Can a mansion ever be a bargain? The answer is definitely ‘yes’. Although they are renowned for their grandeur and beautiful locations it is quite possible to buy one of these luxury homes, even if you aren’t super-rich.
The rider is you have to shop wisely. You will get more for your money if you buy in a remote region, such as the wilds of Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales. It can also be a good idea to find a ‘doer-upper’ that will repay any refurbishment costs many times over.
Alternatively, you may find a mansion that returns your investment every single year. If you have a grand house, you could let out rooms for conferences, wedding receptions or big anniversary celebrations. The likes of Stormzy pay top dollar to borrow mansions for parties – far from the prying cameras. Or you may prefer to let the mansion out to one of the film location agencies such as Love Locations or Shootfactory. They pay well – it is realistic to expect to make £100,000 a year if you are lucky enough to own a stunner of a property.
And don’t forget the grounds. Some owners make £50,000 a year from pheasant shoots. Glampers – those camping softies who crave a little luxury under canvas – will pay £120 a night if you have a good site with a view or fishing nearby. Mansions with equestrian facilities have obvious earning potential.
So here’s our guide to some of the best bargain mansions on the market at present…
Calcott Hall, Llanymynech, Wales – £450,000
Little more than a ruin, with greenery growing out of its windows, Calcott Hall has enormous potential as a building project. Being sold with full planning and listed building consent, the traditional brick barns next to this Grade II listed Georgian country hall could be converted into seven new dwellings. Standing in 2.37 acres, a further 36 acres of prime agricultural land and fishing rights along the River Vyrnwy is available by separate negotiation. Calcott Hall is located near the Wales/England border, close to the village of Four Crosses, which has a primary school and medical centre. It has impressive views over the surrounding Montgomeryshire and Shropshire countryside and is for sale with Roger Parry of Welshpool. (rogerparry.net).
Ballymoney House, Stranocum, County Antrim, Northern Ireland – £475,000
With the feel of a mini-mansion, Ballymoney House is surrounded by its own expanse of gardens and set below the road. It has extensive frontage onto the River Bush with its ford and weir. Internally, the five-bedroom house has several interesting architectural highlights, including vaulted ceilings, an open-tread staircase and feature windows opening up to views of the gardens. Ballymoney itself is a County Antrim town on the main road between Coleraine and Ballymena. It has the oldest drama festival in Northern Ireland. The house is for sale with Philip Tweedie (jamesedition.com).
Frosses Road, Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland – £650,000
Although it was built in the 1980s, 71 Frosses Road has the feel of a Georgian pile. With eight reception rooms and 3,000 square feet of internal space, it stands at the end of a long lane, seemingly cocooned from the outside world by trees. Expect a mosaic of Oregon pine, Chinese slate floors, moulded cornicing, deep architraves and skirting and attractive panelling. There are four bedrooms in the main house and a granny flat above the garage block that offers letting potential. In the two acres of grounds there is a colonnade walkway, a courtyard garden, a koi carp lake, water fountains and mature trees. All of this is being sold for the price of a three-bedroom semi-detached in Surrey with Philip Tweedie (philiptweedie.com).
The Manor House, Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire – £850,000
To find the historical gem that is The Manor House in Marston Montgomery for sale at this price is surprising. Grade II listed, the five-bedroom house blends modern comforts with period charm. You do not find many homes of this vintage (it dates back to 1650) with underfloor heating. Downstairs there is a dining kitchen with an impressive sandstone inglenook fireplace. The inner hallway has a hand-carved staircase and doors leading off to the three reception rooms. The study has views towards St Giles Church, the sitting room has an original stone fireplace and the drawing room exudes character with its oak-panelled walls. To further underline the notion that this is a ‘bargain’ mansion, The Manor House is a thriving holiday let, generating an annual return of £67,000. It is for sale with John German (johngerman.co.uk).
Broomrigg Mansion House, Dumfries, Scotland – £850,000
Proximity to a fishing river is on every sportsman’s wish list when buying a property and that is exactly what you get at Broomrigg Mansion House, just a ten-minute drive from Dumfries town centre. The mansion’s large landscaped gardens have far-reaching views over the surrounding countryside to the River Nith, known internationally for its salmon and trout fishing. Broomrigg itself is a seven-bedroom Victorian country house. From the front you pass through electric gates leading to a large lit driveway with a turning circle and a decorative pond. The grounds include a large orangery with grape vines that have been used in the past to make Broomrigg’s own wine. The mansion has eight bathrooms and five reception rooms, including a snooker room and a large conservatory with solid wood floors leading into the gardens. It is for sale with Braidwoods (onthemarket.com).
The Manor, East Torrington, Lincolnshire – £945,000
There is something substantial, yet decidedly unflashy, about a good equestrian property, and The Manor is typical of its type. Grade II listed with a traditional red-brick exterior, this former manor house has seven bedrooms and extensive grounds. Inside, there is an impressive entrance hall leading to a spacious fitted kitchen, several reception rooms and a formal dining room. Outside you find a two-storey annex, extensive formal gardens and outbuildings, a ha-ha feature and a swimming pool. Evidence of the main business of the property, which is equestrian, is never far away in the form of a red-brick stable yard, post-and-rail paddock land and two sizeable livestock buildings. The manor is for sale with Longstaff and Co (longstaff.com).
Trochelhill House, Moray, Scotland – £950,000
You may think that the hefty price tag prevents Trochelhill House from being considered a bargain, but that is to overlook two points. Firstly, the mansion comes with a modern cottage in the grounds. Secondly, it has had a biomass heating solutions boiler installed, which offers cutting-edge heating for the home while minimising costs. The house itself is an impressive period property built on three floors. You enter into a welcoming hallway leading to a spacious family room. A decorative archway goes into a sitting area with French doors to the grounds. The kitchen and the dining room are both large and there is also an office and study. Outside there are manicured lawns and a tennis court which sets off the P.G. Wodehouse-style air of luxury. Little wonder the house has appeared on Anita Rani’s television series Saved by a Stranger. Situated in open countryside in Moray, Trochelhill House is for sale with The Grange Estate Agents (rightmove.co.uk).
Banc Y Llain, Carmarthenshire, Wales – £1.25 million
If you were buying Banc Y Llain you’d be spoilt for choice of ways to make it pay for itself. You could, for example, decide to enter the wine trade by harvesting the 720 vines in the eight acres of grounds. Or you may prefer to re-open the restaurant that’s found in the secondary building alongside the main farmhouse. The room above should let well, this being an area popular with tourists near Whitland on the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border. Simply enjoying the nine-bedroom property as a family home is another option. For the price of a four-bed family home in the leafy London suburbs, it is an enticing thought. Banc Y Llain is for sale with Country Living Group (countrylivinggroup.co.uk).
Newton Castle, Perth and Kinross, Scotland – £1.25 million
If you harbour fantasies about living the life of a Scottish chieftain then Newton Castle, outside Blairgowrie, is just the place for you. It is coming on the market for the first time since 1787 when it was purchased by Colonel Alan Macpherson, a chief of Clan Macpherson, and has remained in the family ever since. Dating from the mid-16th century, the old castle, with its flagstone floors and spiral staircases, is dripping with character. Yet it is homely too, with its comfortable reception rooms and open fires. There are 7 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. With such a dramatic setting Newton Castle would surely appeal to location finders for film and television companies. Their fees would help pay for the renovation that the property needs and for which planning permission is granted. It is for sale with Savills (savills.com).
Lancych Mansion, Boncath, Pembrokeshire, Wales – £1.5 million
There aren’t many homes with a more romantic setting than Lancych Mansion. Nestled at the heart of one of the prettiest river valleys in West Wales the 7-bedroom Grade II listed residence is the stuff of fairy tales. Although its price appears steep the property comes with its own self-contained 2-bedroom cottage and, crucially, the mansion has undergone a complete renovation over the past 20 years. The more notable reception rooms include a library with built-in book shelves, a drawing room with views over the garden and the meadow and a comfortable lounge. The kitchen has handmade units made of solid sycamore and stunning blue pearly granite counters. There are 7 bedrooms. The 15 acres of grounds include a large island in the middle of the River Cych – an ideal place to swim, fish or simply observe the wildlife. Lancych Mansion is for sale with Country Living (countrylivinggroup.co.uk).
5 Britannia Square, Worcester, Worcestershire, England – £1.5 million
Mansions are not only found in the countryside, they also turn up in towns that were centres of prosperity in their heyday. In Worcester, for example, the Georgian 5 Britannia Square is every bit a home fit for a millionaire. You drive into it by a sweeping driveway with electric gates and a Doric-style porch. Then you are faced with this elegant, stucco-fronted detached house with its 4,650 square feet of internal space. It has five receptions and a real orangery (please, not a conservatory), a spacious kitchen and those extra spaces you associate with a mansion, including a cellar, laundry room, pantry, workshop and play room. There are five bedrooms and the principal one has an attractive balcony. Situated in a prime part of central Worcester, 5 Britannia Square, which is Grade II listed, is for sale with Morgan Aps (morganaps.co.uk).
Kiln Orchard, Newton Abbot, Devon – £1.5 million
Every inch a mansion for the 21st century, Kiln Orchard is a wonderful example of open-plan modernism. You enter the house to an airy 46ft kitchen/dining/sitting room that somehow seems to blend into the views outside. This is very much a house of fitness and leisure. Part of the double garage has been turned into a gym while at the end of the house there is a family games room. The focal point of the main room is the cosy sitting area centred around the exposed brickwork of the original kiln – hence the house name – complete with wood burner. There are five bedrooms, one with an en-suite shower and dressing room. Outside there are six acres of wonderful grounds, comprising orchards, paddocks and woodland. Kiln Orchard is for sale with Marchand Petit (marchandpetit.co.uk).
The Grange, Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales – £1.5 million
This one emanates stiff formality from the outside – little wonder its sales details describe it as a ‘country residence’. Grade II listed, it dates back to the 17th century with the addition in 1850 of an imposing Victorian Gothic façade, which does nothing to lighten its appearance. The agents claim it to be one of the most stately of properties in the area and they are probably right. Inside has an altogether more feminine charm. The front rooms feature a mix and match of embellishments from different eras, including Jacobean-style decorative ceilings, friezes, cornices and lofty ceilings. The drawing room and dining room both have good views over the gardens, while the kitchen is unapologetically ‘old school’ with a royal-blue aga, a butler’s pantry, larder, laundry and boot room. With 10 acres of grounds comprising formal gardens and paddocks, The Grange is for sale with Fisher German (fishergerman.co.uk).
The Cranhams, Cirencester, Gloucestershire – £1.65 million
The latest House Price Index report showed that house prices in the Cotswolds increased more between August and September than in any other area in the UK. All of which points to The Cranhams, Cirencester, even at this price, being a good investment opportunity. It’s true that the mansion, which dates from 1838, is in need of updating, but it has a lot going for it. The principal rooms retain period details, including high ceilings, a cantilevered stone staircase, flagstone floors, attractive fireplaces and sash windows. Built over four floors, on the edge of town, it has a prime position, with country views. Crucially, its 6.5 acres of grounds open onto Cirencester Great Park. The Cranhams is for sale with Butler Sherborne (butlersherborne.co.uk).
Angle Village, Pembrokeshire, Wales – £1.8 million
To describe The Hall at Angle, Pembrokeshire – coming with a price tag of £1.8 million – as a bargain sounds blasé in the extreme. Yet that is to ignore what is included in the price. The Hall is a stunning, 10-bedroom country house, with 14,000 square feet of internal space, set in more than 17 acres of grounds. You get to it from Angle village via a sea-front drive, passing the old pier. There is an air of delightful eccentricity about the mansion’s architecture, with its crenelated front and pseudo medieval rear. Included in the sale is an Old Coach House, stables and farm buildings, which have considerable conversion potential. The landscaped grounds and gardens have a boat house giving access to the waters of East Angle Bay. The Hall is for sale with Savills (savills.co.uk).
Doughill Hall, Harrogate, Yorkshire – £2 million
Some properties amount to more than a sum of their parts. Dougill Hall, for example, is to lovers of fine architecture, a piece of our heritage – a masterpiece, even. Occupying an elevated position with far reaching views over the Nidderdale Valley this three-storey, Grade II listed Georgian house was built for the ultra-wealthy Dougill family in 1722. The house follows all the principles of symmetry the Georgians espoused in their architecture and although it has been updated in recent years it has retained its impressive stone elevations and mullioned windows. This is an equestrian property, with stables, a stone barn and four acres of paddocks, offering chances aplenty to anyone wanting to be involved in the horsie scene. The main house has seven bedrooms and there is, also, a one-bedroom annexe. In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and a 15-minute drive from Harrogate, Dougill Hall is for sale with Blenkin And Co (blenkinandco.com).
