We sent our writer, Rachel McAlley to visit Ty Penbryn, a stunning mansion house in Carmarthen, South Wales.
The sun was shining over Ty Penbryn. The trains were running smoothly (mostly), and Wales was glistening brightly on a spring day. After traveling for almost 9 hours on a number of different trains, and I arrived in Carmarthen tired, and ready to relax.
I took a taxi from the train station to Ty Penbryn on Mount Pleasant, just an 8-minute drive. With the code for the door, and let myself in. Wow! The entrance blew my mind, this place truly is a mansion house.
The History of Ty Penbryn
Standing proudly on high ground, Ty Penbryn offers sweeping views across the lower Towy Valley. Built in the late Georgian period, the house first appears on a map produced in 1830 by Thomas Colby, where it was originally named Mount Pleasant Mansion.
In later years, the house became closely associated with distinguished Welsh scholar, poet, and educational reformer Sir Lewis Morris. Morris lived in the house until his passing in 1907, he renamed the property Penbryn after his father’s home in Aberystwyth.
Sir Lewis left his mark on the house, some of which are still in place today. These include unusual and distinctive fireplaces and mantlepieces, plus a number of uplifting phrases in numerous languages.
The house remained in Sir Lewis’ family until they sold it on. In 1954/55 the building suffered severe damage when a storm hit and tore the roof away. It was then acquired by Buckely’s Brewery, who kept key features inside the house, and then turned it into a brewery, restaurant, and pub.
Like many historic properties, ty Penbryn experienced periods of decline including vandalism, and the loss of certain architectural features. In the late 1990’s the house was purchased by developer Martin Jones, who sympathetically rebuilt the property, carefully incorporating original features including the oak staircase.
Ty Penbryn, The House
Today, it’s had a remarkable revival by its current owners Hannah and Ben Ballard. They have made this stunning property available for families or friends to hire. Offering space for 24 guests, there are 5 bedrooms in the main house Georgian Wing, 4 bedrooms in the main house Victorian Wing, and 2 bedrooms in the ground floor annex.
The house is run by Finest Retreats, who look after some of the most amazing properties throughout the UK.
The Leisure Wing at Ty Penbryn
With so much to do in the house, there’s no need to go anywhere else. Once you arrive you can use all the facilities which include a Leisure Wing, complete with huge swimming pool, heated loungers, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, changing rooms, and upstairs family area with ping pong table, sofas, and large TV.
Annex, Kitchen, and Dining at Ty Penbryn
The main house boasts a large family-style kitchen that is fully equipped with everything required to cook. Plus, a second smaller kitchen! Equally, the annex has its own mini set up with microwave, kettle, toaster, and fridge/freezer.
There’s a magnificent dining room that seats 24 across one very long dining table, which was hand made by the owner Ben. Next to the dining room, and between the annex is a unique hidden room, a drying room complete with pulley drying rack and washing machines.
In-House Entertainment
Furthermore, the ground floor of the main house has many other rooms, including a games room with poker table, chess table, and board games. There’s a music room, equipped with piano, harp, drum kit, ukulele, record player, and plenty of guitars adorning the walls.
You’ll find a billiards room too, with pool table, and original arcade games from the 1980s and 1990s. There’s a jukebox, karaoke unit, and disco ball in the entrance hall, which doubles as a fabulous dance floor!
Going up the oak staircase, past the first floor and up to the second floor, there’s a giant cinema room. Outside there is a selection of framed movie posters, which lead into the cinema room itself. Inside the cinema room there’s a 100-inch smart TV, raised sofa seating, and beanbags to relax.
In addition, the second floor offers an office room, for guest use, with two screens and plenty of workspace. WiFi is included in every room, including the annex and leisure wing.
The Grounds
Once outside, there’s another long dining table, again made by hand by the owner Ben. Plus, lounging beds, comfortable cushions, and beautiful gardens. A barn-style building has been built to house a tennis/badminton/pickle ball area. Within this barn there is also a five-a-side football pitch. Located just outside the barn and the annex is a play area for younger guests with climbing frame, slide, and swing.
My Time at Ty Penbryn
I spent lots of time enjoying the swimming pool and heated loungers, and had an afternoon in the cinema eating popcorn and watching Netflix. It was pure luxury, pure relaxation, and pure indulgence. I couldn’t have been any happier!
The other guests arrived and it was time for a walk-around of the property by Hannah and Ben, who gave us the grand tour. It was such a joy to see how passionate they both are about their beautiful house. They even supplied a selection of Welsh Cakes for us to sample. I can highly recommend the chocolate chip version as they were extremely good!
It was soon approaching dinner time, so I changed my outfit, and met with some other guests for a drink before sitting at the dining table. We dined on homemade bread rolls with Welsh butter, the finest beef with mushrooms, and ended with a mouth-watering Bakewell tart with rhubarb compote and ice cream. Dinner was cooked onsite at Ty Penbryn by local bespoke catering company, Strawberry Shortcake Dining.
As soon as dinner ended, we were treated to a murder mystery at the house, which centred around a local Welsh company putting on a murder mystery evening. Dying To Meet You Murder Mystery Company is run by Rebecca Treseder and her husband with a team of supporting actors.
We enjoyed the dramatical story, the clues, and the hints of who was the murderer. It took all 24 of us to work out who committed the murder, and we still got it wrong! A great storyline of deceit, lying, affairs, and of course murder. The perfect way to end the evening.
What a Great Place
I took myself to bed at around midnight, there were only a handful of others still up, and it sounded like they had a great night. Songs were sung, guitars were plucked, and the piano played loud and proud. I suspect the glitter ball was in action too, and why not, because Ty Penbryn is the most amazing place to have fun and enjoy family-time or with friends together in one location. It really is an exceptional venue that caters for all ages, as there’s something for everyone to do.
Visit Finest Retreats to book your trip to Ty Penbryn in South Wales.
Words by Rachel McAlley aka @LadyRach
