A crumbling mansion with more than 200 rooms dubbed the ‘Welsh Versailles’ has sold at auction to a mystery buyer for £950,000.
Kinmel Hall, a 500ft long sprawling estate near Abergele, in Conwy, North Wales, was once visited by Queen Victoria but has sat empty for 20 years after hotel plans fell through.
It was dubbed the ‘Welsh Versailles’ due to its chateau style exterior with rows of tall windows.
Campaigners recently battled to save the Grade-I listed mansion after it was ‘left to rot’ when plans to transform it into a lavish hotel never materialised.
They had called on the council for action to carry out repairs, fearing it would soon be beyond repair.
But a mystery buyer has now snapped up the impressive property at auction for £100,000 above the guide price of £850,000. However, it will cost significantly more to protect and restore the derelict mansion.
Kinmel Hall – set in 18 acres of walled gardens and boasting over 200 rooms once visited by Queen Victoria – has been crumbling for two decades
It was dubbed the Welsh Versailles due to its chateau style exterior with rows of tall windows
The 500ft long sprawling estate near Abergele, in Conwy, North Wales, has been empty for 20 years after hotel plans fell through
Auctioneers Allsops held the sale online and three bidders battled it out to buy the 19th century building, which dates from the 1870s.
It was previously bought for £1.45million in 2011 by Acer Properties Limited – a firm registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Rosie Burton, of the Friends of Kinmel Hall group, had previously called for action to save the chateau-style house.
She said: ‘Action should be taken to save the building as once you have lost the historic fabric you’ve lost it. You can recreate it but that is not the same.
‘This is such a fascinating building and rare survival of that type of building in Wales. The gardens used to be spectacular too. It is always better to deal with these things as soon as possible.’
The mansion was identified by the Victorian Society as one of the top ten at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings in 2015
The Grade-I listed building has sat empty for 20 years and campaigners had feared it would soon be beyond repair
Inside the 200-room property, the ceiling has begun to crumble and fall to the floor and paint has chipped
The mansion was bought for £100,000 above the guide price of £850,000 but will cost far more to restore and protect
The group had teamed up with Save Britain’s Heritage to urge Conwy County Borough Council to step in and take action.
Ms Burton said: ‘We are asking the council to proceed with an Urgent Works Notice, which will at least protect the hall from any further damage and make it secure, and proceed with a compulsory purchase.
‘I understand there are a number of potential purchasers so the council would not be at much risk of funding repairs to the damage as they could do a ‘back-to-back’ agreement, which means they compulsorily purchase it and sell it on the same day.’
Conwy County Borough Council said in March that the owners had plans to work on Kinmel Hall.
A council spokesman said: ‘We are in regular discussions with the owners and they are in the process of making arrangements to carry out repairs.
Safety tape is placed across an area inside the house near a stairwell where the ceiling has crumbled to the ground
Grand rooms are in serious need of repair after being ‘left to rot’ for two decades, despite a purchase in 2011
Its previous owners had planned to turn the impressive property into a lavish hotel but the plans never materialised
Kinmel Hall was last used as a private home in 1929, after which it was converted to a ‘rheuma spa’, a health centre for the treatment of people with rheumatism
‘The owners are taking positive steps and are in the process of making arrangements to carry out repairs to the property.
‘And although the matter is under review, we do not consider that enforcement action is necessary at the present time.’
Kinmel Hall was last used as a private home in 1929, after which it was converted to a ‘rheuma spa’, a health centre for the treatment of people with rheumatism.
The spa remained in place until the outbreak of World War II, when the hall was taken over as a hospital.
After the war, it became Clarendon School for Girls until it was heavily damaged by fire in 1975.
The spa remained in place until the outbreak of World War II, when the hall was taken over as a hospital
After the war, it became Clarendon School for Girls until it was heavily damaged by fire in 1975. Pictured: The exterior
It was then restored by businessman Eddie Vince and used as a Christian conference centre until the house was sold at auction in 2001.
However, a proposed redevelopment by Derbyshire Investments failed to materialise.
After passing through several owners, Acer Properties Ltd BVI bought the mansion for £1.45m in 2011.
The company intended to develop the property into a hotel, but these plans never materialised, and the property lies derelict.
The mansion was identified by the Victorian Society as one of the top ten at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings in 2015.
Kinmel Hall the ‘Welsh Versailles’ once visited by Queen Victoria that sat empty for 20 years before being snapped up by a mystery buyer
Kinmel Hall was first owned by the Reverend Edward Hughes in 1786.
The present chateau style house, the third on the site, was built for the Hughes copper mining family, designed by W. E. Nesfield in the 1870s.
Nesfield also designed a lodge at Regent’s Park, another at Kew Gardens as well as gates to the gardens
Kinmel Hall was last used as a private home in 1929, after which it was converted to a ‘rheuma spa’, a health centre for the treatment of people with rheumatism.
The mansion was identified by the Victorian Society as one of the top ten at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings in 2015
The spa remained in place until the outbreak of World War II, when the hall was taken over as a hospital.
After the war, it became Clarendon School for Girls until it was heavily damaged by fire in 1975.
It was then restored by businessman Eddie Vince and used as a Christian conference centre until the house was sold at auction in 2001.
However, a proposed redevelopment by Derbyshire Investments failed to materialise.
After passing through several owners, Acer Properties Ltd BVI bought the mansion for £1.45m in 2011.
The company intended to develop the property into a hotel, but these plans never materialised, and the property lies derelict.
The mansion was identified by the Victorian Society as one of the top ten at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings in 2015.