A couple have bought a crumbling Grade II listed country estate in Wales, only to find out it will cost them £11million to renovate.
Andrew and Louisa Godfrey found a 17th century sundial, a Celtic throne that dates back to the 11th century, a Victorian tennis court and a sophisticated horseshoe shaped walled kitchen garden with its own in-built heating system.
The old stables are full of carved oak, fit for the horses of a gentleman, and they’ve found the stone steps where generations of families and their servants were photographed.
There’s even a gentle mound shaped like a wedding cake that would have been used as a circular pleasure walk in Edwardian times. It was completely covered in undergrowth when Andrew and Louisa bought the property in January.
However, now they have learnt that the renovation of the Grade II listed mansion and its 26 acre grounds is expected to cost a whopping £11million.
Andrew and Louisa Godfrey purchased a crumbling Grade II listed country estate in Wales
It is expected to cost £11m to renovate the Grade II listed mansion and its 26 acre grounds
Andrew said: ‘Pool Park Estate was built for extravagance and the craftsmanship we’re uncovering is amazing’
Pool Park Estate was once a deer park belonging to nearby Ruthin Castle
One of the most intriguing discoveries has been the two life-sized, hand-carved wooden angels positioned each side of the impressive oak staircase. The newel posts are over 3ft high and the angels stand facing each other.
Andrew Godfrey, 48, Managing Director of the Godfrey Group, and the son of a coal miner, left school at 16 with a few qualifications to become a joinery apprentice.
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He went on to set up his own company, the Godfrey Group, which provides housekeeping and facility services to the leisure industry across the UK.
Andrew said: ‘Pool Park Estate was built for extravagance and the craftsmanship we’re uncovering is amazing. Louisa and I are never sure what we’re going to find next.
‘The antique carved angels are over 3ft high each – they’re the same height as our eight-year-old son Hugo – and they sit rather imperiously each side of the staircase looking at you as you walk up the stairs.
‘We’d love to know more about them, who created them and how they came to be here.’
Lousia Godfrey, a former headteacher, said: ‘I cried when I first saw Pool Park because I was overwhelmed with the enormity of the place. You can feel its history when you walk around the house.
The house was thought to have been established in the 16th century and rebuilt by William Bagot, 2nd Lord Bagot in 1826-1829
It was completely covered in undergrowth when Andrew and Louisa bought the property in January
Both said: ‘We want to leave it in a better condition than when we found it’
Until being rescued by Andrew and Louisa, Pool Park was last occupied as a home by Sir Ernest Tate
Lousia Godfrey said: ‘I cried when I first saw Pool Park because I was overwhelmed with the enormity of the place’
‘I had first seen it online and then when we came to see it in the flesh it was magnificent. It’s an enormous responsibility to restore a building like this but we see ourselves as its custodians rather than its owners.
‘We want to leave it in a better condition than when we found it.’
Pool Park Estate was once a deer park belonging to nearby Ruthin Castle. The house was thought to have been established in the 16th century and rebuilt by William Bagot, 2nd Lord Bagot in 1826-1829 to the designs of John Buckler, and assisted by local architect Benjamin Gummow.
The family lived at Blithfield Hall in Staffordshire and rented Pool Park to a series of tenants.
Until being rescued by Andrew and Louisa, Pool Park was last occupied as a home by Sir Ernest Tate, president of the sugar refiners Tate and Lyle.