Farmhouse by the sea has lost medieval village in the garden

There are numerous intriguing historic houses dotted across Wales and all of them can claim to hold a unique past and probably a plethora of period features to delight any visitor or potential buyer.

But not many homes can claim to have the sea close by and parts of the groundworks of a lost medieval village in the paddock too.

But this authentic 17th century farmhouse and 2.8 acres of land can impress you with this unusual bonus in the garden and so much more.

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As well as a Grade II-listed house that has been the site of a home from maybe as far back as the 13th century in the central section of the property there's a chance to currently live the good life here.

The property can offer a new detached stable block with three loose boxes, a tack room, a hay barn, and feed store. There's a pigsty too and plenty of room for chickens, sheep, and growing your own produce.

When you hear that this mainly 17th century former farmhouse in the Vale of Glamorgan has been modernised you might worry that the centuries-old heart and soul of the home has been ripped out within the last few decades before the Grade II listing was put in place in 2004.

But joyfully that's not the case at West Aberthaw Farm as, until a recent sympathetic restoration, the last decorative update was during the Victorian era.

The Grade II listing acknowledges the fact that this house has been untouched for more than a century, stating it is of "special interest as a fine regional house and as part of a very complete C19 Vale farmstead".

The Chapmans bought the house in 2013 after totally falling in love with it specifically because it had been left untouched for many decades, with so much of its heart and soul still intact, although at the time of purchase it was in need of some renovation and restoration – there wasn't even any running water.

The land was a major part of the reason for buying the house too, with around 2.8 acres rarely found as part of a sale of a period house in need of renovation for future generations while respecting its features of the past.

Such is the dedication to restoring the home in an appropriate and respectful manor that owner Dean Chapman even enrolled himself on a course to learn how to limewash the walls and sympathetically restore the past layers of this truly historic house and he is now a member of the Society of the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

And if there's any doubt about just how old this site is, as an ancient area where people have chosen to live for thousands of years, the fact that there's a Cadw-awarded ancient scheduled monument in the garden should clinch it.

The earthwork remains of some of a lost medieval village are in the paddock at the house that includes an intact water well and shows this site was popular during the medieval period, though the history of the site is thought to go back even further.

Cadw says: "The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of settlement organisation. It retains significant archaeological potential with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.

"The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive."

The couple believe it's an honour to have such a historic addition to their home and Dean has been intrigued enough to research into the area of Aberthaw and why people have wanted to live here for hundreds, even thousands, of years.

Dean said: "The two-acre paddock is probably all that's left of the medieval village. It probably extended into fields next door at some point but on our land there's quite a few platforms. One of them is six metres in diameter – it's quite substantial.

"It's all earthworks, all lumps and bumps, and there's a well that's 36ft deep that's still got water in it.

"The site has only been dug once and that was in 1964 or 1965 when they were putting in a sewage pipe through the paddock and when they dug the trench they excavated some hearths and some 13th and 14th century pottery.

"And like most medieval villages it was probably abandoned in about the mid-14th century and there's quite a few around here that were all abandoned around about the same time due to climate change and the plague.

"Now people are moving out of the towns into the countryside but back then they were moving from the countryside to make bigger towns.

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"When they were doing the conversion of the barn next door they had to have archaeologists in and they found some Roman pottery going back about 2,000 years, also some Iron Age pottery, and they also found the remains of what they think was a Bronze Age ditch – 5,000 years old.

"The port at Aberthaw was really busy during medieval times and had more ships registered there than anywhere else in south Wales and they used to travel along the coast and to England but also further afield such as the West Indies.

"That's what I love about the place, the history; the medieval villages, the Roman roads, the port, the Iron Age forts all along the coast."

With the existence of the village remains in the garden comes the respect to make sure it survives into the future so Dean says you definitely can't dig it up, you can't build anything over it, you can't touch it in any way, but you can mow it and let your sheep, goats, or horses live on a section which helps to keep the grass levels low.

When the couple had horses they used the field for hay production.

Dean says: "The site is a scheduled ancient monument and so has the same protection as Stonehenge and that's why they won't let you dig there and it's illegal to go in that field with a metal detector.

"You're not allowed to cover it or put in wooden fence posts and damage what lies beneath it but you can do stuff, maybe, but you need to have consent."

It's a love affair with the home that started in 2013, although the couple had tried to buy it previously in 2011.

The couple had been looking for a period property with land for the horses in the Vale of Glamorgan for years but were struggling to find anything within their budget – then the farmstead came up for auction and they went to have a look.

Needing a lot of work, but with a lot of land, they fell in love with the property – especially when they visited and felt the home wrap itself around them with its layers of history that created such a special atmosphere.

Dean says: "It's such a peaceful house. That's what all our visitors say – it's a special place."

Yes, he was smitten, but at that time they lost the house to another buyer.

But 18 months later, and still not able to find a property that they were as passionate about, the estate agent called to see if they were still interested and this was a home match made in property heaven.

The Chapmans have been busy ever since, lovingly going about the restoration of the past while adding features for the present and future. Dean says: "We've done all the big jobs – roof, electrics, heating – from that first day when we didn't even have any water."

But maybe the most impressive work done here is the fact that the property still oozes great charm that enthrals any visitor.

The estate agent gushes: "This most impressive period home provides 3,020 square feet of space, with many elegant character features include imposing farmhouse panel doors, flagstone floors, exposed stone walls, and charming character fireplaces.

"There's an original spiral staircase and ceilings with original meat hooks together with a unique period-style downstairs cloakroom with Victorian suite – truly stunning!"

The house offers ample space for a family to live, thrive, and grow.

On the ground floor the spacious and very welcoming kitchen diner is a joy with a huge fireplace easily housing an Aga.

There are exposed beams, period woodwork, and flagstone floor combining to illustrate how special a vintage space can look when restored with care and thought.

Next to the kitchen is an equally characterful lounge with a farmhouse fireplace the couple have exposed, hiding behind a Victorian addition.

There's a dining room, a cloakroom, utility, and then another sitting room that leads into a second kitchen and bathroom that could easily be used as an annexe for multi-generational living.

Upstairs the house offers four bedrooms and a family bathroom and views of the Bristol Channel from the sea-facing windows.

Dean said: "We've lovingly restored about a third of it and taken the rest back to original, exposed it, ready for completion. We've kept as much as possible. All the doors are original apart from one – the back door has been replaced because it was rotten at the bottom.

"When we bought the house we had never owned an older house and certainly never a Grade II-listed one. We wanted this one because it hadn't been touched. No-one had done any damage to it – it had just been left. It was as original and authentic as you are ever going to find one."

How lucky for this period gem then, and the nationally-important remains in the paddock, that it was found and loved by the Chapmans, who were novices at the time but keen to learn all they could about how to restore it.

When it comes to finishing the cosmetic works in the house that the couple have worked so hard to complete in many rooms, most of the hard graft of getting consent and the official paperwork in order has already been done.

Dean suggests the next owner could contact the Society of the Protection of Ancient Buildings regarding the paddock as they offer lots of specialist advice.

And for the house, the community of period property restorers have been through it all and include Ty-Mawr Lime in Brecon and, of course, Cadw.

The couple now are looking for a lifestyle change as sadly their horses have passed away and the children have grown up so there's too much land and too much space.

The power station next door is being decommissioned, where Dean actually used to work on site but now works from home, and the future for that area is currently unknown but the future for the farmstead is clear – another few centuries of being loved and lived in.

Dean realises that a historic house in this location is not for everyone but for someone who receives the inevitable embrace this house gives every single visitor it will be instant love and the next chapter of this unique house will begin.

Dean said: "I'd love to stay and finish it but practically with the job I've got now it would take me a long time or I could get people in but I wanted to do it myself; with a house like this it's got to be done properly.

"The right person will love the house as we did and they will do it justice as we did.

"Every single person that comes here says how calming it is – they walk in the house and think it's so calming. I personally think it's because of the people who lived here before over the hundreds of years."

The couple have noticed some intriguing things over the years at the house, especially the smell of rosewater and bizarrely roast beef and occasionally the sound of unknown footsteps, but at no point have the Chapmans ever felt worried about the past revealing itself, via the senses, to the present residents.

Dean says: "Nothing here is horrible and the activity seems to be when there is something emotional in the house, so when we lost the horses the noises were a bit more, like the house was there to reassure us.

"Plus when we were working on the house, we've done some major stuff to it, it was almost like the house was watching what we were doing and telling us that what we were doing was okay, giving us its approval."

This truly unique slice of Welsh property history tis on the market for £750,000 with estate agent pablack. contact their Cowbridge branch on 01446 772857 to find out more.

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