Millionaire who used children's GRAVESTONES to decorate mansion now faces £750k bill to restore property

Kim Davies may have to reconvert the listed building back to its original state before he could sell it, at a further £750k

House: Property developer Kim Davies illegally modernised historic Llanwenarth House behind the hymn All Things Bright And Beautiful
A millionaire who renovated a listed mansion without permission may face a £750,000 bill to convert it back to its original state, according to a building expert.
Kim Davies was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £240,000 at Newport Crown Court after he illegally developed Llanwenarth house in Abergavenny, South Wales, with a gaudy footballers' wives makeover.
The Grade-II listed Georgian-style mansion is famous for having inspired the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful.
The court heard Davies used children's gravestones to decorate the house having brought in tombstones from a derelict chapel.


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He also hung huge crystal chandeliers and added a blind jacuzzi, among other changes.
Now Michael Davies, director of Davies Sutton Architects, who was the expert witness in the case, has suggested Kim Davies could face a further £750,000 bill to reverse the damages he made.
Michael Davies told Wales Online: "The normal procedure would be that the local authorities issue a repairs notice.
"This would include a list of everything he has to put right."


Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures
Bling: The house was modernised with a jacuzzi
Kim Davies had replaced the original windows and used mock Tudor panelling throughout the property.
As well as modernising the building with a mosaic Jacuzzi and bathroom, he replaced original features such as a herringbone floor, regency skirting boards and fireplaces with modern fittings or replicas.
He added: "If he is issued a repairs notice he would then have to put the original features back as they were.
"Of course, they won't be historic elements now, just a copy but it’s better to have a copy than something that's totally inappropriate for the period of the building.


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"The work he has done cost about £1m.
"When undoing something the cost might not be as much as that but it will probably be somewhere around £500,000 to £750,000.
"If a repairs notice is issued, I believe he would not be allowed to sell as it is."
The Brecon Beacons National Park Authorities would not comment on the next step with regards to Llanwenarth House.


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Chilren's gravestones?   URG!

Distasteful. Really distasteful and disrespectful.

And that jacuzzi is horrible!

It's a hideous house to start with. I don't see the point of buying somewhere like that if you can't do anything with it.

It's beautiful on the outside
This guy just has rubbish taste.

I could do so much with that house!!

eddie wrote:It's beautiful on the outside
This guy just has rubbish taste.

I could do so much with that house!!

I don't like the outside either. I've seen worse, but it's a bit too "gothic" for me.

I don't really see the point of making him restore it because he can't use original features, so it would all be fake anyway.

Why use grave stones? Not even sure what he used them for

jaded fox wrote:Why use grave stones? Not even sure what he used them for

He probably thought they would make it look more gothic and authentic. It's a bit icky really.

He put in mock Tudor beams as well. I don't think he knew what style he was aiming for.