After decades of neglect, the first steps to restore a prominent 18th Century town house in Llanelli have got under way.

Preliminary work has started at Llanelly House, a Grade One listed house in the centre of the town which has been described as the finest example of its kind in Wales.

It has the capacity to really give Llanelli a cultural and heritage monument of real quality Project director William Wilkins

The house is part of major regeneration plans for Llanelli, which also involve the pedestrianisation of Bridge Street and the restoration of the St Elli churchyard.

The estimated cost of the house restoration is �3m, while developers have predicted the price of the larger project could total �4.5m.

Over the next six weeks, a team of architects and archaeologists will look behind the later additions of Llanelly House to see which of the original features which can be saved.

They believe some exciting architectural discoveries could be made.

Once the initial stage of the redevelopment has been completed, the town council will apply for grants for the next phase of work.

William Wilkins is behind the project

Although the house restoration may not finish until 2005, the organisers will be hoping for a funding boost when it appears in a new BBC2 documentary series next year.

The progamme, called Restoration, will feature a variety of projects of architectural and historic interest around the UK, one of which will have its restoration costs paid for.

In the Welsh programme, Llanelly House will be competing with the Faenol estate near Caernarfon and a joint scheme involving Plas Mountain Copper Mine and Amlwch Port.

Heritage plans

Llanelly House has been described as the "finest early 18th Century town house in Wales" by the chairman of the Historic Buildings Council of Wales.

It was bought by the town council in 1998, and William Wilkins was appointed to restore it as project director in 2001.

The survival of an early 18th Century town house in a Welsh town is a great rarity Project director William Wilkins

Mr Wilkins was involved in the development of the National Botanic Gardens and Aberglasney gardens in Carmarthenshire.

Describing this project as "a different kind of challenge", he revealed plans to turn it into a cultural and heritage centre.

"It has the capacity to really give Llanelli a cultural and heritage monument of real quality and kick-start the second phase of the town's regeneration."

"The survival of an early 18th Century town house in a Welsh town is a great rarity," he added.

Completed in 1714, the three-storey property was built for Sir Thomas Stepney, but has since been broken up into a mix of commercial and residential uses.

It contains several decorative schemes which have been praised by the keeper of the National Museum and Gallery in Cardiff.

The town council is applying for funding from the project from both the Heritage Lottery Fund and Cadw.