Frightmove! Spooky Gothic mansion that resembles a haunted house could be yours for £1.25million – but horror-show interior needs a TOTAL renovation
- Bryn Corach once stood as a hotel overlooking an historic castle with derelict walls in Conwy, Wales
- Buyers can now purchase the eerie mansion that boasts 26-bedroom extension for a holiday let
- The house was previously home to Thomas Arthur Leonard – famed holiday pioneer and pacifist
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A spooky Gothic mansion that resembles a haunted house complete with turrets and nightmarish decor is up for sale for £1.25million.
Bryn Corach in Conwy, Wales, which needs a complete renovation, once stood as a hotel overlooking an historic castle and the derelict walls are steeped in history.
Buyers now have the chance to breathe new life into the eerie mansion that boasts a 26-bedroom extension for a holiday let.
Bryn Corach was previously home to Thomas Arthur Leonard – a pioneer of outdoor activity holidays who helped introduce youth hostels to Britain.
He lived at the holiday centre from 1914 until about 1935. Among his visitors were playwright George Bernard Shaw and many early members of the Labour Party.
Bryn Corach in Conwy, Wales, once stood as a hotel overlooking an historic castle and the derelict walls are steeped in history
Buyers now have the chance to breathe new life into the eerie mansion that boasts a 26-bedroom extension for a holiday let. Pictured: An upstairs bedroom strewn with debris with peeling wallpaper and exposed wiring
Bryn Corach was previously home to Thomas Arthur Leonard – a pioneer of outdoor activity holidays who helped introduce youth hostels to Britain. Pictured: Crumbling plaster and exposed masonry is seen in one of the bedrooms
He lived at the holiday centre from 1914 until about 1935. Among his visitors were playwright George Bernard Shaw and many early members of the Labour Party. Pictured: Crumbling walls, loose wiring and peeling wallpaper inside one of the upstairs rooms
Because the Labour members shared Mr Leonard’s pacifist views, their meetings during World War I drew suspicion. Pictured: Makeshift lighting is strung up along the ceiling in a room with a ladder
Because the Labour members shared Mr Leonard’s pacifist views, their meetings during World War I drew suspicion.
Mr Leonard once recalled: ‘More than once, armed men came up and charged us with showing Morse signals from our windows, but left satisfied that it was only a case of ”walloping window blinds”.’
The property is listed for its social historical interest as a hotel and for its ‘special architectural interest and definite character’.
Estate agent Dafydd Hardy said: ‘The property must have some of the best views over Conwy, the castle and the river; has both residential and commercial potential.
Mr Leonard once recalled: ‘More than once, armed men came up and charged us with showing Morse signals from our windows, but left satisfied that it was only a case of ”walloping window blinds”.’
The property is listed for its social historical interest as a hotel and for its ‘special architectural interest and definite character’. Pictured: The mansion with holiday lets in the background
Planning permission is already in place to demolish the modern extension and reinstate the site as a family home
The price also includes a lodge house in the grounds of the mansion that could become a self-contained studio apartment
Pictured: The inside of the ageing mansion with ornaments gathering dust and moulding wallpaper
‘Renovation works have commenced on Bryn Corach and it now offers enormous potential through completion of works to provide a beautiful, detached family home together with an exciting business opportunity.’
Planning permission is already in place to demolish the modern extension and reinstate the site as a family home.
The price also includes a lodge house in the grounds of the mansion that could become a self-contained studio apartment.
Thomas Arthur Leonard: The pacifist pioneer of outdoor holidays and youth hostels who rubbed shoulders with George Bernard Shaw
Thomas Arthur Leonard (1864-1948) was a pioneer of outdoor activity holidays.
He was also a pacifist who was friends with Labour Party politicians including former prime minister Ramsay MacDonald.
His influence on mass tourism has been likened to that of Thomas Cook and Billy Butlin.
He was a congregational church pastor in Lancashire and took groups of holidaymakers to Cumbria.
He founded the Holiday Fellowship in 1912 and from 1914 lived at its Bryn Corach holiday centre which is next door to Conwy Youth Hostel.
Mr Leonard lived at the holiday centre from 1914 until about 1935.
Among his visitors were playwright George Bernard Shaw and many early members of the Labour Party.
Because the Labour members shared Mr Leonard’s pacifist views, their meetings during World War I drew suspicion.
Mr Leonard remained General Secretary of the Holiday Fellowship until 1925, when it moved its head office to London, but remained as its International Secretary until 1930 and then became its President in 1938.
By 1947, the HF had grown to operate some 30 centres with over 45,000 guests.
He was awarded the OBE in 1937, for his work in promoting outdoor activities.
He died at Conwy in 1948, aged 84, and was survived by his wife and daughter. Memorial plaques were set up on Conwy Mountain describing him as ‘the ‘Father’ of the Open-Air Movement in this Country’.