‘Enter at your own risk’: Century-old mansion too dangerous to enter

An 1890s manor in Wales will go to auction for an ultra-low guide price, but buyers are banned from entering. 

Shire Hall is a former council headquarters in Llangefni on the island of Anglesey. 

Once a grand Victorian building, the hall is now derelict following a catastrophic fire in 2023.

After sitting empty for several years, Shire Hall is going to auction with a low guide price of £288,000 ($594,000). 

But bidders will not be able to enter the property they are buying. 

“The site is inaccessible, and we are informed is unsafe. We are unauthorised to provide access,” the listing by Paul Fosh auctions reads. 

“Any party accessing the property enters at their own risk.”

The manor sits on three-quarters of an acre of land that borders a river, the Afon Cefni. 

It was first built in 1899 by Welsh building firm OM Roberts & Sons. 

At the time, it cost £4453 to complete the build – equivalent to about £487,400 ($1 million) in today’s currency. 

There is planning permission in place to build six townhouses on the site, behind the existing hall, with scope for additional development. 

“The site would seem to support a significantly greater density of use, particularly if the now redundant building were to be demolished,” the listing reads. 

Shire Hall is heritage listed. In England and Wales, consent must be granted from the Local Planning Authority before demolishing a listed building. 

The property will go to auction online from the 20th to 22nd of May, along with 90 other properties. 

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