Military man’s mansion goes up for auction
THE former home of British Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton is to be sold. Iscoed Mansion, near Ferryside in Carmarthenshire, is a Grade II-listed building and is going to public auction with a guide price of £400,000 – despite the fact that it’s derelict and has no roof or floors.
Building began on the Welsh mansion in 1772. According to website British Listed Buildings, Picton bought the property as an unfinished “shell” in 1804 and intended it to be his retirement home.
Born in Haverfordwest, the Welsh military man was the highest-ranking officer to die at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 fighting for the Duke of Wellington against Napoleon and his French troops.
Although through history he has been considered by many to be a brave and loyal military hero – there’s even a statue of him on Cardiff’s City Hall – he remains a controversial figure.
Described by Wellington as “a rough foul-mouthed devil has ever lived, but very capable”, it’s Picton’s authoritarian command as Governer of Trinidad, including accusations of the use of torture, that divide people’s opinions of the man to this day.
As it turned out, Picton spent little time at the Iscoed estate before he was called upon to fight for the final time.
The mansion remained in the Picton family until 1919 and was last used, as council flats, in the years after 1945.
It has remained empty since 1957, although the south wing was partly restored in 1979. And now Picton’s historic home is fighting its own battle to survive.
The property consists of a main three-storey Georgian house with matching “wings” on either side, plus a rear building which creates an enclosed central courtyard.
And within these courtyard buildings is where the future of Iscoed Mansion lies.
Outline planning consent has been granted for conversion of these courtyard structures into five three-bedroom houses, and one six-bedroom house.
The planning permission application with Carmarthenshire County Council is due to run out within the next two years.
Part of the courtyard buildings, house number one, has already been converted and is currently occupied.
At the moment there is no planning permission for conversion of the derelict main building, although if this was achieved there could be potential to restore it into a spectacular family home, apartments or a boutique hotel.
In total, it is thought that the property had 13 bedrooms within the main Georgian house, plus many additional rooms within the north and south wing courtyard buildings.
The property is situated in a prominent position above the Towy Valley, providing sweeping countryside views over the Towy Estuary.
Picton’s property goes under the hammer with West Wales Properties on Wednesday, September 12, at 7pm, at The Village Hotel, Coryton, Cardiff CF14 7EF.
Viewings are by appointment only with the estate agent. Contact Paul Halliday at the Carmarthen branch on 01267 236655.