Historic Bryn Aber coastal estate has been recently remodelled and is surely one of Wales’ most unique homes
Tucked away behind a walled garden on the Isle of Anglesey’s north coast lies a distinctive property connected to the natural treasures that encircle it but can also impressive with its unique history.
Called Bryn Aber, this impressive £1.25m estate nestled into a stunning spot on the coast dates from the late nineteenth century. Its most significant period started in the 1930s when it became the residence of pioneering aviator, ornithologist, conservationist and ‘modest millionaire’ Captain Vivian Hewitt.
Hewitt was known for achieving one of the first ever flights from North Wales to Ireland. On April 26, 1912, Captain Hewitt flew from Rhyl along the North Wales coast and landed in Holyhead to prepare for the main part of his flight. He then took off and managed to land in Phoenix Park in Dublin to the roar of cheering crowds. For more home, renovation and interiors stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here.
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The story goes that when the pioneering pilot had achieved this remarkable feat, he dismantled the plane and brought it back on the ferry. Yet arguably Hewitt’s most lasting legacy is forward-thinking conservation efforts at Cemlyn, reports North Wales Live.
Captain Hewitt helped create the landscape seen today at the Cemlyn Bay nature reserve. His formation of the lagoon helped establish one of Britain’s most significant breeding locations for terns, and the bird sanctuary featured on the TV programme Spring Watch.
Hewitt’s former home sits in a sheltered spot at the western boundary of the spectacular Cemlyn Bay National Nature Reserve to which he contributed so much. His family made their money from the brewing industry but Hewitt is said to have inherited a fortune but he was known to be a ‘modest’ millionaire, living a quite, unostentatious life focussed on wildlife and nature.
The agent selling the property says: “Set discreetly behind its famous historic brick walls and surrounded by some of the most dramatic and legally protected landscape on Anglesey, this exceptional home offers a rare opportunity to acquire a private coastal sanctuary within the Anglesey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
“Approached via a quiet coastal road, arrival is through impressive 12-foot-high steel gates set within the tall brick walls. A private driveway leads to the house, creating a sense of arrival and preserving the seclusion for which the estate is renowned. Recently sympathetically remodelled and upgraded, Bryn Aber offers a blend of heritage and contemporary design.”
Entry to the property can be made either through the porch entrance at ground level or, for a more dramatic arrival, via the cantilevered staircase integrated into the brick walls, leading up to the first floor terrace. There’s more drama just when parking the car, with a staircase hugging the characterful red brick wall that surrounds the house leading down to the garden.
The ground floor comprises five bedrooms and each can offer direct access to the inner walled garden via sliding patio doors, a delightful way to start the day with a morning coffee or a nightcap under the stars.
A staircase takes you to the home’s focal point on the first floor; a striking open-plan layout arranged around the panoramic coastal views that continue to mesmerise as change by the hour, the day, the season.
The kitchen, dining and living areas merge to form an outstanding space for entertaining, leading straight onto a generous terrace that curves around the property and showcases sweeping views across the lagoon, shingle ridge, and shoreline, across the curving shingle ridge of Esgair Gemlyn towards the Irish Sea, presenting an ever-shifting panorama of light, tides, wildlife and rural landscape.
The lagoon islands are home to Wales’ only breeding colony of Sandwich terns, alongside common and Arctic terns. The reserve recently documented Anglesey’s first breeding pair of avocets, while the neighbouring coastal habitat is home to a wealth of species, including little egrets and little owls.
Beyond the main grounds of around 2.8 acres, the sale of this dream home encompasses a separate parcel of land of approximately 1.1 acres on the headland, incorporating a section of shingle beach and rocky foreshore.
This area, known as Y Storws (the Stores), contains the remnants of historic commercial buildings, including warehouse, weigh house and coal yard structures, all linked to Cemlyn’s rich maritime and trading heritage.
As well as relaxing and soaking in the views at this peaceful and private corner of Wales, there’s also a chance to add value as the outbuildings come with planning consent to demolish them and develop secondary accommodation that could be used as an annexe, home office or studio workshop.
This historic property, now remodelled into a stunning dream home, is on the market for £1.25m with Beresford Adams, Holyhead, call 01407 890024 to find out more. For more property, renovation, and design stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.


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