The Changing Rooms star said the building was unique

The celebrity designer kept a promise to stay involved with plans to restore Llanelly House to its former glory.

After a guided tour he said the listed building was unique in Wales and urged authorities to come up with the money.

Viewers across Britain voted for the project they thought deserved funding and Manchester's Victoria Baths won.

I was pretty gutted that we didn't win quite frankly Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

The Changing Rooms star and his wife Jackie were shown around the dilapidated town centre property by project director William Wilkins.

"It's so extraordinarily sad to see a building that is so unusual for Wales that has in no way been looked after," said Llewelyn-Bowen, who is from London but whose of parents are Welsh.

"There's something about a building when you see its skeleton. You understand how it has been put together and the materials used.

"I was pretty gutted that we didn't win quite frankly," he said of the Restoration series.

"When I was looking at the short list of the buildings I felt that this was so obviously the one that needed the exposure because everything else felt too comfortable.

Llanelly House was beaten by Manchester's Victoria Baths

"This is so completely different because, unless there is intervention, an area like Llanelli has not got the money to actually do something with it.

"I'm less concerned about these pumping stations or palaces that were on all the other shortlists - I was very happy to promote this one.

William Wilkins said a full business plan for the project had been completed and an application for a lottery grant would be made shortly.

Platform

"The appearance in the final of Restoration has been very valuable because of the evidence of tremendous public support throughout the UK."

Stage one of the plan was to open a cafe and restaurant on the ground floor and provide office space and public access to parts of the building.

"My hope is that will be a platform for stage two which is the house should become the first and only museum in Wales of the 18th Century."