Click here to return to 'About OGM' page  Click here for details during the Christmas Season Old Great Marlborough Old Great Marlborough is a spacious, very comfortable, historic country house situated in the heart of the Golden Valley in border countryside between England and Wales with magnificent views of the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons.  In the middle of a 180 acre working sheep farm, the house has 3 acres of its own grounds which are set to mature gardens and lawns and feature a tennis court with viewing pavilion, paved terraces with built-in barbecue and bandstand, large play house and many bountiful fruit trees including raspberries, blackberries, apples, plums, pears, cherries and grapes which our guests are welcome to enjoy. Old Great Marlborough was largely built out of recycled materials that we salvaged from other redundant buildings or sites. Beyond the stone for the walls and the slate for the roof, many other features of the house have a tale to tell. The upstairs flooring came from a coal-mine, while the downstairs floor came from a school gymnasium. The main fireplace was recycled from OGM’s original window frames and its slate flooring came from a bulldozed monastery building. The barns were taken down from a disused farm and re-erected. Meanwhile many of the lights, baths and sinks in the house were sourced from architectural salvage, the radiators from a scrap yard and even the internal plasterboard was recycled from a factory that was being demolished in London. Perhaps our favourite feature is the two (huge) main beds which we had commissioned using the structural timbers recycled from the walls of the house! We have also recently installed solar panels to take advantage of the golden valley’s sunshine and turn the house into a truly eco-friendly retreat! The house is positioned at the end of a farm track, which is itself off a B-road about one and a half miles outside of Grosmont Village, so it is very secluded. The house, Old Great Marlborough, was built in 1657 by the then Mayor of Grosmont.  It has very generously sized rooms featuring a mix of antique furniture, fine artwork and comfortable furnishings.  There is a large country kitchen with an AGA, an additional oven and hob unit and a built-in microwave/multifunction oven, marble work surfaces and a large breakfast table.  The main room (30 x 20) has a substantial fireplace with wood-burning stove and is very welcoming with large sofas and chairs.  The dining room, with its antique dining table and dressers, can seat at least 18 adults comfortably.  There is also a beautiful conservatory (complete with a grape vine which produces a good crop of delicious fruit), 3 ‘TV rooms’, a games den with snooker and table football and an indoor heated swimming pool that doubles as a play area for basketball when the floor of the swimming pool is closed (our children like to play roller hockey and a sort of mixed tennis and squash in here). The sleeping accommodation is organised as two very large bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, (both of these rooms feature those magnificent beds made from the original timbers of the house, one is super king size (6ft 6ins X 6ft 6ins) the other is king size (6ft X 6ft 6ins)).  There are 3 other double rooms, one king size and two queen size.  There are 3 twin bedded rooms and one twin room with bunk beds. These 5 rooms share 3 shower rooms.  There is also a family bunk house featuring 2 single sleeping lofts and a bunk bed.  This bunk house has its own shower room, small kitchen, dining table, wood-burning stove, TV and seating area. The bunk house is wheelchair accessible, with sleeping accommodation and a shower room on the ground floor, and we have recently installed a wheelchair ramp allowing access to the ground floor of the main house also. Amenities: Full kitchen, microwave, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, 6 TVs, VCR , 2 DVDs , 3 CD players, washing machine, tumble drier, iron, hairdryer, linens and towels provided, barbecue, central heating, broadband internet, phone for incoming calls. Activities on site: Tennis, swimming (indoor heated), American pool table, table football, basketball net, board games, children’s toys, rambling, jogging and cycling (with some superb views of the Welsh mountains all along the rural road and from the many local footpaths).  Some of our guests never want to leave the house! Activities nearby: The area is rich with outdoor activities including shooting, horse riding, rock climbing, golf and canal boating. We are in touch with several local companies providing outward bound activities including canoeing, gorge walking, quad biking and mountain boarding, details provided on request or as standard upon booking. We can arrange for salmon and trout fishing nearby, please let us know upon booking if you would like us to do so. Welcome Pack: A welcome pack is supplied consisting of fresh milk, tea, coffee, biscuits and two bottles of wine – so you can start enjoying your holiday from the minute you arrive!  Catering: We are happy to recommend local caterers; upon booking we can provide our guests with a comprehensive list of local food and drink suppliers, delivery services and caterers. Pets: As the house is situated in the middle of working sheep farm we regret that no pets can be allowed. No smoking: For the comfort of our future guests we ask that guests refrain from smoking in the house. For Parties Larger than 22 For parties larger than 22, we also have a double sofa bed and a single ‘camp bed’ available for use at the house. There is a £50 additional cleaning charge payable for all parties over 22.