BEAUTY IN THE BEAST

MOST towns, villages and cities in Wales have at least one historic landmark building that everybody knows and every local has memories of. One such building is Grade II*-listed Cantre Selyf, a stunning eight-bed period house down a quiet side street in the market town of Brecon.

When you turn the corner, it is a surprise to find such a huge house spanning the street but it is instantly captivating, as current owners Helen and Nigel Roberts can testify – they weren’t looking for a big house on their move back to their homeland from Surrey in 1995.

And they weren’t looking to move to Brecon either – they had their heart set on a peaceful existence in Pembrokeshire but Cantre Selyf and Brecon had other ideas for them. Helen says: “We found Cantre Selyf; it was bigger than we planned. We came to stay for a weekend and the final cherry on the top was the market and the community shops. It felt like stepping back to the life we were familiar with when we were kids.”

As the couple viewed the historic eight-bedroom property, the surprisingly large slice of garden was the final push they needed to take on this huge house, and 27 years later they have loved every minute of it. Helen says: “The walled garden clinched the deal. Living in Cantre Selyf is like living in the countryside at the back, people are amazed at how quiet it is.

“On our first-ever night we were amazed to hear sheep and an owl! From our bedroom we look up to Slwych and can see the sheep grazing. It is quite unique.

“But then we can step into the town instantly. We can pop out for that extra pint of milk or some nails for DIY. The little hardware shop around the corner sells everything, the local butchers are first class and the farmers markets and local deli sell some amazing stuff.

“One of our pleasures is going to the farmers market and having lunch in the garden with friends and family. All the shops quickly got to know us and would deliver when needed.

“When we first arrived it was hot and sunny that first summer and we have fond memories of walking to the bakers to get fresh croissants, we felt we were living abroad and loved the idea we were living like we were on holiday.”

Before you wander around this amazing property, the garden is calling you, and it’s an idyllic island of peace that the couple have developed into a working area as well as a relaxing area.

Helen says: “We love our garden and it has evolved over the years to give us an oasis of calm. The apple tree in the garden provides us with anything up to 100 bottles of the most delicious juice, which we give to the Airbnb guests as a welcome gift. Picking raspberries to make jam and raspberry vodka is a simple pleasure you don’t expect living in a town.”

But the garden harbours a surprise too, and it’s a very useful one. Helen says: “Thirteen years ago we built the cottage at the bottom of the garden to accommodate Nigel’s parents and they lived there happily, knowing they had care on hand but also their independence. We built it to reflect the features of the main house and it is finished to a very high standard. It is self-contained and has its own little courtyard garden.

“It would make great Airbnb accommodation or a place to have an office or business but I prefer it as a lovely place to live, looking up at the big house and enjoying the garden. Everyone says they would love to live there, and with its beams and openplan design it is very comfortable and sunny, modern yet full of character.”

Moving into such a landmark building was overwhelming to begin with, but the couple soon settled in and began their new life as hosts. Helen says: “When we first came we did bed and breakfast and offered an evening meal. I suppose it was more of a restaurant with rooms, and we met some fantastic people from all over the world.

“We quickly got a reputation and before long we were hosting corporate hospitality functions for the sponsors of the world-famous jazz festival. It was not unusual to have a hundred people in the house and garden, and although it was a lot of work it was great fun.”

And that is the heart and soul of this property, a bustling centre of activity since its construction in the 17th century as a merchant’s house, then its partial use over the years as a doctors, dentist and solicitors and, more recently, a hub of hosting guests, family and friends.

In 1952 the house gained a Cadw Grade II* listing – a step up from the Grade II level – which illustrates the building’s special place not just as a landmark property in Brecon, but in Wales. The listing states that the house retains historic character and good interiors, including plaster ceilings, and is also very important for its group value with adjacent listed buildings in Lion Street.

The well-preserved interiors are especially noted in the listing, including the staircase with turned oak balusters and newel posts with carved decoration and the fielded panelled doors in the hall.

In the kitchen the plaster ceiling of panels, each with a circular motif separated from each other by ceiling beams, is noted in the listing as being of special interest. Also mentioned is plasterwork with trailing vine scrolls in the rear wing and the upper-floor late-17th-century plaster ceilings detailing floral wreaths.

It is a beast of a building offering eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens and four reception rooms if you include the hall, which is so big it is used as a spacious dining hall.

But although the house is sprawling it is also warm and welcoming, comfortable with classic decor and furnish

ings mixing with modern pieces and facilities. Helen says: “We have never felt the house is too big, and with guests in the west wing the rest of the house is a manageable size and gave us a lovely family home with an income.

Nigel agrees, saying: “Though quite a grand house it has a lovely family feel to it. We love to entertain and Helen loves to cook, so some pretty special times have been spent in the dining-room. We have hosted weekend parties for friends, but also guests who wanted a special experience.

“When we did B&B we had themed weekends ranging from cooking displays to mushroom forays to opera evenings to lectures, and the list is endless. It is a house that has earned its keep in more ways than one.”

Helen says: “There is a lot of history associated with the house and we used to have historic tours. When the Baroque festival started we even held soirées in the style of the house, in costume of course. We had opera evenings and even a harpsichord.

“Cantre Selyf has always been a place of hospitality and was the heart of family parties, cosy kitchen suppers ppers and a stopover point for the kids to bring their friends. Christmas has always been really special and the log fires give that extra touch of cosiness.

“The summer house in the garden has been a haven on those chilly evenings, and many a cheeky gin or one of Nigel’s cocktails has been taken there.”

The couple stopped doing bed and breakfast about eight years ago and added a kitchen to the guest side of the house so it could become Airbnb accommodation. Guests are able to enjoy the peace and privacy of the self-contained wing with its own entrance and key safe, while having the facilities of Brecon and the beauty of the Brecon Beacons National Park on their holiday home’s doorstep.

Over the decades the couple have restored, renovated and recreated the house into the grand dwelling it is today. Helen says: “We converted the dentist surgeries to three bedrooms and replaced modern fireplaces with more appropriate and age-related features.

“We have kept as many of the original features as possible to complement the beautiful plaster ceilings, which feature flowers and fruit. The floorboards are oak and feature highly. Everyone comments on the sense of age you feel and guests have commented that it is like staying in a National Trust property. I suppose the ambience we were going for was to reflect some of our holidays in Europe and to give a Welsh feel.

“That is because, of course, for some of our guests Wales is ‘abroad’! We wanted to create a memory of staying in a very special place and from the comments and reviews I think we achieved that.”

The house is indeed a very special gem both inside and out, but it’s a house of contrasts too; it’s grand but a sociable party house, it has a bustling town location but with a slice of peaceful countryside hiding within.

But one thing is constant throughout – it’s a house that thrives when it’s alive with people.

for sale for £1.4m with James Dean estate agents, call the Brecon office on 01874 624757 to find out more.