two stables and has two entrances and could be converted back, if required). All are concreted and matted and the walls lined. A large heated tack room offers ample storage space and there is also a large solarium/grooming box. Outside the solarium is a washdown area and at the bottom of the yard is hardstanding for lorry/trailer parking, adjacent to a fully programmable Claydon horse walker, wide enough for horses to turn themselves when the walker changes direction.
Further external facilities include a woodchip turnout arena (35m x 19 m) constructed by Pegasus Arenas) which can also be used for lunging. This is behind the stable block. At the bottom of the land is a 20 x 40m riding ménage with full-length mirrors on a short side (built by Charles Britton). It has an Equisand and PVC surface with carpet/upholstery shreds on top, so as to be robust in cold temperatures. There is also a grass gallop on an incline up the full length of the land which offers the opportunity for interval training in situ, in addition to schoolwork.

Land And Out-Riding - The land at Rhos Fawr comprises approximately 9.5 acres of beautifully maintained organic pasture, divided into 7 paddocks with mains powered electric fencing and mains water troughs throughout. Outriding from the property is quiet and offers plenty of hill work for fitness with a network of country lanes and bridleways. The current owner has permissive use of some large fields for further fitness work.

Local Area - Rhos Fawr is approx. 7 minutes from the local town of Llanfyllin and 25 minutes from Oswestry and Welshpool. Shopping amenities are plentiful in Llanfyllin with a supermarket, organic grocery, butcher and weekly fishmonger. There is also a pharmacy, medical centre, community cinema, school, restaurant, several pubs, launderette and gift shop.

Oswestry is a much larger town with extensive shopping and businesses. Both Oswestry and Shrewsbury offer a range of excellent independent preparatory and senior schools. The area is rich in culture with many annual events and festivals including a literary festival, chamber music events, food, folk and arts festivals. Snowdonia National Park is approximately 15 minutes offering excellent recreational opportunities, Lake Vrynwy is 25 minutes and Ynyslas beach an hour and a half. For commuters, the M45/M6 interchange at Birmingham is one and a quarter hours drive.
From an equestrian perspective the property is well placed, with affiliated/unaffiliated competitions and clinics run locally at Radfords. Other centres within reach are Bow House, Kensall Hall, Tushingham Arena and Berriewood. There is hunting and a range of excellent trainers, farriers, vets and physios locally.

Owners Comments - "I bought Rhos Fawr in December 2014. I had wanted to return to Wales (where I was born) and I needed to regenerate after many years working in London. In addition, I was aiming to fulfil my equestrian ambitions. I had never been to mid
orth Wales before but I was immediately taken by the incredible landscape and fell in love with the property. I loved its charisma, charm and space, even though it was somewhat neglected then.

The immediate project was to create the facilities outside for the best possible management of my three horses in order to train and compete at international level endurance riding. The transformation of the buildings, yard and land was completed within the first 6 months though improving the land took a little longer.

It was satisfying to give the historic farm buildings a new purpose and to use the space and land to best advantage, ensuring I could turn the horses out all year round and keep them working whatever the weather. The property is at 700ft and the surrounding hills are 1300ft, so the scenery is spectacular and pristine. To me, the purity of the air, the constantly changing light, the wonder of the night sky, the mix of the elements and the abundance of wild-life is a priceless combination which offers a real connection to the natural world, yet the property is still accessible.

The house itself was a more gradual project, completed at the end of 2019. Updating included painting throughout, some new plastering, the exposure of enclosed woodwork in the corridor upstairs and a new kitchen and bathroom, plus 4 sky-lights and a sun-tube. Otherwise, the integrity of the original layout remains as the property is full of stunning woodwork and features.

Originally, Rhos Fawr was one of the biggest farmsteads in the valley and the house was bigger. Gradually, the acreage was reduced from around 100 acres as I understand it and currently stands at 9.5 acres of organic pasture, sloping towards a small river at the bottom of the land."

Services
Mains electricity (and a generator for backup). Private borehole water supply and private drainage. Biomass boiler/cooker for central heating and hot water. Oil-fired Rayburn for cooking/hot water, solar panels as alternative for hot water. Two wood-burning stoves for optional heating of the living rooms. The property is double-glazed throughout, and the loft is insulated.

Directions
Sat nav may not bring you exactly to the property so please follow directions. Go through Llanfyllin and head west. Pass the turning to Lake Vrynwy on your left in about a mile (but don't take it); go over a small humpback bridge shortly afterwards and 100 yards after the bridge take the lane on your left. Stay on this lane for three miles and you will eventually see a white bungalow on your left on a sharp right-hand bend. You will also see two black wheelie bins and a row of stones. Go through the gate at the bungalow and down drive 300m to Rhos Fawr. The property is not visible from the road and the name is not marked at the top of the drive.



Marketed by: Fine & Country, Shrewsbury