FOR generations it was the Methodist chapel where hymns such as Abide With Me and Rock of Ages would ring out every Sunday.

But now the former Congregational Chapel in Glendower Street, Monmouth, has been transformed into a luxury £1 million home. The chapel was once one of 12 listed buildings in Britain in desperate need of restoration.

But the chapel has been lovingly renovated by Tony Sully, head of interior design at Glamorgan University, who realised his life's ambition when he bought the run-down property.

A year after renovating the property, the Sully family have decided to sell up and find a new design project.

Mr Sully said: "I have achieved what I wanted to do as a designer and we feel rightly proud of what we have done. I think someone else can make a tremendous home of it.

"My wife wants something smaller now as we have a 21-year-old son who has left home to go to university."

The restoration of the crumbling chapel was a major project as there were doubts as to whether the decaying building would even survive another winter.

The property cost £122,000 to purchase and £525,000 to restore, with the help of a £190,000 grant from Cadw.

The house now boasts extensive open plan, first floor living areas including study, kitchen, ground floor reception, day room, master bedroom suite, guest room, four other bedrooms, bathroom and shower room. Glendower House has won an award for the most improved building in Monmouthshire from Mon-mouthshire council and featured in the Channel Four series Best Homes in Britain.

Mr Sully said: "It was a dangerous structure and it would have had a demolition order on it as it was getting to such a bad stage.

"As a designer I wanted a modern but sympathetically detailed interior. "It is a design piece which is there forever and I will just move on to my next project. It is up for sale and we will now research to see what is available for our next project."

The property is being sold by Roscoe, Rogers & Knight of Monmouth.