Exciting conversion project

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Details

Description

A great opportunity to get out of town, away from it all but not so far that you have to have a 4x4 to get there! And not just a new home, but the potential for a business opportunity as well, should you want one.

The Mill at Queen's Head is a late Georgian flour and feed mill with stables/cart sheds, around a gravelled yard. Two miles south of the historic border town of Oswestry, convenient to the A5 trunk road, it is set beside the beautiful Montgomery Canal amid the gently rolling north Shropshire countryside.

The views are long and the sky is wide and filled with the drama created by the first hills of Wales which fill the horizon three miles away to the west, and AE Houseman's blue remembered hills to the south. All around are country lanes and footpaths with patches of woodland filled with birdsong. Colourful canal barges come and go, some staying for a night or two, others just for a meal at the Queen's Head Hotel - noted locally for the excellence of its food.

And yet the communications are good. The Mill is within easy reach of Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, each with an international airport. There is a regular local bus service between Oswestry and the county town of Shrewsbury, it is ten minutes drive to the main line station at Gobowen where one may take the regular direct services to London, Marylebone seven days a week, for as little as £24 return.

Oswestry itself is a border market town steeped in the history of the area, and with good shops, excellent facilities and developing high-tech industries built onto a solid base of traditional commercial activity. Companies as diverse as Per Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons, Total Network Solutions, Castle Fine Arts Bronze Foundry to name but a few.

The Property

Description
A late Georgian Flour and Feed Mill, once powered by steam, and built to take advantage of the adjacent Montgomery Canal, a branch of the Shropshire Union Canal system.

Constructed of local brick under a welsh slate roof, The Mill comprises a four story main building with a three story wing. The present owner has renovated the main fabric, including a new slated roof, extensive re-pointing, new double glazed traditional style windows and doors, new interior spiral staircase, and internal drainage. Mains electricity is connected.

Outside
The property encloses a gravelled yard which provides parking for up to 12 cars. Included in the sale is the former Stable and Cart Shed, of brick and timber construction under a part tile and part sheeted roof. Approximately 55'x20' this building provides three garages, a workshop and full second story storage, with good potential for development.

Services
Shared private drainage, mains electricity, mains water are connected. The property enjoys a strong Broadband connection being just 500m from the small local exchange.

Green credentials
The Mill building is fitted with 2no. 8'x4' state-of-the-art solar panels, connected to a pressurised hot water system, with the foundation for a underfloor heating system.
Further solar energy could be developed on the Stable roof which has a 55'x 12' south facing slope.
The property has it's own reliable private water supply from a covered, brick-lined well (subject to test). This is not currently in use but is in good order and is fitted with a traditional iron pump.

Planning Permission
Full planning permission has been obtained for a change of use from light industrial to mixed residential/commercial, subject to Building control approval.
Dated 31st January 2008, planning Ref: 07/15352/4 Copies of the Planning Consent are available for viewing together with the plans.

Location and facilities

Area
North West Shropshire is an area largely of arable and livestock farming, with established and expanding commercial activity at the nearby market town of Oswestry.

Commuting
The Mill is within easy reach by road and rail of two major commercial centres at Chester and Telford. Access to the motorway network is within fifteen miles.

Communications
The property is convenient for the A5 trunk road.
It benefits from a regular bus service between Oswestry (2 miles) and Shrewsbury (12 miles)
Mainline railway stations 4 miles at Gobowen, or 12 miles at Shrewsbury. Regular direct services to London, Marylebone seven days a week.

Education
The nearby village of West Felton has a thriving primary school.
Oswestry provides good secondary education in the form of The Marches secondary school, and the independent Oswestry School, establish in 1407. Also within easy reach of independent schools of Shrewsbury college and Ellesmere College.

Further Education is provided locally by North Shropshire College in Oswestry and NEWI in Wrexham.

Shopping
The nearby village of West Felton has a thriving shop and post office offering a full range of services.
Oswestry is a market town with a traditional street market three times a week, three supermarkets, a regular farmers market and a busy high street. There is a strong movement in the region to encourage local foods, with many high street and village shops, farm shops, restaurants and pubs selling local produce.
Oswestry has excellent provison of wholesalers, builders and farmers merchants, most of which are local businesses.
Shrewsbury and Wrexham provide a full range of Superstores and the Major Retailers. For gardeners there are traditional Nurseries as well as modern Garden Centres.

Environment
Local weather
The narrow strip of country east of the Welsh Border enjoys a particularly good climate being, we understand, the second sunniest place in the UK after Torquay.

Recreation
Oswestry has a Sports/Leisure Centre and a wide range of private facilities are available within the area.

Sports
The nearby Rednal Airfield is the base for Paintballing, Go-carts, Hovercraft. The Shropshire Canoe Club meets at the Wharf Building at Queen's Head, several of whose members have gone on to compete at National level, and there are regular meetings of the Shropshire Cycle Club nearby.

Leisure
Oswestry Golf Club is one of several close by.
The Canal offers fishing as do the local rivers, particularly the Severn and the Vyrnwy. Traditional and modern canal boats are available for hire at two local marinas.
The area offers superb opportunities for walkers at all levels: from the extensive and well maintained network of ambling public footpaths to the wild country of Cader Berwyn. Good basic climbing is available at Nesscliffe hill and at Llanymynech Quarry. And, of course, Snowdonia is within an hour's drive.

Entertainment
Oswestry has a small Theatre, good music venues and there are Multi-plex cinemas in both Shrewsbury and Wrexham. Shrewsbury also has an Art-House Cinema and the brand new Severn Side Arts and Theatre complex.
Borderland Visual Arts network run an Open Studios event every year and there are regular exhibitions and events at the Heritage Centre and the Qube Arts Centre.

Restaurants
The area has a good provision of pubs and restaurants to cater for all levels, and all tastes ranging from A La Carte Restaurants, to Gastro-pubs and all the usual high street outlets.
From the business perspective, good conference facilities are available at the Wynnstay Hotel or the Lion Quays (amongs others, there is a Travel Lodge just two miles away, and the area is well provided with small hotels and guest houses.

AWAY FROM IT ALL BUT NOT IN THE STICKS.