Rarely does a house that is literally dripping in history and oozing character come onto the market, these gems of Welsh property history are loved and looked after by a select few who, understandably, don't put the for sale sign up for many years.
And rarely does such a distinctive medieval manor house nestled in the Welsh countryside come up for sale like Grade I listed Penyclawdd Court, a property that can rightly be called truly unique.
No wonder the current owner has enjoyed living at this sprawling country manor house in one of Wales' national parks for decades.
Read more: Cottage renovation near Tenby with the chance to build two extra homes in the garden
According to the website British Listed Buildings, the origins of the current Penyclawdd Court, at least in part, date back to the late 15th century, possibly around 1471.
The suggestion is that 'the internal timber framing and some of the walling in the north west (kitchen) wing seem to date from then'.
However, the majority of the current building is thought to date back to around 1599, when the most major of the expansion work occurred.
This has been added to over the centuries, with the last major internal changes happening in the 1920s and some upgrading during the 1980s.
Thankfully the past custodians have honoured and looked after many of the features of the past, even before the building was listed, and this means stepping into this amazing property is somewhat like stepping back through layers of the past.
Wandering through the house, which may take hours, is like wandering through a text book of architecture, construction and interior design through the ages, but luckily a huge slice of its medieval and Tudor origins remain.
But the site in the heart of Monmouthshire seems to have been occupied prior to its impressive, late medieval and mainly Tudor construction.
The estate agent has been doing their own digging about in the manor's history and found that the home itself is probably not the oldest part of the approximate six acre site.
The agent states that there is a Norman castle motte and bailey located to the north west of the main house.
It is a scheduled ancient monument that is believed to date back to 1150 and probably would have originally had a stone keep on it that would have guarded the mouth of the valley.
The stone from the keep may have been used to build the original part of Penyclawdd Court along with some of the features inside such as fireplaces and the stone winder stairs.
Website Castles Wales states that the modest motte in the garden is protected by a double, wet moat and it is thought that this tiny castle was 'one of several strongholds built locally by Roger de Hastings following an uprising of barons against William the Conqueror in the late 11th century'.
With such a wealth of history at the property, it's no surprise that in 1952 it was granted a Grade I listed status from Cadw, amended in 1998.
The listing states that the property is 'an architecturally and historically important country house of late medieval origins which has developed over the centuries and has well preserved features from several periods. It is also a part of an important group of associated buildings'.
Even your arrival at the house is impressive - the surroundings are breath-taking.
The house is nestled within the undulating countryside of the Brecon Beacons National Park near Llanvihangel Crucorney, a small village about five miles from the popular market town of Abergavenny.
The garden surrounding the mesmerising manor is itself a slice of history that just needs some green-fingered attention.
There's an Elizabethan knot garden, a walled garden, sunken lawns and even a mini maze to tackle and bring back to their former glory.
The site can also offer a paddock of approximately two acres that the current owner has previously used for horses and sheep, and this comes a steel shed and a chicken run, so there's plenty of scope for some developments into self-sufficiency.
There's ample parking at the house too, mainly near the bonus outbuildings that, with planning consent and subject to a comprehensive renovation project, could make extra homes or holiday lets bursting with country character and charm.
However the scope to extend a possible holiday let business stops there, as the sale comes with a covenant in place stating that the grounds cannot be used 'in any part or parts as a camping site or for the stationing of a caravan or caravans' according to the estate agent.
There's a substantial 17 metre long stone barn plus a cute cart shed that are crying out for conversion, limited only by planning, budget and a new owner's imagination.
What an opportunity if all three of these factors are in place to create extra stunning accommodation at this gem of a historically important Welsh property.
Approaching the front door and it's a visual reminder of the progression of the average human height through the centuries - it's tiny.
Try to avoid bumping your head, although the inside of the house is worth the risk.
Throughout the house you are bombarded by exceptional, characterful features that include, but not limited to, exposed beams, wood panelling, oak and stone mullioned windows, substantial fireplaces with robust stone lintels, winding staircases, flagstone floors and all the charming, creaky floorboards you could want from a house full of history.
The hall is a cross-passage - a direct link between the front and back and left and right wings of the house so very aptly named and a traditional design from a house mainly of the Tudor era.
Investigating the left wing of this fortified manor house and you enter a significant space.
Currently most people see the kitchen diner as the heart of their home, but for the earliest section of this home's history, it would have been the centrally located, great hall.
Initially, if the property is classed as a hall house, it would likely have been a double-height room, exposed to the vaulted roof and had an internal open hearth at the centre of the space, later replaced by the impressive fireplace at one end of the room.
All the eating, living and maybe even sleeping took place in an open hall within a Tudor house - illustrating that the open-plan concept is nothing new in house design.
Help with your hunt for a home here:
But this sprawling property can boast a myriad of spaces to entice you to explore further and lay your head elsewhere.
The beams, uneven floors, fireplaces, and cascades of character continue into the white room that is a delightful triple aspect space offering gorgeous garden and rural views and could make the most magnificent home office or snug.
The corridor then leads to an ensuite bedroom that completes this left wing of the home on the ground floor.
Back to the centre of the house and cross the cross passage and you get to the dining room that oozes charm.
The substantial space can easily welcome a much bigger, longer table for hearty and noisy banquets to add to the past social events and parties of the past whose sounds and smells are surely absorbed into the fabric of the building.
There's a large kitchen diner with a walk-in pantry, plus a cloakroom and stairs to a spooky cellar that completes the ground floor accommodation.
Up to the first floor and the abundant character continues into an upper floor room situated in the far corner, above the white room.
The clue to one of the activities that this locally important house offered is in its name, it was surely the local court at some point during its distant past and would have seen some lively moments either in this room, which is called the court room, or in the great hall on the level below.
But there's no law to enforce now in this space, as it is currently being used as the principal bedroom on the first floor.
On this level there is also a study, a family bathroom and three ensuite bedrooms, most of which shout period character at the top of their history clad voices.
The bedroom called the granary room is particularly gorgeous, with the space open to the roof ridge offering mesmerising views of the exposed structure and multiple beams, directly from the pillow below.
There's a bedroom called the oak room too, which has an ensuite bathroom bigger than most standard home's master bedroom, and can boast a statement roll-top bath that briefly commands attention away from the ceiling and wall beams.
The house has a total of six bedrooms and four bathrooms within its current layout.
There is access to some attic space on the top floor that could be explored further, although doing any significant upgrade to a Grade I listed gem is going to be a challenge and requires experts.
The estate agent suggests that a new owner may want to add their own style and flair to the gardens and grounds, which do need improving, but what a wonderful property to take on if you have the time and the money.
The new owner will add their name to the list of custodians of this unique Welsh property, and what a privilege that will be.
They will have the opportunity to continue to preserve its past, add their own chapter to the story, and bring it back to full life for future generations to admire and enjoy - how rare and exciting is that?
Penyclawdd Court is now on the market for the first time in decades with a guide price of £1.3m. Call estate agent Powells at their Monmouth branch on 01600 714140 to find out more.
To get the latest property newsletters from around the UK, click here
