An estate in the Brecon Beacons for sale that's family home, sanctuary, working farm and business opportunity rolled into one
362 acres of beautifully-unspoilt Brecon Beacons countryside is for sale as The Mandinam Estate comes to the market. Penny Churchill takes a look.


The gloriously scenic Mandinam estate at Llangadog, near Llandovery, the name of which means ‘place without blemish’, lives up to its billing in every way. Seen from any angle, the views are spectacular — no doubt one of the reasons why The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall chose this part of the Principality for their eco-friendly retreat at Llwynywermod, three miles to the north-east as the crow flies.
For sale through Knight Frank, Tustins in Oxford and Llewellyn Humphreys in Carmarthen at a guide price of £2.75m for the whole, the unspoilt 362-acre Mandinam Estate on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park has been sympathetically farmed and nurtured for the past 50 years by dedicated owners, who have now reached retirement age.
Now, they’re looking for a new owner to take on this special place, be it as a family home, a sanctuary, a working farm, a business opportunity or, as it has been for them, a combination of all four.
At the high point of the estate, sheltered by belts of broadleaf woodland, is Grade II-listed Mandinam House, a handsome, double-pile country house of the late 17th or early 18th century.
The house was first mentioned in 1660, when its owner, G. Gwynne of Llanelwedd, Radnorshire, gave it to the theologian and writer Jeremy Taylor, who is said to have been with Charles I when he was executed. In 1710, the estate was sold to the Lloyd family of Wern Newydd and Glansevin, in whose hands it remained until the latter half of the 20th century.
Although now in need of modernisation, Mandinam House provides an excellent range of well-proportioned rooms, including a reception hall, four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, six bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Other useful buildings include a stone-built coach house, a guest cottage, a four-bedroom farmhouse and an untouched, Grade II*-listed long house.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Further income potential is supported by a range of modern farm buildings and four traditional shepherd’s huts dotted in idyllic locations around the estate.
When the present owners first took over the estate, they farmed it commercially for several decades, making full use of the sheep walks and common land grazing rights in the western half of the national park to run a herd of 100 cattle and more than 1,000 breeding ewes. Yet never was Nature sacrificed for productivity and today there are more hedges and native trees planted on the estate than when he and his young family arrived in 1970.
The Mandinam Estate is for sale at £2.75m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Credit: Taylor & Co via OnTheMarket
A magical cottage for sale in the Brecon Beacons, complete with a 'baby castle' annexe
Twr Mihangel is a beautiful cottage in the Brecon Beaacons that's been spectacularly decorated within — and has a self-contained
-
A woolly mammoth skeleton is among the curiosities for sale to save fire-ravaged Parnham Park
The auction of the owner James Perkins' collection, hosted by Dreweatts, tomorrow (May 13), will be used to fund renovation works at Parnham Park in Dorset.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
The ‘utterly unique’ skincare brand that’s used in the ‘world’s best hotel’ spa
The Seed to Skin brand was the byproduct of one woman’s length fertility journey — it’s so good that today it’s used in a hotel voted the ‘world’s best’.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
Five Cotswold dream homes on the market from £3m to £18m, as seen in Country Life
This week we have a Cotswolds-themed rundown of some of the finest homes to come to the market in this beautiful part of England.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A modern masterpiece for sale in Cornwall that's just one mile from the beach
Hay House combines location, elegance and modern family living to create a special home for the 21st century.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rollercoaster, Bauhaus department store and Brutalist football stand top the latest Buildings at Risk List
The latest Buildings at Risk List from the Twentieth Century Society has been announced. Sunwin House department store and Blackpool’s Grand National Rollercoaster both feature.
By Jack Watkins Published
-
Lutyens's last masterpiece comes up for sale in Oxfordshire, with 27 bedrooms and a cricket pitch
Middleton Park in Middleton Stoney is a vast country home that must surely be among the nation's best
By James Fisher Published
-
A 10-bedroom manor house in the heart of the Cotswolds with all the trimmings
Waterton House sits on the edge of Ampney Crucis, and is as elegant as can be.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
A seven bedroom Buckinghamshire rectory that might be a little haunted
Grade II-listed the Old Rectory is a home of astounding charm and beauty, and comes with a friendly visitor.
By James Fisher Published
-
Over the Hills and Far Away: Robert Plant's Welsh hideaway is up for sale
Other notable residents of The Argoed in the Wye Valley include George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Webb.
By James Fisher Published
-
Period charm and contemporary tastes collide in an eight-bedroom listed home in Durham
Morton House is a rare example of a home where you can have the best of both worlds.
By James Fisher Published