Notorious criminals once kept at old police station in Eryri that's now up for sale

A Grade II-listed police station with four holding cells is on the market in Eryri (Snowdonia). In the distant past it held thieves and murderers but more recently it’s been used for offices.

The old police station in the centre of Dolgellau is an attractive mid 19th-century building with a classic, symmetrical Georgian façade. Inside, it has arched windows and 11 rooms used as office space, with three courtyards outside.

It has the potential to make a wonderful home, subject to planning permission. Grim reminders of its past have long disappeared – though three of the station’s four cells still have their original doors with inspection hatches.

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With properties hard to come by in Gwynedd, change of use is becoming more common and this building is a real talking point. Noting its potential to become a home, the agents said it will be up to the buyer to seek consent as the old police station is being sold as commercial office space.

According to the History Points website, 19th-century suspects were held here in spartan conditions: in 1880 the cells were described as “wholly unfit”. By 1908, heating equipment had been provided in two of the cells.

As you would expect from a former Victorian police station, plenty of colourful characters have been held within its stone walls. In 1888 two miners from the new Gwynfynydd gold mine were taken there after being found to have pieces of quartz hidden in their clothing.

The quartz contained an estimated £20 worth of gold – around £2,160 today. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here’s how to sign up

One of its most notorious prisoners was married farmer Cadwaladr Jones, 25. He was arrested in July 1877 after dismembered body parts were discovered along the Afon Arran near the town.

They belonged to a woman – possibly pregnant – who was a domestic servant at his father’s house. He was hanged in Dolgellau the following year. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

After the Second World War, the police station was moved to a former cinema north of the town. The old station became offices for the probation service and later to Mantell Gwynedd, which supports voluntary and community groups.

What was classed as the station’s main exercise yard, for its prisoners, is actually just a narrow, high-walled courtyard at the back. One of the old cells is now an accessible toilet, its tiny window highlighting the walls' reassuring solidity. Two other cells are now offices and a fourth houses a boiler room.

Inside the property, high ceilings and decorative arch windows, betray a building full of period character. Its symmetrical design includes four a kitchen and two toilets. It’s a little utilitarian now – but it’s a far cry from its austere origins. With a little imagination, the old police station could become a stylish dwelling or commercial space.

• The Old Police Station in Dolgellau is on the market for offers over £195,000. Agents are Walter Lloyd Jones & Co, Dolgellau. For more details, call them on 01341 422278.

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