Latest news with #RichardDavies-Cooke
North Wales Live
18-05-2025
- General
- North Wales Live
'We've been here 450 years, I'm sad we've having to take this decision'
One of the oldest and most significant properties in North Wales is up for sale How many properties in Wales feature in the Doomsday Book and can boast connections to a 9th Century King of Wales? Or, for that matter, have played a direct role in the English Civil War, as evidenced by it's cannon ball scars? Historic Gwysaney Hall has been owned by the same family for more than 450 years. The mantle of custonianship can rest heavily, and that's certainly the case for current owner Richard Davies-Cooke: he will probably be the last of the family to do so. It's been listed for sale. The main property, its cottages and 26 acres of grounds near Mold, Flintshire, are on the market for £2.5m. Gwysaney Hall is one of the country's most significant houses, awarded a Grade II* listing by Cadw in 1952, updated in 2002. It was cited for being a 'substantial and well-preserved Jacobean house with important C19 and early C20 additions'. The existing hall is believed to date back to 1603. It has remained in the Davies-Cooke family ever since, never changing hands until, potentially, now. As the family like stretches back to 1550, is easy to see why Richard is so sad to be selling. 'I grew up here as a child, so I've known the house for a very long time,' he told WalesOnline. 'It's been in the family since the day it was built. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now "I feel very privileged to have inherited Gwysaney from my father. It's a really lovely house, it's very friendly, and every generation has done their bit to try and keep on top of things during the years. I feel very honoured and privileged to be here, and sad at the same time that it's on my watch that we've had to take this decision. But we need to be sensible and look at the longer term future for my son and grandson.' At the heart of the 14-bedroom, five-storey house is its 1603 Jacobean era origins - additional wings, extensions and modifications were subsequently added. Richard has a library of captivating tales about the property's history as it's been chronicled by his family over the centuries. He plans to remain on the estate by relocating to a farm. But the main house, two charming three-bedroom cottages, various outbuildings are being sold off, along with 26 acres of land that include formal gardens, an award-winning Pinetum, equestrian facilities and four paddocks. The house and its outbuildings can be customised to suit the new owner's lifestyle and needs. Richard said the property is ideal for multi-generational living, as evidenced by its use since its construction. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Despite the building's magnificence, he said it was 'peaceful, welcoming, and happy'. He added: 'The new owners are inheriting a legacy that has been ongoing for a considerable period, but I hope they feel this is their home and that they are part of a larger entity within the estate.' Gwysaney Hall is listed with estate agents Strutt and Parker and Savills. For details, call 01244 354880 or 01244 323232.
Wales Online
03-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
'I grew up here as a child... I'm sad it's on my watch that we've had to take this decision'
As a youngster, Richard Davies-Cooke would no doubt have run around the maze of corridors that make up historic, grade II listed Gwysaney Hall with typical childhood abandon. And he would have been far from the first child in his family to do so, since it's been in his family continuously for more than 450 years. But he's probably going to have been one of the last, of his family at least, to do so, because it's now been listed for sale. The Hall near Mold in Flintshire is one of Wales' most significant houses, awarded a Grade II* listing by Cadw in 1952, updated in 2002, for being 'a substantial and well-preserved Jacobean house with important C19 and early C20 additions'. How many properties in Wales can boast connections to Rhodri Mawr, the 9th Century King of all Wales, feature in the Doomsday Book, and have played a direct role in the English Civil War? The existing building on the site is believed to date back to 1603, constructed by Robert Davies, and has remained in the Davies-Cooke family ever since. It has never changed hands, until, potentially, now. It's easy to understand why the property has stayed within the current owner's family for over 450 years, with their ownership of the site tracing back to 1550 and also why current owner, Richard Davies-Cooke, is very sad to be selling. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here READ MORE: You can buy half an entire Welsh hamlet and it's the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen Richard said: "I grew up here as a child so I've known the house for a very long time and it's been in the family since the day it was built. I feel very privileged to have inherited Gwysaney from my father, it's a really lovely house, it's very friendly, and every generation has done their bit to try and keep on top of things during the years. "I feel very honoured and privileged to be here, and sad at the same time that it's on my watch that we've had to take this decision, but we need to be sensible and look at the longer term future for my son and grandson." At the heart of the 14-bedroom, five-storey house is its 1603 Jacobean era, with additional wings, extensions and modifications added over the subsequent centuries. With so much history embedded in the house, it's challenging to pinpoint just a few key highlights but Richard can share captivating tales that vividly depict the property's history, as chronicled by his family over the centuries. He plans to remain on the estate by relocating to a farm, but the main house, two charming three-bedroom cottages, various outbuildings, and the 26 acres of land that include formal gardens, and the award-winning Pinetum, equestrian facilities and four paddocks will be included in the sale to the new owner. The house and its outbuildings can be customised to suit the new owner's lifestyle and needs which includes a suggestion by Richard that the property is ideal for multi-generational living, as it has been since its construction. He adds: "The new owners are inheriting a legacy that has been ongoing for a considerable period, but I hope they feel this is their home and that they are part of a larger entity within the estate." Richard also believes the new owner will immediately connect with such a magnificent building, adding, emotionally, "it's peaceful, it's welcoming, and it's happy". Perhaps there are still yet many more children set to run around the corridors of this amazing home with the same joy that Richard once experienced. Gwysaney Hall, along with its cottages and 26 acres of grounds, is on the market for £2.5m with estate agents Strutt and Parker and Savills, call 01244 354880 or 01244 323232 to find out more. For more property stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.
