A smorgasbord of colours & textures brings history alive at the Coach House: opening soon to visitors
The recent lack of news emanating from Lofftwen in recent months is not for the lack of things to write about, but rather finding the time to do so. Having launched the Longhouse for holidays in May last year, our focus immediately switched to renovating the Coach House, which will soft launch this month.
We’ve been fortunate to have fantastic neighbours at Lofftwen – just as important when separated by several hundred metres as it is living cheek by jowl – but when Richard and Julie decided it was time for a new chapter in their lives, we jumped at the chance to create a new chapter in ours by reuniting Lofftwen and the Coach House. In Victorian times, when Llanwrtyd Wells was a popular spa destination for well-to-do ladies and gentlemen seeking restorative country pursuits, the two properties used to be part of one estate, including what was the Dolecoed Country Hotel across the road. The Coach House, as its name implies, provided stabling and laundry facilities for the hotel, with a state-of-the-art heating system that enabled guests to travel in a carriage that had been pre-heated ahead of their journey. As one of the few very flat pieces of terrain, the land in front of the Coach House was turned into a bowling green, with banked terraced seating for interested spectators. In stark contrast, the challenging terrain of Lofftwen farm, as well as providing the hotel’s guests with a robust supply of gravity pressurised fresh spring water, was transformed into an 18-hole links golf course.
Richard and Julie’s sensitive restoration of the Coach House means a lot of the original features and materials remain intact. Where they have been removed to help transform parts of it into a cosy family home, they kept the materials for future use. Together, they make a fantastic smorgasbord of colours and textures - some of which can be seen in the pictures above - that really brings the history of the Coach House to life.
If anyone has further information about the history of the Coach House, we’d love to hear from you will@lofftwen.com.