Heading west out of Cardiff, you might overlook a turn-off leading to one of the capital’s most desirable areas. St Fagans is a leafy enclave, home to a select collection of charming period properties nestled amidst semi-rural greenery.
Despite its proximity to the city, St Fagans retains a village feel, offering a tranquil escape from the bustling city centre streets. The area is characterised by large, impressive period homes, interspersed with treetops and views of the open countryside beyond.
It’s no surprise that the entire village has been designated a conservation area. With St Mary’s church at its heart, The Plymouth Arms pub just down the road, and a village hall and green, St Fagans ticks all the boxes for a quintessential village.
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Seen by many as an affluent place to live, the village boasts a number of Cadw-listed buildings, underscoring its rich history. Just two fields away from being swallowed up by the expanding capital, the village is dominated by the popular St Fagans National Museum of History, a late 16th-century manor house gifted to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth in 1948. It is now home to over 40 original buildings on the site from various historical periods which have been reassembled in the 100-acre parkland.
Beyond the museum gates there are some remarkable historic buildings, one of which arguably outshines its neighbours; The Old Rectory. Tucked away down a quiet residential lane, behind a stone wall and mature trees and shrubs, lies a small gated driveway leading to this stunning Victorian masterpiece.
This four-storey medieval Gothic-style marvel is a Grade II* listed property and is described as ‘highly graded as an important Victorian house designed by Prichard and Seddon, possibly the finest of their many rectories’.
The listing reveals that the house dates back to around 1858 and served as a rectory until roughly 1975. It boasts an attic and basement, in addition to two storeys of accommodation concealed behind the elaborate medieval-style façade.
Within the enchanting acre of gardens there are mature trees and shrubs, lawns and a wildlife pond that makes you feel like you’re relaxing in a rural haven immersed in nature, not located on the edge of the capital city. There’s a charming veranda and a sun-drenched terrace to welcome alfresco dining both come rain or sun.
Inside, the house begins with a substantial basement – not dark and dingy but a series of versatile rooms and a wine cellar – party level perhaps? Up to the ground floor to find four reception rooms, a kitchen diner, utility room and two cloakrooms and then seven bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sizable games room sprawling across two floors.
The Old Rectory is on the market for £1,695,000 with estate agent MGY, call their Radyr branch on 029 2084 2124 to find out more. For more property and renovation stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.