‘Hansel and Gretel’ house in city park up for sale
ROOM with a view, anyone? A rare opportunity has come up to live in the middle of one of Swansea’s most beloved parks, in a house likened to something from Hansel and Gretel.
The three-bedroom property known as The Lodge, in the middle of Brynmill Park, is being put up for sale for £299,500 by Timothy and Samantha Andrews, who bought the house in 2013, but have now made the tough decision to sell up and move to Essex to follow Mrs Andrews’ career in educational psychology.
The property, originally a park keeper’s house, was empty for six or seven years and began deteriorating.
The couple saw the opportunity to purchase the building in 2013.
Mr Andrews spent all summer working on the property to bring it up to scratch, and the pair have lived there ever since.
“When we first came here it looked like something from Hansel and Gretel with all ivy on it,” Mr Andrews said. “I grew up just around the corner in Rhyddings Terrace and I walked past with my parents hundreds of times. When we were doing
it up, there were hundreds of people who stopped and said ‘I’m glad it’s being done up’.
“It is a tough decision to go. My wife is still struggling with it. I’m the same, but unfortunately we have to move on.
“We know we’ll never get the chance to live somewhere like this again.
“We regularly go and have our lunch on the benches or round the park for our evening constitutional and the sound of bird song first thing in the morning is lovely to hear.
“We’ve got to know people, some people who walk past every day and ask ‘How are you?’ – mainly dog walkers. We have enjoyed every minute of it.”
The property is made up of three bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area, a bathroom, outside toilet and a potting shed, but of course, its real selling point is its location.
Steeped in local history, the park has the honour of being Swansea’s first informal, then formal, park.
Dating back to 1872, it is of national interest through its grade two listing by Cadw’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Historic Interest.
At a local level the park developed alongside the early growth of Swansea, for which its reservoir supplied domestic water, and was an important part of the active life of the city residents for whom the park has always been a special place.
Mr Andrews added: “We also have all sorts of wildlife come through like squirrels who like to knock the nut feeders so they all fall on the floor and it is easy for them to get!”
And his hopes for the new owners,?
“Ideally we would like to see another family in here so they can enjoy it like we have,” said Mr Andrews.
“We’ve had a great time.”