A 15th century house on the outskirts of Abergavenny which is in danger of falling down has been saved for the nation with a vital £2.5 million cash boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Grade l listed Llwyn Celyn - once part of the Llanthony Priory estate - will be restored to its former glory after the Landmark Trust heard yesterday (wed) that it will get the financial lifeline needed to resurrect the ruinous old pile.

Excited Trust director Dr Anna Keay told the Chronicle, “We are extremely grateful to the HLF and to the Landmark Trust’s supporters for their generous donations.

“Such rare and remarkable historic buildings are irreplaceable. If no one intervenes then these rare buildings not only disappear forever from our landscape, but so do the stories that these sites tell us about the lives of our ancestors. By creating a new Landmark, we ensure its survival for generations to come.”

Local craftsmen and other traders could get a shot helping the Trust restore the late medieval hall house and its outbuildings which are said to be ‘a classic example of the early evolution of domestic architecture.’

Part of the ambitious plans for the remote site include transforming the outbuildings into an education and interpretation centre for use by the local community and general public. The house would be used for self-catering holidays.

Apprentice craftsmen roped into the project will be given training during the transformation.

The house, built before the Tudors seized power after victory in the War of the Roses in 1485, is in a perilous state.

For more than 20 years the frail shell of the building has been protected and propped up by emergency scaffolding and sheeting.

It is regarded as one of the most remarkable of all surviving late medieval houses in Wales.

Prince Charles included the vulnerable architectural treasure on his summer visit to the Principality last year.

It’s understood he’s been delighted with news of Llwyn Celyn’s assured future.

Its prospects have literally been hanging by a thread for decades.

The Landmark Trust has already raised £1.3 million towards the enterprise with help from supporters.

But another £385,000 is still needed to wrap up the total cost of the venture which should start in the New Year if the outstanding amount is pledged.

For the moment the moth-balled wreck remains in ‘an extreme state of disrepair’ with a leaking roof and floors held up with a forest of metal props.

Its timber structure is damp and decaying and rainwater runs off the hillside to sweep through several rooms.

But parts have survived the ravages of time and nature - including arch-braced roof timbers, ‘exceptional’ and rare finely carved doorheads, a fixed bench and unusual brass fist window handles fitted when the famous 19th century writer Walter Savage Landor lived on the estate.