Nannau Hall: Grade II* listed mansion 'at risk' after lead theft

A Grade II* listed mansion, on a site once destroyed by Owain Glyndwr, is under threat after lead was taken from the roof, a report says.

Nannau Hall at Llanfachreth, Gwynedd, is "deteriorating rapidly" according to the report for Snowdonia National Park Authority's planning committee.

Built in 1790 by Sir Robert Howell Vaughan, it was last sold in 2001 but major work is still to be carried out.

The planning committee will discuss on Wednesday how to protect it.

While the current three-storey hall dates back to the 1790s, the original house on the site was built by Cadwgan, son of Bleddyn ap Gynfyn, the Prince of Powys, in the 11th Century.

It became the ancestral home of his descendants, the Nanneys, who remained there until 1701, though one of the earliest houses was destroyed in 1402 by the last native Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr.

In the 1960s, it was bought by retired barrister Edward Alexander Morrison and his artist wife Barbara who carried out major renovations.

Then in 1975, the surrounding estate was sold off, with the building converted into a hotel and sold in 1979.

In 1991, Nannau Hall was bought by Dafydd Maslen Jones and his wife Julie, a direct descendant of Owain Glyndwr, with plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast.

But it was put onto the market again in 1995, with new owner Joseph Cawood gaining listed building consent for major internal alterations in 2001.

This work began but was not completed.

A report to Snowdonia National Park Authority's planning committee reads: "It has been brought to the authority's attention that the lead from the roof of the building has been removed and that the overall condition of the building is deteriorating rapidly."

Officers will meet with Mr Cawood to discuss how to protect it from further damage.

Two years ago, architectural historian Dr Mark Baker, the man who is leading the campaign for the restoration of Gwrych Castle, Abergele, listed Nannau Hall among the important north Wales houses considered to be "at risk".

He estimated the cost of restoration at that time was about £500,000.