Known as Wales’s first tycoon, the industrialist and Liberal politician David Davies was born in 1818 in a hillside tenement in the village of Llandinam, Powys. Davies, the son of a farmer and sawyer, went on to amass a fortune through bridge-building, railways, coal-mining and dock development, while also serving as an MP for Cardigan.
The teetotal Calvinistic Methodist, probably best remembered for founding Barry Docks in the 1880s, was known for his philanthropic deeds, although he did have one obvious indulgence. In counterpoint to his hill-darkened boyhood home, where he cared for several younger siblings, in the 1860s he constructed a light-filled family property that he named Broneirion – designed so that it would receive sunlight all year round.
Although not far from the spot where he grew up, this grand Victorian Italianate mansion, designed for him by Montgomeryshire architects Poundley and Walker, had breathtaking valley views, 20 bedrooms, a dog-leg oak staircase, ornate plasterwork and a billiard room embellished with stained glass. Just a few minutes’ walk from its ten acres of elegant grounds, bridge buffs can often be spotted admiring Davies’s fine first effort, an iron 90-footer spanning the River Severn, marked by a statue in his likeness.
Imbued with Welsh political and industrial history, the Grade II-listed Broneirion has hit the open sales market for the first time, with a price tag of £3 million – a sum you could easily spend on a two-bedroom flat in certain parts of London. Provenance aside, its 8,000 sq ft plus of interior space, as well as a range of outbuildings, also have a special place in the hearts of thousands of Girl Guides. Davies’s great-grandson’s widow, Lady Eldrydd Davies, was a huge supporter of the organisation and offered it the use of the house.
Just after the second world war, Broneirion was opened as a training centre by the World Chief Guide, Olave Baden-Powell, and in the early 1990s Girlguiding Cymru became owners of the house following a huge fundraising campaign. Here, adventures were undertaken, camping skills honed and lifelong memories made. Both the main home and grounds were used, with the rather grand summer house, originally built for the Davies family’s children, becoming a ‘Brownie House’ and pack holiday facility. With stunning views over the Severn Valley and Llandinam hills from the covered veranda, it features exposed wooden floors and a vaulted ceiling.
In the autumn, Girlguiding Cymru’s Board of Trustees regretfully decided to market Broneirion, citing the maintenance and support of the historic property as unsustainable financially – not helped by the decline in membership numbers over the years and the impact of the pandemic.
Beverley Martin, chief commissioner of Girlguiding Cymru, told The Spectator: ‘Broneirion is a beautiful country house with many happy memories for Girlguiding members, with much laughter and fun. A favourite memory is sitting outside, taking in the glorious view, wonderfully calming after a busy day.’
The opportunity to buy this slice of Welsh heritage is, says Tom Carter of selling agency Fine & Country, unique. ‘It sounds a bit daft, but there is the most incredible atmosphere here, and the sense of history is tangible as soon as you set foot in the place,’ he says. ‘And its location in such an astoundingly beautiful valley takes your breath away.’
Although the property is being sold with commercial use in place, and has a slightly institutional feel, there’s plenty of scope, he says, for it to be converted back into a single family home – though you might want to repurpose some of the excess bedrooms. Plans for the ground floor take in a series of large living spaces, including a drawing room and dining room, and there are endless original features that could be artfully emphasised, including leadwork, friezes, mouldings, sash windows and fireplaces.
A two-bedroom chocolate-box lodge house at the foot of Broneirion’s sweeping driveway is included in the sale, as is the coach house complex, which has a glazed roof-covered courtyard and houses a self-contained flat.
Davies’s attention to detail is very much in evidence throughout the property – perhaps unsurprising given his achievements included building railways lines taking in the first section of the Llandidloes and Newtown line in 1859, and later Vale of Clwyd and Pembroke and Tenby. He went on to turn his attention to mining, forming the Ocean Coal Company and building a new dock at Barry Island that was connected to his coalmines in the Rhondda Valley.
‘Ocean Davies’ or ‘Top Sawyer’, as he was affectionately known, faced challenges in his political career, unsuccessfully contesting Cardiganshire against another Liberal in 1865, but in both 1874 and 1880 returned unopposed for Cardigan district. In 1886 he clashed with Gladstone over Home Rule for Ireland, and was defeated.
He died in 1890, having – like many a Girl Guide would later be exhorted to do – always taken the opportunity to help his community and do a good turn (he built the local Llandinam Board School at his own expense). Broneirion is being sold in good shape structurally, having been well taken care of. But wannabe renovators should aways heed the association’s motto: be prepared.
Comments