When it comes to hunting down a hidden Georgian gem of a property fit to feature on the Netflix hit period drama Bridgerton, it might be a surprise to some people that Carmarthen can propose a strong contender.
Castle House is a slice of Welsh property history found in arguably one of the poshest parts of the town, described by the estate agent selling the home as being located in a sought-after location near the town centre.
Priced around £450,000, it’s a bit of a steal too compared to an equivalent house of equal stature and history in somewhere where Georgian architecture reigns in the UK, like Bath.
In this English city in Somerset a similar house could set you back over £900,000 according to properties currently listed on rightmove.
So you don’t have to have the wealth of the aristocracy featured in Bridgerton to maybe consider being the new owner of Castle House, especially as there’s enough room for multi-generational living too.
The basement is a self-contained apartment with its own front door, so maybe granny and grandad can help with the mortgage.
Or maybe the flat could become a holiday let or a rental income, subject to the necessary planning permission, of course.
This substantial house that stands proudly above all its neighbours and has done since its construction in around 1836.
At that time, Picton Terrace was considered a new street and the handsome house was arguably the best ‘new build’ not just on this road but within the surrounding area.
In present day the terrace might now be a busy vehicle route in the Carmarthenshire town, but it’s not hard to imagine that in the past the wide avenue would have boasted more trees and more people promenading down the pavement in their best outfits, Bridgerton style.
According to the website British listed buildings, in 1837 it appears that the handsome home was listed as being up for rent.
The estate agent listing described the property as an ‘elegant and commodious house’.
The rental listing from more than 100 years ago states the house had ‘a dining room, library, spacious entrance hall, first floor handsome drawing room, seven bedrooms and a basement’, and actually not too much has changed since that time.
In May 1981 the house achieved a Grade II listing as ‘a substantial earlier 19th century house in late Regency style, part of a fine late Georgian suburban development’.
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The house dates back to the end of Georgian period which ran from 1714 to 1837 and was born out of the regency sub-era that most historians suggest covers the latter part of the Georgian time span.
The house can boast many of the typical and distinctive Georgian architectural features that make homes from this era so popular with house hunters.
High ceilings, large square or rectangular rooms, distinctive and tall multi-pane sash windows, panelled internal doors, wide doorways and symmetry wherever possible.
Typical internal additions include a transom or panel window over a substantial front door, decorative cornices, substantial tiled feature fireplaces and a grand, sweeping staircase.
Details are based on elegance and the harmony of symmetry, supported by a colour palette that started darker but evolved into interior design that featured mainly soft and light colours as the era progressed.
The double bay windows at Castle House featuring moulded cornice, panelled frieze, and top cast-iron low railings are said to be a later addition to the facade of this impressive property, and more typical of a house from the later Victorian era.
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Fast forward to the present day and this dream home is as attractive and noticeable on the streetscene as it ever was.
Imagine climbing the steps to that impressive, solid, black front door, reminiscent of a scene from Bridgerton and entering your own regency abode.
The house has the basement one bed apartment that includes a large living room, double bedroom, galley kitchen, shower room and plenty of light flooding in from multiple windows, as this level is only partially below ground level.
The main hall in the main house is as grand as you might expect to find from this property.
The hall features wood block flooring, dado rail and a charming staircase that sweeps up to the floors above and is bathed in light, benefiting from half-landing windows as it ascends.
Into the first main room and it’s a dining room with a feature fireplace, those distinctive high Georgian ceilings and views of the park from the duo of windows that includes the feature bay.
To the rear of this level and you will find another spacious room, the kitchen diner, which easily fits a kitchen table and chairs.
This room can also boast a view from the vast Georgian window, this time of the private and pretty rear garden.
Up that beautiful period staircase to the first floor and arguably the most impressive space, the drawing room that spans the whole width of the house.
It’s not hard to imagine entertaining many guests in this space, either gathered around the lovely fireplace or around the grand piano which easily slots into the corner of this substantial room.
The three large windows, including another bay, bring three views of Carmarthen Park opposite into the room, like distinct pieces of living artwork hanging on the wall.
At the rear of the property on this floor is a study, again with a fireplace and views of the garden to admire from the well placed desk at the window.
Up to the second and third floors where the expected Georgian symmetry and square or rectangular rooms is really noticeable.
The floorplan of each level is virtually identical, including the plumbing in both characterful bathrooms.
The second floor bathroom and the one directly above on the third floor feature a statement roll-top bath in a central position in both rooms, with the toilet and basin in the same position on each floor too.
Toilets that are in perfect symmetry, albeit vertically, is so very Georgian it surely should impress even Mrs Bridgerton.
The four bedrooms found on these two floors are light-filled and spacious, with arguably the master found on the second floor at the front of the house.
This pretty room boasts a very attractive fireplace and a duet of windows singing the praises of the garden views they are connecting to.
Outside, the rear garden is arguably as characterful as the period property, with sections of box hedges, lawns, trees and a pond to discover within the walled outdoor space.
You might even find Lady Whistledown, the secret author behind the society newsletter causing so much havoc in the fictional Bridgerton series, hiding in the garden bushes, keen to see or hear some gossip to add to her next edition.
Castle House is for sale for offers in the region of £450,000 and you don’t have to be a member of the Bridgerton family to consider buying it. Call estate agent BJP Residential at their Carmarthen branch on 01267 236363 to find out more.
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