A couple who celebrated their wedding in an omaze house have put the six‑bedroom Grade II* Bath mansion on the market for £4 million just six months after tying the knot there. Paul Knight, 47, who won the house in the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Bath, and his husband Jason Snowdon, 36, had been letting the property as a high‑end holiday rental after their October 2025 nuptials. The short ownership span and rental strategy now sit alongside the house’s long historic pedigree.
Why this matters right now
The sale is notable for the contrast between a centuries‑old property and a very recent ownership change. The estate, part of a lineage connected to Sir John Harington, dates back to the mid‑1500s; its exterior has remained largely unchanged since 1712. The couple’s decision to place the house on the market with Savills follows a period in which the home was offered as a £4, 000‑a‑week holiday let, producing public interest because the owners had held their wedding there only months earlier. That combination of heritage value and high short‑term rental revenue makes the listing an unusual intersection of conservation and commerce.
Omaze House: What lies beneath the headline
The property known as Batheaston House is described in the listing as a meticulously restored Queen Anne residence, refurbished in 2015 with architects named Watson, Bertram and Fell. Interior details preserved through that restoration include a functioning internal well, a hidden Georgian drawer safe and graffiti inscriptions dating to 1636. The grounds encompass about one acre of manicured gardens, and the owners have added contemporary amenities including a home cinema and a hot tub. These attributes help explain both the estate’s appeal as a wedding venue and its ability to command premium short‑term let rates.
Several elements of the house’s story are striking: Paul Knight discovered his win in the Omaze draw while sitting on the loo, and the home carries a tangible link to Sir John Harington, inventor of the first flushing toilet. The combination of quirky personal anecdotes with formally listed historic fabric—Grade II* status—and a recent, high‑value restoration complicates any simple reading of why the property is being sold so soon after the couple’s wedding.
Expert perspectives and regional impact
Paul Knight, 47, bar manager, reflected on the personal dimension of the win and the wedding: “When we first won the house, we joked it was fit for royalty, so it felt only right that we have our wedding here. We feel unbelievably lucky, to get married and be surrounded by all our loved ones, and to do it in our very own dream house, which happens to double up as the best wedding venue ever. ” His comments underline how a prize win reshaped plans that previously had been a distant dream for the couple.
The listing through Savills places the house on the open market at £4 million, and that market step follows months of letting the property out at the advertised weekly rate. For the local area, the sale presents questions about continued public access to a heritage asset and the future use of a property with deep historic connections. The facts in the listing—restoration date, period features retained, one acre of gardens, and the addition of modern amenities—will be central to how potential buyers, local planners and conservation bodies evaluate any future change of use.
From the owners’ perspective, the house has already served multiple roles: prize win, home, wedding venue and holiday let. That multiplicity is at the heart of the current market decision, and it is likely to shape negotiations with prospective purchasers who must balance conservation obligations with the property’s commercial potential.
As the Bath mansion progresses through the sales process, the case raises a forward‑looking question about how prize‑won properties with significant heritage value are stewarded: will the next owner preserve Batheaston House primarily as a conserved historic residence, continue its short‑term letting model, or pursue a hybrid approach that tries to protect its features while sustaining income? For observers and local stakeholders, the decision will reveal how a singular property—an omaze house with centuries of fabric and a modern, surprising ownership story—moves from personal dream to public asset under new ownership.
