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A shell of a South Wales house which has been stripped back to basics offers an investor a blank canvas for a full renovation.

The stone-built end terrace offers full scope for the imagination of the new owner as it has been stripped back to bare walls.

Gemma Vaughan, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, is handling the sale of the property at number 7, Prosser Street, Mountain Ash, Mid Glamorgan.

The property is listed with a guide price of £50,000-plus.

Gemma said: “The new owner will need to get their sleeves rolled up from day one as the house has been taken back to basics and now requires a full renovation.

“The property does offer good size living accommodation with open plan reception room, former kitchen and bathroom to the ground floor.

“The first floor has been stripped out and offers potential for four bedrooms and bathroom.

“If looking for buy to let investment, the property could achieve in the region of £700 per calendar month one the renovation work has been done.

“There is an enclosed garden to the rear and a forecourt at the front.

“The house is within walking distance to local shops and benefits from good road links as the A470 is only a short drive away.”

The property, along with more than seventy others, is being offered for sale online by Paul Fosh Auctions with the

The property is included in a catalogue of some 70 varied lots which go up for sale online from 12 noon on Tuesday, October 3. The sale ends from 5pm on Thursday, October 5.

www.paulfoshauctions.com

AN historic building which was once at the epicentre of South Wales fizzy pop distribution is looking for an new investor to put the fizz back into the property.

The three storey, former South Wales headquarters first of Thomas & Evans and latterly Corona and Beechams soft drinks in the former coal mining town of Porth, is up for sale.

These days the prominent, fully-tenanted, mixed-use development has six retail units on the ground floor with a gym, boxing ring, sports bar and two residential flats, on the upper floors.

But there are hints of its refreshing, former existence for those with time and the interest to look.

Debra Bisley, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “This celebrated building, which is being sold by the current owners after almost 40 years, is steeped in history.

“These days the property is fully tenanted and is currently achieving a sparkling annual income of £39,507. So, based on the guide price of £225,000, this is a 17.56% yield. Ground floor retailers include an independent nail bar, tattooist, discount shop, butchers and therapist. Additionally there is national clothing retailer New Look.

“We have been advised that the majority of tenants are long standing who have been on statutory periodic tenancy agreements for a number of years. The tenants have recently signed fixed term tenancies for their own security in anticipation of the sale.

“The property has been in the vendors family for approximately 38 years but the vendor is now selling as they wish to retire.

“Located in a prominent high street position the property is ideally situated on the main shopping thoroughfare in the town of Porth. The street stretches approximately 400 metres with an eclectic mix of retailers, cafes, hair salons and banks. The street benefits from plenty of footfall as well as free, one hour on street parking.”

The town of Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, is some 15 miles north of Cardiff and the M4 motorway. The property is located within close proximity to local bus routes. Porth railway station is approximately a 10 minute walk away. The area is currently undertaking a regeneration programme which includes providing a transport hub for the town which aims to improve connectivity to the centre.

There was previous planning consent for four apartments and two bedsits but this has now lapsed. Grants may be available for this property for up to £2,000 per shop front  for renovations to improve the appearance of the street. Contact the local council for further information. There is also the possibility of grant funding for the conversion of the flats subject to planning permission.

Current owner and vendor James Southgate says the top of the front of the imposing building reveals some of its history.

Mr Southgate said: “There are the initials T&E picked out in gold, and the date 1905. These initials refer to William Thomas and William Evans, both from Pembrokeshire. The pair produced bottled soft drinks which they distributed from their headquarters in Porth throughout South Wales under the name Thomas & Evans.

“The partnership was financed by William Thomas who lent £238 for the enterprise at the princely interest rate of 50 per cent.

“The property, 20-25 Hannah Street, Porth, was Thomas & Evans and Corona’s head office. The three upper floors were used as offices while the ground floor was used for shops.

“The pair of Pembrokeshire businessmen eventually sold out in the 1950s to Corona who were in turn bought up by Beechams.

“My family owned the property for near on 40 years. The building has a long history and means a lot to many people, especially locals, as it does to me and my family.”

The property is included in a catalogue of some 70 varied lots which go up for sale online from 12 noon on Tuesday, October 3. The sale ends from 5pm on Thursday, October 5.

www.paulfoshauctions.com

IF Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is looking for a place to keep his car this garage in Newport might well be right up his street.

The single garage, listed by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions with a guide price of just £100, is located in appropriately named Downing Street.

Sean Roper of Paul Fosh Auctions said: ” We don’t expect Rishi Sunak to show interest in the lot but you never know.

“The garage is  listed with a nil guide price which effectively means that anyone offering £100 could snap up this garage.

“The single unit is located to the rear of 17 Downing Street in Newport with access from Lloyd Street. It could well be ideal for those looking for storage of a vehicle, or parts or for general storage or the new owner might want to let the space out.”

The garage is among some seventy lots to be offered online in the Paul Fosh Auctions sale which starts at 12 noon on Tuesday, October 3 and ends from 5pm on Thursday, October 5.

www.paulfoshauctions.com

A four bedroom rural cottage tucked away in the heart of the Gwent countryside could become a perfect rustic retreat.

The tumble down property, Ty Coch Farm, Bryn Carno, in the village of Rhymney, near Tredegar, is being sold by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions.

The cottage has a guide price of £48,000-plus.

Angie Davey, who is handling the sale for the auctioneers, said: “It’s an awesome property, set in its own land, which could make the ideal project for someone and then deliver a gorgeous result.

“The  detached cottage is situated in a tucked away position with far-reaching views and local countryside walks. The cottage will require renovation works including repair to the upper gable end wall but could be a real jewel once work is completed.

“Currently the property provides a lounge, sitting room, dining room, bathroom, bedroom with shower area to ground floor and four bedrooms to first floor.

“The plot sits in approximately a third of an acre which includes a large garden to the front and side, parking, a detached garage with power and light and a coal shed.

The property is to be sold with vacant possession.

The cottage is included among a catalogue of some eighty lots being offered online by Paul Fosh Auctions with the sale starting from 12 noon on Tuesday, October 3 and ending from 5 pm on Thursday, October 5

THE owner of Newport’s iconic, fire-ravaged Drill Hall building says he is ‘excited’ to submit a revised planning application to city planners for the Grade II listed property.

The move comes after planning permission was previously refused on the deteriorating building once the headquarters of the 3rd Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteer Corps among a array of other former uses including as a religious centre.

Now a revised scheme has been lodged with city planners in a bid to revitalise and refurbish the current shell of the burned out eyesore building.

The proposal aims to convert, refurbish and extend the former Lower Dock Street Drill Hall to create a mixed scheme of nine flats and first floor office/gym.

Howard Bowes, of Newport-Based Harvey Bowes Real Estate, who owns Newport’s former Drill Hall said: “We have been working tirelessly with Newport City Council planners to find a solution which we believe we have achieved with this latest planning application.”

Local man, Mr Bowes, said: “Planning was previously declined for a proposal that was financially viable and which we believe brought the building back into good condition and useful purpose.

“My team, here in Newport, have been working tirelessly on a revised scheme for the Drill Hall which has cost many thousands of pounds so far and which, we envisage, will cost many more thousands by the time we are able to deliver on our scheme.”

The seasoned property investor and award winning property finance broker said “We went back to the drawing board to create this exciting new scheme which we’re hopeful will meet with approval of Newport city planners as we believe it is compliant with the feedback they gave us on the first round.

“Frankly we cannot wait and are excited to get the green light to make a start on restoring this wonderful, iconic and historic Drill Hall building and returning it to the prominence it deserves at the heart of the city of Newport.”

The Drill Hall, a distinctive, castle-style building, has stood  on Lower Dock Street since being built in 1867.

The eye-catching, three-storey sandstone and bath stone main facade is flanked by castle turrets at each corner, ensuring the property has become an historic landmark building in the city of Newport.

RESTAURANTS, cafes, bars and pubs are being urged to add their support to the first Chepstow SpudFest.

The free festival, organised by Chepstow Town Council and to be held principally in the town’s historic Drill Hall, on the riverbank and the Castle Dell, is on Saturday, October 21, from 11am to 5pm.

Food establishments in Chepstow, Bulwark and Thornwell, are being asked to become involved in the SpudFest by providing a special ‘spud’ dish to go on the menu in the days leading up the festival.

Chefs are also being encouraged to share recipes and conduct cooking demonstrations on the day in the town’s Drill Hall.

Letters from Chepstow Mayor Cllr Margaret Griffiths, outlining what’s planned and how to get involved, have been hand delivered to various eateries and pubs throughout the town.

Chepstow Deputy Mayor, Tudor Griffiths, delivering some of the letters, said: “The idea, of creating or providing a dish to celebrate the potato, appears to have been very well received by the various establishments we visited in Chepstow, Bulwark and Thornwell.

“We’ve also invited chefs to take the chance to promote their establishment and demonstrate cooking the dish on the day at the Drill Hall and also to have a spud-based recipe included in a special booklet we’re producing for the event.”

Margaret Gore, of The Palmer Centre, Cormeilles Square, Chepstow, said the popular cafe will be promoting its cheese and potato pie as part of the festival.

“The pies topped with creamy mashed potato, which are all homemade by our chefs Tracey Morgan and Jill Lane, are our best sellers.”

Exact programme details are being finalised but a range of potato-themed events are being finalised by the town council’s Chepstow SpudFest (CSF) Working Group.

The CSF is inviting groups and organisations within the town and any others with an interest and any spud-based ideas, to get involved in what could become an annual festival.

Central to the celebration of all things potato is the unique pebble sculpture, unveiled in March this year on the River Wye in Chepstow, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of Wales Coast Path.

The coast path, which attracts thousands of walkers and tourists to the town each year, starts and ends on the banks of the River Wye in Chepstow.

The pebble, which some say resembles a tin-foil covered baked potato, has caught the imagination of the people of Chepstow and visitors to the ancient walled town.

Cllr. Margaret Griffiths, who is chair of the Chepstow Spud Fest Working Group, said: “Chepstow SpudFest is a perfect opportunity to build on the undeniable interest in the sculpture that has been generated since its unveiling on the river bank earlier this year. We hope that the Spudfest will help to promote the town, its culture and attractions and will boost engagement with the community.”

Among events at Chepstow SpudFest being finalised are:

• Competitions for the champion potato, potatoes resembling famous people and characters
• Photography and painting of potatoes
• Children’s artwork including, potato prints, potato people, collages of potatoes
• Cookery demonstration
• Potato sculpture
• Most imaginative use of a potato
• Stalls
• Expert talks on potatoes, growing them, their uses and cultural significance
• Best home-grown potato competition
• Gardener’s Question Time
• Potato sack races in the Dell
• Potato and spoon race
• Fancy dress
• A Chepstow potato trail
• Recitation of poems and stories about potatoes as well as a poetry competition and potato related music.

For more details about Chepstow SpudFest contact Chepstow Town Clerk Lucy Allen on 01291 626370 or  email admin@chepstow.co.uk

YOUR prayers may well be answered if you’re looking to buy a quirky, stone-built property steeped in history that’s just a short stroll from an equally appealing pub.

A Grade II listed house, complete with hidden ‘priest hole’,  currently owned by the Church in Wales has come up for sale at auction.

Number 2, Church House, in the  sought-after area of Christchurch on the outskirts of the city of  Newport, Gwent, is not only oozing in religious history but is just across the road from a celebrated public house.

Angie Davey, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “This is a truly awesome three bedroom house in the fabulous picturesque location of Christchurch dating back very many years.

“We have this historic semi detached house listed with a guide price of £153,000-plus. It’s adjacent to the 12th century Holy Trinity Church and cemetery and close to the very welcoming Greyhound Public house.

“The house being offered for sale here has two reception rooms, a kitchen, pantry, cloak cupboard, cellar, bathroom and three double bedrooms – one of which is believed to contain a ‘priest hole’. It’ll be sold with vacant possession. It has a  good sized lawned garden to the side and access to the cemetery and road.

“Within walking distance of The Greyhound Inn the property benefits from excellent transport links via the M4 and Newport City railway station.

“Christchurch is a village located at the top of Christchurch Hill in the Caerleon ward and community of the city of Newport, South Wales.

“The top of the hill affords panoramic views both towards the Bristol Channel in the south and through the Vale of Usk and into the Monmouthshire countryside to the north. The road, which runs along the crest of the hill, runs westwards to Newport and eastwards towards Caerleon and the village of Catsash.

Church House is among more than ninety lots included in the online Paul Fosh Auctions sale which starts from 12 noon Tuesday, August 29 and ends from 5pm on Thursday, August 31.

 

www.paulfoshauctions.com

INVESTORS are expected to take a shine to a terrace of former South Wales tin miners cottages which have gone up for auction with a guide price of £nil.

Set in a leafy, rural location near the  historic village of Machen, close to the city of Newport, the crumbling remains of the three cottages, Wesley Buildings, Wesley Hill, in Machen, are ripe for renovation.

Gemma Vaughan, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “Wesley Buildings offers the opportunity to acquire structures which, we’re told, were originally a terrace of three small cottages.

“The site has a very interesting history. The vendor, a carpenter, advised me that he bought the cottages back in 1979 when he arrived back from Saudi Arabia.

“He bought the property, his old family home, when he saw that it was up for sale. His great grandfather and mother were born there. His great grandfather worked in the long closed tin mine in Machen.

“The cottages are now in an extremely dilapidated condition but could well present a blank canvas to a developer, subject to planning and the removal of a vast amount of undergrowth. The cottages are in such a state of dereliction that they have not been  internally inspected.

“This property most certainly presents a challenge but listed with a £nil reserve what it  means is that a single minimum opening bid of just £100 could secure the lot-as long as there are no other bidders.

“These cottages will be sold for whatever bidders want to pay with the highest bid, whatever that is, winning the lot.”

“The three cottages, which are spread over three floors, are as basic as they come and aren’t even connected to any utilities, not even water. However they are in an awesome location in desirable and sought after location of Machen, a large village three miles east of Caerphilly and just up the road from Newport.

“They are situated in the Caerphilly Borough within the historic boundaries of old Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethomas, and forms a council ward in conjunction with these communities.

“Lying on the Rhymney river the neighbouring, towering presence of Mynydd Machen (Machen Mountain) provides a view over the village.

“As the cottages are in a derelict condition we haven’t made an internal inspection.”

The cottages, along with some ninety other properties, will be sold online at the next Paul Fosh Auctions sale which starts from 12 noon on Tuesday, August 29 and ends from 5pm on Thursday, August 31

 

www.paulfoshauctions.com

A tranquil Gwent canal side cottage up for auction this month could offer new owners a secluded, slower pace of life.

Although Lock Cottage, on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal, needs plenty of TLC it could be made into a haven of peace with some sympathetic renovation inside and out.

The two bed property, with rambling gardens, is being offered for sale by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions with a guide price of £118,000-plus.

Sean Roper, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, says the quaint and historic cottage, in the Bettws area of Newport, has a magnetic attraction.

Sean said: “I would see Lock Cottage appealing to someone looking for a secluded retreat in a rural location but which is not way out in the sticks. The manageable property isn’t far from the city of Newport and the M4.

“The cottage, entrance kitchen, bathroom and lounge on the ground floor with interconnection bedrooms above, could also make a very attractive investment for a holiday let or perhaps Airbnb.

“This is a rare opportunity to acquire a detached cottage, a secluded retreat, with land adjacent to the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal. The property, which offers huge potential either for refurbishment of the existing property or re development, subject to necessary planning consents, has been stripped by the current owner and is now ready for improvement.

“The canal offers amazing walks or cycling opportunities for those who enjoy outdoor pursuits but is also convenient for access to both local amenities, Newport city centre and the M4 motorway.

“We often find that the more unusual, quirky properties, go well at our auctions and this is certainly no  exception with bidder interest already keen, ahead of the online auction..”

“Please be aware that a previous planning application was refused and that a new, scaled back proposal, has now been submitted to the local planning authority.”

The cottage, along with more than ninety other properties, is being offered for sale at Paul Fosh Auctions with bidding starting from 12 noon on Tuesday, August 29 and ending from 5pm on Thursday, August 31,.

www.paulfoshaiuctions.com