Richard Hammond Buys £2M Welsh Mansion After Split – Abergavenny’s Appeal Revealed

Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has purchased a £2 million Georgian manor house near Abergavenny, Wales, following his separation from wife Mindy, according to property records and reports in The Sun.

The six-bedroom property, known as The Pentre, is located in Llanwenarth, on the outskirts of Abergavenny, a town named the ‘best place to live in Wales’ by the Sunday Times in 2024. The purchase, completed as a cash sale, includes a tennis court, wine cellar, orangery, a lake, and a series of outbuildings set within 21 acres of parkland.

Hammond and Mindy Hammond separated in January 2023 after 28 years of marriage. Mindy is understood to have retained their previous family home, Bollitree Castle in Herefordshire. Hammond had been renting a property near Abergavenny following the split, frequently shopping in the town.

Abergavenny, historically known as Gobannium by the Romans and Y Fenni by native populations, sits on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The Sunday Times judges highlighted the town’s strong community spirit, thriving food scene – including the annual Abergavenny Food Festival – and access to green spaces as key factors in its selection. Tim Palmer of the Sunday Times noted the active online community, citing the Abergavenny Voice Facebook group, which has nearly three times the town’s population as members.

The property itself, described by estate agents Savills as a “commanding example of Georgian architecture,” features original sash windows, a natural slate roof, and Victorian additions including a domed cast iron orangery. The listing details “exquisite detailing of plasterwork moulding and ceiling roses” and a spacious family kitchen with an Aga. The grounds include a boating lake, a tennis court, and waterways with a flagstone bridge, and waterfall.

Savills’ property description emphasizes the house’s “sublime parkland setting and views across the Blorenge,” one of the seven mountains surrounding Abergavenny. The estate also includes a modern double garage, rubble stone outbuildings, and a paddock providing privacy.