This “elegant” Georgian mansion for sale was once a grammar school and has now been transformed into a modern home with eye-catching period features.
High Trees, in Chepstow, was built in the early 19th century, and in 1850 was the birthplace of Isambard Owen, the founder of the Universities of Wales, Bristol and Newcastle upon Tyne.
Later on, the property was home to wine merchant James Dowie, and then Thomas Atkins, who built the gas works.
In 1871, the mansion was converted into Chepstow Boys Grammar School, and in 1954 became District Council offices.
The current owners bought the property seven years ago and worked to restore it to its former glory.
On the ground floor of the mansion, there is a large kitchen and breakfast room, a drawing room with a bay window and dining space, an additional reception room, a gym and a utility room.
Period features on this level include a sweeping Georgian staircase, statement archways, a feature fireplace and decorative coving.
Also on the ground floor is a self-contained one-bedroom apartment, offering the opportunity for multi-generational living.
Downstairs, the basement is the ‘party zone’, made up of a games room, a home cinema and a wine cellar, with a vaulted ceiling and wood panelling.
Upstairs, the first floor comprises four bedrooms, one of which has an en-suite bedroom, a dressing room and a home office, as well as two family bathrooms.
Outside, there is a private stone-walled courtyard, a lawn, a wooded area, parking and a garage at the end of a gated driveway.
The property is being sold by estate agent Fine & Country for a price of £1,750,000.
The current owners commented: “Everything had to be stripped back and we were excited to uncover the secrets of this old Georgian building, including doorways, fireplaces, and even an ice room that had been blocked off for 120 years.
“We didn't know it existed until we lifted up the floor and uncovered a huge hole that is now our amazing cinema room.
"High Trees is full of history and character. We're pretty confident that Isambard Kingdom Brunel used one of the bedrooms upstairs as his office where he sat designing and managing the build of the South Wales Railway leg.
“His chief engineer, George Owen, owned this house, and it overlooks what was one of Brunel's tubular suspension bridges. His son, Isambard Owen, was a famous surgeon and his claim to fame is that he set up two universities and reinstated the Welsh language back into the Victorian curriculum.
"We're in the middle of the town centre and even though it's a large house, you wouldn't know it was here as we have our own wooded garden area with yew and lime trees, so it's very private and perfect for entertaining.”