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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

The stunning medieval church in the Welsh countryside that has been turned into a home

As potential purchases on your phone go, they don't come more unusual or as spectacular as an historic church.

Online property auctions are becoming increasingly popular as a means for people to buy a building without having to actually leave their building.

So from the comfort of your own sofa, you could become the new owner of this historic medieval church on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

A unique home that you could bid for on your phone (Paul Fosh Auctions)
Views of the Horseshoe Ridge in the Brecon Beacons from the church (Paul Fosh Auctions)

As with property auctions that are done "in the flesh" at a hotel, if you are the winning bidder, you are legally bound to that sale - so it's probably best not to go bidding if you've come back from the pub or had a couple of glasses of wine at home.

But, if you are genuinely in the market for an unusual home in a peaceful location then maybe this beautiful Grade II listed church might be the perfect click.

Set in beautiful countryside north of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Paul Fosh Auctions)

In 1291 it was recorded that the church had a value of £3, six shillings and eight pence, but today it will cost you slightly more - with the online opening bid starting at £158,000.

According to historic records the former St David's Church in the hamlet of Garthbrengy in Powys dates back in parts to the 12th century, with 17th and 19th century reconstructions.

This characterful property will certainly tick the box for anyone yearning for a truly unique home.

And a lot of the work has actually been done for a new owner.

According to the auction house selling the church, there is currently active and full planning permission for a conversion into a four bedroom home.

The porch sets the scene for this characterful property (Paul Fosh Auctions)
Through the solid wood front door to the partially renovated home inside (Paul Fosh Auctions)

Step inside the porch, and then go through the old church door, and you will see that lots of work on the conversion inside has already been done.

On one side of the open space, a 'pod' of rooms has been constructed to be used as bedrooms and a bathroom.

Currently the bathroom suite has been installed and features an attractive exposed stone wall, so not too much to do in this room.

The internal 'pod' where the bedrooms and bathroom can be found (Paul Fosh Auctions)
Not much more to do in the bathroom (Paul Fosh Auctions)

Within in the open-plan main church space, many of the original features are still in place.

The solid wood beams and trusses of the roof structure dominates the space and are complemented by the multi-paned arched windows framed by arch stone work.

At the far end of the church, where the altar used to be, there is still a low level nave screen in place.

Through the nave screen to the kitchen area (Paul Fosh Auctions)
The floor tiles and arch windows are just two of the distinctive original features (Paul Fosh Auctions)

The screen leads into a fairly complete kitchen space, so there won't be any need to do the washing up in the font - which is also still in place next to the front door.

Other eye-catching features include pretty floor tiles, arched doorways and sculptured wall dedication plaques.

There is still the amazing tower to convert, with its typical medieval square design and pyramidal roof, into maybe the best master suite or games room in the area.

The open-plan living space (Paul Fosh Auctions)
The roof structure is arguably the star of this property show (Paul Fosh Auctions)

Outside there is a graveyard, mainly on the south side of the church, with some headstones dating back as far as 1797.

The graveyard is not part of the property sale and will be retained and maintained by the Church in Wales, but there is an acre of private land for the new owner to enjoy.

Sean Roper, of Paul Fosh Auctions, who is handling the sale, said: "The church would make a fantastic project for a large family home or perhaps for an artist or musician looking to escape to the idyllic Powys countryside.

The tower could make the most amazing living or sleeping space (Paul Fosh Auctions)

"The property, with breathtaking views looking over to the Brecon Beacons Horseshoe Ridge, is packed with a host of original features and has loads of parking outside."

Paul Fosh, the owner of the auction house, explains the reasons why the church and another nine properties are going to be sold via an online auction.

"Online property sales allow buyers to bid from the comfort of their home and also for sellers to follow proceedings in real time on their computer or mobile devices," he added.

The graveyard is not included in the sale... (Paul Fosh Auctions)
... but the views of the Brecon Beacons and one acre of land is included (Paul Fosh Auctions)

"We believe online offers real choice for our customers who, for whatever reason, can’t or don’t want to attend a physical (ballroom) sale.

"It also gives us a chance to list properties which failed to sell at our ballroom sales and for bidders who missed out to have a second opportunity to snap up a deal."

Potential online bidders can still view properties prior to the auction going live, as with any other type of auction.

Bidding starts on the church on the Paul Fosh Auctions website on Tuesday, October 1 at 12 noon from a starting bid of £158,000.

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