A couple sheltering from the rain in a pub hatched a genius idea and now it could be yours. While most of us plan a summerhouse, this couple fulfilled a dream that they would never have to go to the pub for a beer ever again if they didn’t want to. Now they want to pass on the baton.
Chris and Sharon Bannister have a gorgeous home in a converted schoolhouse plus a brewery in the garden but are looking to semi-retire. If you love wandering out into your garden or onto your balcony with a glass of wine on a warm summer’s evening, then meet Chris and Sharon Bannister because, unless you own a vineyard, they can go one better and help themselves to beer on tap from the microbrewery they have built in their garden.
This visionary couple have not only made their microbrewery dream a reality, but they were ahead of the curve by restoring an abandoned Pembrokeshire schoolhouse into a stunning home long before the abundance of property renovation programmes appeared on our TV screens. It was the early 1980s when the couple met while working at an outdoor pursuits centre and hatched a plan to open their own Pembrokeshire-based field study trips.
“The school is outside the village of Llawhaden and has lovely countryside views which include Foel Eryr in the Preseli hills. We wanted to retain the soul of the place, so materials were reused,” says Sharon. With any conversion and renovation project, there are hurdles and challenges to overcome. The couple lists some of them as dealing with the inevitable red tape that comes with a project such as the schoolhouse conversion and having to labour all hours of the day, night, and weekends to keep moving the project forward.
In 2012, on a wet day sheltering in a pub in North Wales, the seed of an idea was sown to run a microbrewery. After more red tape and labor, they converted the shower block of the outdoor centre, and the brewery was opened for business in May 2013. Over the years, the couple’s brewery has developed more than a dozen beers using local dialect.
Now, ten years on, appreciating running a microbrewery is a very physical business and not getting any younger, the couple decided it was time to partially retire. So now a dream home and a dream business is looking for its dream new owner. Buying a house with all the infrastructure in place to either privately brew or establish your microbrewery is a rare and exciting opportunity that will captivate many potential buyers.
The lucky new owners of The School House will be picking up the keys to a truly unique home nestled into the glorious Pembrokeshire landscape with panoramic views that will take your breath away. The Old School House comes with around two acres of garden that includes over 300 trees, outbuildings, workshop, and a surprise two-bed annexe hiding behind the brewery.
Inside The Old School House is a character-packed home full of tasteful décor inspired by the landscape that cocoons the house. In total, the main house has four bedrooms. The property also boasts a workshop, outbuildings, and a two-bed, two-storey annexe. Sharon is sad to be leaving the school house and the brewery but excited to explore what happens next for the couple, saying: “We have loved living here; bringing up a family in plenty of space and aiming to run small sustainable businesses. It will be a wrench to leave but the building needs another chapter – a new family to make it theirs.”