The birthplace of legendary Lawrence of Arabia has gone up for sale – more than 2,000 miles from the desert.
The heroic Thomas Edward Lawrence was born in the Welsh village of Tremadog, Carnarvonshire, but moved around as a child before leaving the UK for service in Cairo in 1914.
He found fame leading the Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, sparking the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O’Toole in the titular role.
Now, his birthplace, a Grade II-listed property now called Snowdon Lodge but also known as Ty Lawrence or Gorphwysfa, has gone on the market for £1,375,000.
The Lawrence family lived at the home for around 18 months in 1888 and 1889, before moving to the Galloway region of Scotland and then to Brittany in France and Jersey.
Snowdon Lodge is described as having ‘enormous potential’, with 14 rentable rooms, a teaching room, lounge, games room, dining rooms and a catering kitchen, having undergone extensive refurbishment works in recent years.
Memorabilia and commemorative items are also dotted around the property – which is run as group accommodation – for guests to enjoy, including a plaque and a new artwork paying tribute to the archeologist.
Current owners, Carl and Anja Borum, commissioned international sculptor David Williams-Ellis to design a bronze statue of Lawrence, as part of a plannedexhibition and visitor attraction on the site.
The former home of the famed officer – who died just two months after leaving the army in a motorbike accident – is on the market with Fleurets, and is an incredible opportunity for history buffs.
On the market with leisure property specialists, Fleurets, it’s also ideal for anybody looking to escape to the country and start a hospitality business
Carl and Anja have owned the house for 20 years, but have decided to hang up their their boots and retire from the trade to focus on their family, grandkids and Anja’s osteopathic career.
‘We have run the business part time having previously operated a B&B down the road,’ said Carl.
‘Following the sale of that business, we focused on a large scale refurbishment of Snowdon Lodge to upgrade facilities and add extra rooms, new en-suites, a large games room as well as conference facilities.’
Anja added: ‘We’ve run Snowdon Lodge as a lifestyle business so there is enormous potential for a new owner to take the business to the next level.’
With a price tag of £1,375,000, it’s not exactly cheap, but the property was reported to be on the market for £900,000 back in 2008, so there’s clearly room to go.
Plus, Snowdon Lodge has the capability of operating as a hostel, hotel, B&B, restaurant with rooms, drive-through, holiday complex or health care facility.
The thriving Welsh-speaking village of Tremadog is a hotspot for tourists, just a short distance from the picturesque town of Porthmadog and right on the doorstep of both the sea and a number of hiking and climbing routes.
It’s not quite Arabia, but if you fancy owning a piece of history and setting up life in the country, it could be the place for you.
Check out the property listing and enquire to view via Fleurets.
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