VICTORIAN GRANDEUR
NEW luxury apartments are on the market on one of Cardiff’s most sought-after streets. Kestral Mews, on Cathedral Road, is one of several developments that have changed the property landscape of the grand, tree-lined avenue in Pontcanna in the past two years, and boasts 17 luxury apartments.
Built on the site of what was formerly Barclay Court care home, the complex is set inside three classic Victorian villas, with the properties restored and repurposed as private residences ranging from one- to threebedroom apartments, as well as threebedroom triplex.
The apartments – which were completed in June – have unique layouts, including duplexes, maisonettes and even a luxurious penthouse, while the maisonettes also have independent entrances from a shared courtyard.
Many of the converted apartments have classic features including vaulted ceilings, high windows and integrated storage, while there is parking included for most of the properties.
The guide price for the properties is between £380,000-£445,000, with the triplex unsurprisingly at the highest end of that range. Of the 17 apartments that were built, only seven are still on the market.
Claire Turner, an associate in estate agent Savills’ residential development sales team in Cardiff, said: “Kestral Mews is at the forefront of the active redevelopment of Cathedral Road in sought-after Pontcanna. Already complete and ready to occupy, three classic Victorian villas have been repurposed into 17 private residences.
“Savills are delighted to be the sales agent for these apartments, which have been carefully and considerately restored to showcase a host of traditional features alongside modern high-specification. They include high ceilings, stained-glass bay windows, unique layouts, independent entrances, and allocated parking.
“These spacious apartments have been beautifully designed and finished to the highest of standards, so unsurprisingly they are over 60% sold.”
She added: “Kestral Mews is perfectly positioned for access to the city centre and with the Autumn Rugby Internationals returning in just a matter of weeks, it is a great reminder that Cardiff has so much to offer, in addition to the suburb’s individual identity, boutique amenities and neighbourhood feel.”
The former care home closed in 2018, with the property at 104-108 Cathedral Road then sold to a developer in a £1.65m deal.
Work then started between planners and developers Kestral Construction to produce a residential solution for the site that would successfully blend with the surrounding street scene.
However, the site is not the only part of the popular Cardiff road that has undergone change in recent months.
The street is currently seeing a significant amount of property development activity, from the planning stage to demolition of unwanted, unlisted buildings to new residential dwellings just coming on to the market.
The former offices of Parsons Brinckerhoff surveyors has been transformed into a complex of 11 dwellings within the handsome Grade II-listed building, while the site of the former headquarters of Welsh-language television channel S4C has also been redeveloped into one- and twobed apartments.
At the top of Cathedral Road, travelling away from the city centre, known as Penhill Road, a Victorian villa called The Rise was demolished in 2018 to make way for a collection of luxury modern mansions – while more historic Victorian villas are now set to be converted from offices into residential dwellings at 37-39 Cathedral Road.
Speaking to the Echo about the changes to the street earlier this year, Ross Hooper-Nash, managing director of Jeffrey Ross Estate Agents, said: “Cathedral Road is becoming more residential due to the rise in highquality purpose-built office space in the city centre and the demand for residential accommodation on a road that has such beautiful Victorian buildings.
“Other advantages are that Cathedral Road tends to have better parking options and larger room sizes compared to the smaller conversions in the neighbouring streets.
“Although it has also seen a huge rise in buyers reinstating the Victorian buildings as family homes, many of the buildings are too big and so lend themselves to be redeveloped into multiple dwellings.”