The approximately 89ha piece of land, located in the Welsh town of Tredegar, included Trefil quarry, which was said to have operated for a century between 1819 and 1919, supplying limestone to the nearby Ebbw Vale Ironworks.
Following the quarry’s closure, the site owners found a new purpose for the land – as a film set. The site has featured in movies including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Wrath of the Titans, as well as in the television shows Merlin and Doctor Who.
Earlier this month, the land was listed for auction by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, with a guide price upwards of £45,000 ($AUD84,823). However, according to multiple media reports, the lot never ended up under the hammer. Prior to the scheduled auction date, the auction company reportedly sold the site privately to a local businessman for £90,000 ($AUD169,575) instead.
The new owner’s intentions for the quarry site are unknown, but Paul Fosh Auctions’ Sean Roper, who brokered the sale, commented, “The land is well known in the film world as a set so this may well continue as a potentially lucrative form of income for the new owner.
“The site could be put to a number of alternative uses such as tourism-related [purposes], perhaps linked to its film location history, leisure uses such as outdoor pursuits, or even for a solar panel farm – all subject to gaining planning consent.”