0:00:05 > 0:00:08It's one of Wales' finest historic houses.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10This tarnished gem may have seen better days
0:00:10 > 0:00:15but it's a treasure trove of secrets waiting to be revealed.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Who knows what's going to turn up!
0:00:18 > 0:00:21It is quite a Sherlock Holmes adventure.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23But Llanelly House isn't just grotty,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25it's actually on the point of collapse.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Oh, look at that, urgh! Actually quite disgusting.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33And this faded beauty is going to have to get her glad rags on
0:00:33 > 0:00:35to turn heads again.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38When they walk out of this room, they've got to go, "Wow!"
0:00:38 > 0:00:40It's been a ten year marathon
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and costs are threatening to go through the roof!
0:00:43 > 0:00:47You're dealing with public money, we have to finish on time
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and to budget, mainly to budget.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51And that's going to be the biggest issue.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55And everyone is going to feel the heat.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00- Do you ever get a bit grumpy? - Very, very often.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02There will be testing times ahead.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Can they keep their eyes on the prize?
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I'm hoping that people will feel that there's something
0:01:08 > 0:01:09special in Llanelli again.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Like so many towns in Wales, Llanelli had a pretty rubbish 20th century.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Had a few highs but it was mostly lows
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and it's here in the town centre that you can really see
0:01:28 > 0:01:33the scars, you can sense the negativity and the depression,
0:01:33 > 0:01:39the low self esteem, but Llanelli has, at its heart,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42a bit of an architectural lucky charm, a talisman.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And we're all very much hoping that the rebuilding,
0:01:45 > 0:01:50the refurbishment, the renaissance of Llanelly House will not only
0:01:50 > 0:01:55symbolise but also kick-start the resurgence of Llanelli town.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Back in 2003, the final of the BBC Restoration series
0:02:06 > 0:02:09put Llanelly House well and truly on the map.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Hello, welcome to Restoration.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Our first building was built on the cusp of a new era, Llanelly House.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Ah, look!
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Careful!
0:02:29 > 0:02:34Look...Renaissance, a Renaissance view in the heart of South Wales.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36This is unbelievably good, actually.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I mean, this is serious Grade I listing.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Run down it may be
0:02:43 > 0:02:46but there's a good reason for its Grade I listing.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Very few buildings of this type and quality survive.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52It's the finest early 18th century town house in Wales,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56dating from 1714, the dawn of the Georgian era.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03A decade ago on Restoration, I was Llanelly House's champion!
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The most compelling reason why Llanelly House should be
0:03:07 > 0:03:11restored and saved is the fact that if you don't, I will buy it,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I will paint it purple, I will cover the roof in pink fur fabric
0:03:15 > 0:03:20and I will sell it to Kylie for £65 billion!
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Being on Restoration was very exciting.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30I think it made Llanelli clearer about what a gem
0:03:30 > 0:03:34exists in the centre of the town.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38It pointed out to people outside
0:03:38 > 0:03:41that this project deserves support.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48It's taken years of struggle.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The county council helped by closing the road to traffic that
0:03:51 > 0:03:56thundered by, funding of £6 million was finally secured, more than
0:03:56 > 0:04:00half from the lottery, and nearly two million in European grants.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05Llanelly House fits into a wider town centre regeneration.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08But too much is at stake for it to be a mere ornament.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12It has to serve the community, attract visitors
0:04:12 > 0:04:14and boost the economy.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Devising an end use that is going
0:04:19 > 0:04:22to stack up in terms of community
0:04:22 > 0:04:26benefit, is harmonious with the
0:04:26 > 0:04:29character of the house and is going
0:04:29 > 0:04:34to be economically viable is really
0:04:34 > 0:04:39the crucial, the crucial target.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52In short, it has to become an attraction of national importance.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55I admire the ambition and share the enthusiasm...
0:04:57 > 0:05:02But more than a century of abuse and neglect have left an almighty mess!
0:05:02 > 0:05:06And they've got an enormous task on their hands.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10It just seems in such an incredibly unfriendly place.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13You know, we're right next to a shopping centre.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It just does not seem to be where you would want to put
0:05:16 > 0:05:18such a beautiful house.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22No. And that...it was not put in that situation originally.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26I mean, what we are looking at is a great country house that has
0:05:26 > 0:05:28ended up in the middle of a town
0:05:28 > 0:05:30because the town has grown around it.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33We have to think back to the 18th century and earlier, when
0:05:33 > 0:05:37there was this church here, which has been here since the Middle Ages.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39There was a village over there on our right,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- where there's now car-parks and roads.- Yeah.- And that was Llanelli.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47And then, on this side over here was a great park
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and in that park stood this great house.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53So, it is a country house, with a village and church attached,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56now engulfed in a town.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Llanelli was made prosperous by coal mining, tinplate and steel.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Like most towns that owe their existence
0:06:08 > 0:06:10to the Industrial Revolution,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12it's largely Victorian
0:06:12 > 0:06:17but Llanelly House is of an entirely different architectural vintage.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21That's doing such a good job at looking early 18th century,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- isn't it?- Yes.- It's talking the language exquisitely.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26This is quite restrained, this is quite dignified,
0:06:26 > 0:06:27this is quite classical.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31It is quite restrained and dignified and it has some extraordinary
0:06:31 > 0:06:34extra features about it that, again, classical...
0:06:34 > 0:06:38On the parapet there's a series of urns, stone urns.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Now, I mean, these are pure classical, early 18th century urns.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44So, they were trying to achieve that.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48And then there are these wooden cornices, on each of these areas
0:06:48 > 0:06:50that break forward there is a timber cornice.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Again, a lot of classical detail.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Well, you see, I think those are genius and I'm so pinching that.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Yeah.- I'm going to do that cos it's a wonderful way
0:06:57 > 0:07:01of focusing your decorative resources, isn't it?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Things like the lead work on the hopper, things like the pilasters,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06things like these funny bits of cornice.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- It's so beautifully arranged, it's almost symphonic, isn't it?- Yes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Not too much, not too little.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15And then it's all capped off with these urns.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18There is no parallel for it, there is no other building
0:07:18 > 0:07:21that we have ever found that has this same sort of detail
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and so the suspicion is that, in fact,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27it's a brilliant local builder-cum-architect.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- We'd love to know who it was. - We've got no idea?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32We have no name, no.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42The house is part of a town centre regeneration, costing £60 million.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45They've restored some grand Victorian chapels
0:07:45 > 0:07:48but the effect is rather ruined by what they've plonked next door.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52This bland, identikit architecture
0:07:52 > 0:07:54isn't my cup of tea, sorry, Llanelli.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I think it rather demeans the town.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03So, I hope the house is shown a bit more tender, loving care.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12The man who's grasped the nettle is new project director Craig Hatto.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15He arrives with an impressive CV.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18He's helped to develop visitor attractions like
0:08:18 > 0:08:20The Scotch Whiskey Experience in Edinburgh
0:08:20 > 0:08:22and the Jorvik Viking Centre in York.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But, as well as creative vision,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28this project needs a leader with a keen business brain.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34I was taken on board to actually create the vision that will
0:08:34 > 0:08:36sustain itself for years to come.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40You will see so much happen in the next two years, erm,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42it will be very, very, very fast paced.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52May, 2011. At last the contractors move in.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Richard Scott Jones is an archaeologist
0:09:05 > 0:09:07appointed by the historic monuments body Cadw,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09another of the project's funders.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14His job, to record the house's past and ensure the builders don't
0:09:14 > 0:09:18destroy anything of value, so that nothing is lost to history.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Actually, yeah, can you go in?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Cos it looks like it's resting on there...
0:09:29 > 0:09:33For me, it's working it out, it's working the story out all the time.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Erm, and this house is so complex!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Now, anything he finds could slow the project down.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45And he's already uncovered what looks like walls
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and steps belonging to a much earlier building.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50It's time delay, time delay all the time.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Even though everybody's always interested in it, they say,
0:09:53 > 0:09:54"Oh, wow! That's amazing!"
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But behind this other side of people there's a,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00"Damn, damn, that's a delay!"
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And, of course, delays are moneys and budgets and times for everybody.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17The conservation architect in charge of the restoration is Sophie Teague.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Like me, she's passionate about the Georgian period
0:10:21 > 0:10:23and intrigued by the house's secret history.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29We always had that debate of why is this room called the Great Hall.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Great Hall is, you know, a medieval concept.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Architectural CSI is what Sophie does for a living.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41We thought we had a wonderful
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Georgian 1714 house
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and we clearly have a much older house
0:10:46 > 0:10:51that's just lying in wait just behind the surface.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52It's amazing!
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Looking at it,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58we're going to have to re-write the history of Llanelly House.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11But there's a history to the people who walked these corridors too.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13How did they live?
0:11:13 > 0:11:18I want to unravel the domestic architecture of this place.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23The house is being restored to its heyday , around 1760, the era of the
0:11:23 > 0:11:28seventh Baronet, Sir Thomas Stepney and his wife, Lady Elizabeth.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Sir Thomas has no truck with playing the country squire,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40he's a businessman, a pioneer of Llanelli coal mining
0:11:40 > 0:11:44and the trappings of money and power are stamped all over his study.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51You must have been blown away when you found that!
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Yes, this is pretty wonderful.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57It's the panel that belongs above us here.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I can tell that from the green paint.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04But even that had been nailed over with a panel of plywood.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Yeah.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09And so, when we took it off and realised that this is an original
0:12:09 > 0:12:151714 landscape, seascape painting on the timber of the fire place.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16And this was done in situ.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I mean, this isn't a painting that they bought in a gallery or
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- whatever or from a artist.- No.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21The artist would have gone up a ladder
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and actually painted that there.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Yeah, on the bare wood,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28you can even see the knots graining through in some places.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- It's a bit like a commercial, isn't it?- Yes.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34This picture is the first thing you see as you come into the room.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37So, Sir Thomas wants you to understand a lot about him.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39He wants you to understand
0:12:39 > 0:12:42that he's got a very successful shipping business.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46You know, Sir Tom is doing a Sir Alan Sugar,
0:12:46 > 0:12:47and that's for sure.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49He certainly is, yes.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And everybody who came in here would have known
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- they were in the presence of a powerful man.- Yeah.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06And behind this powerful, successful man, an even more formidable woman.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Lady Elizabeth is descended from noble Carmarthenshire stock
0:13:10 > 0:13:12and considers herself a cut above.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Upstairs, evidence of her softer,
0:13:16 > 0:13:21more romantic side is being uncovered beneath layers of paint.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27The antechamber to her bedroom is a beautifully intimate painted space.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31It's a delicate scheme, in shades of grey but with overdoors
0:13:31 > 0:13:35adorned by wondrously soft and subtle mythological figures.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39This is just a treasure, this room.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- I love it, love it to death! - It's awesome!
0:13:42 > 0:13:45This is setting the scene for what's beyond. For what's beyond, I think.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Cos this is...right, OK.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Now, we're going to have to use the B word, aren't we?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- Yes, definitely.- This is a boudoir.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53It is a boudoir.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- In here, she's talking about pleasure.- She's talking about love.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58She's talking about Venus.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- Well, Pan is over the door. - Well, exactly.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Perhaps Aphrodite over the other door.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06But, I mean, that's instantly saying that it's all getting little
0:14:06 > 0:14:07bit more wild, isn't it?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09I think it's fascinating
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and so illuminating on 18th century society,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14that we always had this vision of women being very subjugated
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and very much under the thumb of men
0:14:17 > 0:14:21but actually they did make spaces for themselves that were
0:14:21 > 0:14:24intensely original and had a lot of personality to them.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30She has put her desires, her stamp in this space.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32But, of course, the really exciting thing,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35the thing that is making the hair on our neck stand up is
0:14:35 > 0:14:37the fact that there could be something in the middle.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- So much more of it.- There very often is something bang in the middle.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- Yeah.- And that could be just a little,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45tiny thing or it could even be a big scene.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Yeah, I mean, we are, fingers crossed, we are
0:14:47 > 0:14:49hoping that we have whole panels.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Suddenly, with this, history just got personal.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- Oh, so personal.- We've just met Lady Elizabeth.- So intimate...yeah.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09Downstairs, Richard the archaeologist is making more exciting finds.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12A poppy motif from an Elizabethan fireplace
0:15:12 > 0:15:16and the bric-a-brac of everyday life.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Bottles...
0:15:18 > 0:15:20and clay pipes that builders threw away
0:15:20 > 0:15:23when the house was remodelled around 1680.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Even oyster shells that they discarded after lunch.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33But, most startlingly, something that makes him
0:15:33 > 0:15:36rethink the whole history of the house.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40It looks like a great rockery to me.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41THEY LAUGH
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I mean, obviously it's a bit of a surprise to lift up
0:15:44 > 0:15:48a Georgian floor and find this. What is it?
0:15:48 > 0:15:52- I think it's pre-house. We're talking medieval, the cobbling.- Really?
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Definitely medieval, the cobbled surface,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57but then at some stage, the Tudor house has come into the area...
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Built on top of it.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- And then a Jacobean house. There's been constant continuity.- Yeah.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I think it's very possible we do have the remnants of monastic land
0:16:04 > 0:16:05with agricultural buildings
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and then some of the Crown have had the property, put it out to auction,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11local gentry bought it and that's when we get the beginning...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14And so they convert it into a manor house.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20This is Richard's best guess of how the house looked
0:16:20 > 0:16:23when it was a 16th century Tudor manor.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27So, Llanelly House wasn't a Georgian new-build on a greenfield site.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32It was an ingenious and thrifty reworking of a much older house.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And this is the beauty of Llanelly House really.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37We do have this 18th century narrative on the house,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40but suddenly, it has a very, very long past.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Yeah, deeper, darker, much more complicated past.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Sophie has her own headaches to contend with.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Her goal is to save as much of the original house as possible,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01but some parts are beyond rescue.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07So you can see here, all of these...
0:17:07 > 0:17:12Look at that. All these fungi growing on this timber,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14and it's terribly, terribly rotten.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I mean, it's absolutely sodden,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and it's really not performing anymore.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Hence, it's propped.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28This is going to have to be cut out because it's absolutely beyond.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I mean, I can put my fingers right in there.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Oh, look at that. Yeuch!
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It's actually quite disgusting.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39So, yeah, we have a lot of rot in this project.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51The house must be rain-proofed and saved from the top down.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Site manager Neil Griffiths and his team of builders have rescued
0:17:54 > 0:17:59the roof from collapse by replacing rotten timbers with steel beams.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Almost every other area is quite precarious.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Well, if you look around, it's rather dangerous to look at.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Yeah, I mean, we're barely safe now.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14There's no work on site in this area until we make each bay safe
0:18:14 > 0:18:16as we're going along.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19So, it's a pretty enormous task.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27These stately urns carved from the finest Bath stone
0:18:27 > 0:18:30are the final flourish on the house's Classical facade.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38But time and the elements have taken their toll and, over the years,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43botched concrete repairs have caused them to crack even more.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49As you can see, this bit, this sort of wedge,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54has literally fallen out before we started the process and so we know
0:18:54 > 0:18:59they're in quite a fragile position, but this piece will be saved.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01There will be a dowel put into it
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and it put back into the urn.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It still fits perfectly.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- It will repair up.- Yes, definitely.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It looks worse than what it is, I think.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24The entire project is about holding the old
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and the new in a very delicate balance.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32It's really not at all straightforward
0:19:32 > 0:19:36because everybody involved in this project is teetering on a tightrope
0:19:36 > 0:19:41between, on one side, creating a historical restoration
0:19:41 > 0:19:44that is going to keep the purists happy.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45And then, on the other side,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49the generation of a 21st century visitor attraction
0:19:49 > 0:19:51that is going to capture the imagination,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54that's going to be bringing people into Llanelli.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57But also, it's going to be future-proofed.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05This area here is very, very interesting to us because...
0:20:05 > 0:20:07'Project director Craig's vision
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'is to create a hi tech visitor experience.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12'He's briefing the branding and creative consultant
0:20:12 > 0:20:15'who's been drafted in to make it real.'
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- We've got to do something really exciting.- End on a high.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Yeah, end on a high.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24When they walk out of this room, they've got to go, "Wow!"
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And people have to see that to go,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30"What's going on in there. Got to go to that. Must see."
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Anyway, let's go through to the next area.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38The visitor is at the heart of the experience and they will remain at
0:20:38 > 0:20:41the heart of the experience, because, without that, the house falls flat.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45You get a beautiful restoration but it falls and it dies.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56It's very hard to fault Craig's energy
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and the sheer number of ideas he's got bubbling away.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02He wants to inspire the people of Llanelli by reminding them
0:21:02 > 0:21:06of their history. But I do wonder about the project's focus
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and its appeal to the community it's serving.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15When you look down this vista, you will see a series of portraits.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Firstly, of the heroes of the house,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22the people who really generated this place over the years.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24And then, as you go round the building
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and through the experience to the other side,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28you meet the heroes of the community,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31the people that this house spawned over years and years,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33who not just remained in Llanelli,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37but extended around the world and had a major effect on the world.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41The whole experience will finish on you,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43as in who you are as well,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45and how you fit into the bigger picture.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54OK, I'm finally getting a handle on Craig's big idea.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Genealogy.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Hoping to cash in on the vogue for online family history,
0:22:00 > 0:22:01and, of course,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05the popularity of TV programmes like Who Do You Think You Are?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Craig's dream is to make Llanelly House
0:22:08 > 0:22:10the national genealogy centre for Wales.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15We had to find something that was unique,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19that people could hook into on a national level
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and that became genealogy.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25There's so many different people working on this from
0:22:25 > 0:22:30content developers to graphic designers to interpretation designers
0:22:30 > 0:22:33to object managers, and it all brings it all together.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Well, what's more compelling to me
0:22:39 > 0:22:42is the genealogy of the house itself,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46the tortured history of its muddled facade.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Take a step back before the scaffolding went up.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Look at how the front door has been moved and the two pilasters
0:22:53 > 0:22:56have been shunted down to create Victorian shop fronts.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09The priority now is to recreate the load-bearing masonry that the
0:23:09 > 0:23:14Victorians removed. This wonky window isn't down to subsidence.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17There's just hardly any wall holding it up.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19For the moment, steel beams
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and props are all that is keeping this house on its feet.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Victorians and the Edwardians took out all the masonry
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and replaced it with a few...
0:23:29 > 0:23:31cast iron columns and a lot of glass.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35- I mean, that's where the building REALLY went wrong.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36You lose the form.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38You lose the spaces within
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and you are relying on two tiny point loads.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Basically, all of Llanelly House is on stilettos?
0:23:46 > 0:23:50- Yeah.- It was, wasn't it? This is a 40-tonne lovely lady,
0:23:50 > 0:23:51lovely though she is,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54putting her on stilettos is never going to be a good idea.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55Yeah, absolutely.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I don't know how there wasn't a sudden collapse.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04For more than a century and a half,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07these shop fronts have been part of the Llanelli townscape.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Though alien to the original Georgian house, the shops, too,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15have a secret history waiting to be revealed.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19This panel has, um,
0:24:19 > 0:24:24been shown to reveal quite an exciting phase of this building.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26So, although it wasn't blocked up,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30it obviously hasn't been opened for a very long time until we came along.
0:24:36 > 0:24:42These wine and spirit labels are like fossils from a hidden world, frozen in time.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45The remnants of Ma Grave's Wine Shop give a tantalising glimpse
0:24:45 > 0:24:48of old Llanelli's drinking habits.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55"Medoc Bordeaux.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00"Shipped and bottled by Margrave Bros, established 1858."
0:25:07 > 0:25:11The house's Victorian era is intriguing,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15but it's a century earlier, the heyday of the house around 1760,
0:25:15 > 0:25:16that really fascinates me.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22So I've come to the Carmarthenshire Archives to hunt for more clues
0:25:22 > 0:25:24about Sir Thomas and Lady Stepney.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31This is the inventory from 1764 you might be interesting in.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Oh, great. Thank you.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41This is absolutely fascinating
0:25:41 > 0:25:46because it's an inventory of all the stuff that
0:25:46 > 0:25:50was in Llanelly House in 1764 and this is really
0:25:50 > 0:25:56a list of everything that the Stepneys felt made them as people.
0:25:56 > 0:26:02It's all about the very ostentatious things, the very showy things,
0:26:02 > 0:26:08but nothing that's got any kind of associations with intellect or culture.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11In fact, I'm beginning to suspect
0:26:11 > 0:26:13they're a little bit Hyacinth Bucket,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17because what he's really focusing on in here...
0:26:17 > 0:26:19And this is all in Sir Thomas Stepney's hand himself.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21He's not even got his PA to do this.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24He's been walking round the house and actually writing it out -
0:26:24 > 0:26:26..are the things that are the most important
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and the real jewel in the crown, as far as he's concerned,
0:26:29 > 0:26:37is the "tea table china with the arms - came to Llanelli in 1762."
0:26:44 > 0:26:46You couldn't buy this stuff off the shelf.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Porcelain was a miraculous substance like nothing
0:26:50 > 0:26:54made in Europe at the time and fabulously expensive.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Wealthy families sent their coats of arms to China
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and waited two years for the porcelain to be shipped back.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03And, of course, this is really, really important to him.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Every single little coffee cup
0:27:06 > 0:27:10will have had a really very, very high value to it.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15This would have been in-your-face real showing off stuff
0:27:15 > 0:27:17the minute you walked into the room.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25The Stepneys' armorial dinner service had more than 360 pieces.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Around a third has been tracked down to a collector in Washington DC
0:27:28 > 0:27:30and brought back to Wales at a cost of nearly
0:27:30 > 0:27:32a quarter of a million pounds.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I've come to Somerset to meet the period design team recreating
0:27:50 > 0:27:52some of Llanelly House's interiors.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And this is the model they're using for Lady Stepney's bed.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Small, because in the mid-18th century,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06gentry couples usually slept apart.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Back then, the simple mahogany frame would have cost around £10
0:28:10 > 0:28:13but the fabrics, these very plush drapes,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16valances and cornices, would be nearer 200.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23The point of the bedroom was to show off the material, wasn't it?
0:28:23 > 0:28:27- The material was THE most expensive thing in the room.- It was, yeah.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29- It's almost a link with fashion. - Yeah.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32You've got these very, very beautiful materials
0:28:32 > 0:28:34that she would have been wearing, I'm sure.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- Yeah.- And so this is it?- Yes.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40The linings will all be in gold taffeta, that's this one,
0:28:40 > 0:28:46to contrast and to show off the beautiful red damask on the face,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- which will make it look splendid. - Yeah.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Becky, you've got really under the skin of Lady Stepney,
0:28:51 > 0:28:55- doing this, haven't you?- It's been fascinating.- Is she possessing you?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- Do you need help?- Almost, almost.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Yes, she would have been an incredibly fashionable lady
0:29:01 > 0:29:04for her time in that particular area of Wales.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08We know that the Stepneys had a property in Spitalfields in London.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10We know that she enjoyed going to Bath
0:29:10 > 0:29:13to take the waters for her health.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Two of the most important cities in Britain at the time.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19And she would have brought back from there all the ideas
0:29:19 > 0:29:21that were happening at the time.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24She would have brought them back to Llanelli and would have been
0:29:24 > 0:29:30one of the first women in that area to have the amazing luxuries.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33So we know, yes, she was the leader of the pack.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36- Gosh, leader of the social set. - Yes, that's right.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38I'm obsessed by the boudoir.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41I think the boudoir is such a wonderful survival.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Almost certainly somewhere where she got dressed
0:29:44 > 0:29:46and possibly performed other intimate functions.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Absolutely, yes.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50In order to cater for those things,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53we've bought this commode which has to be restored.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57It's being restored at the moment. It's got a pewter bowl inside it
0:29:57 > 0:30:00and it needs to have some upholstery around it to make a...
0:30:00 > 0:30:02- That's a frightening thought! - ..a padded seat.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04But, I mean, these were grisly items, really,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07when you think about it, because pity the pure servant
0:30:07 > 0:30:09that, you know, had to do something about that.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- It is literally just a... - Yeah, yeah, but what if...?
0:30:12 > 0:30:15I mean, if you didn't have that, what would you do?
0:30:15 > 0:30:16- There's always the window.- Exactly!
0:30:16 > 0:30:18LAUGHTER
0:30:27 > 0:30:31The traditional building arts on show at Llanelly House now
0:30:31 > 0:30:33are no less refined than the 18th-century artefacts
0:30:33 > 0:30:37that once graced its rooms.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39It sounds like he's giving the roof
0:30:39 > 0:30:41a very vigorous Scandinavian massage.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45- What is he doing there? - The lead is a Code 6 lead.- Yeah.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48And it takes a lot of work to beat it and dress it down.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50You've got to do it in small stages,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52then go back on yourself half a dozen, a dozen times.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55But I would imagine... There's nothing complicated about that.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58I would imagine that's exactly how the original roof was done.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01That is the original work and it is the only way you could do it.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03There is no modern machinery you can do it with.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05That's something that really strikes me about the site.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07There's so little machinery
0:31:07 > 0:31:10because everything has to be done specifically and specially by hand.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Most of the timber, it was all hand carved.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Any of the carving has got to be hand done.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17The machinery isn't out there, really, to do it.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19- But you quite like that, don't you? - It's a challenge.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Yeah, I think this roof is such a...
0:31:22 > 0:31:26such a good example of the madness of Llanelly House.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29There is some guy that's been asked to build an Italian, you know,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33very gracious, very classical-looking building
0:31:33 > 0:31:34with a flat roof and yet
0:31:34 > 0:31:36it's in one of the wettest parts of northern Europe.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39So they are trying to think of ways of keeping it drained
0:31:39 > 0:31:42and so they do this, they actually turn it into
0:31:42 > 0:31:44the opening sequence of Coronation Street.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56But whilst there is progress on the roof, factors like rot,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00archaeological finds and unforeseen structural problems
0:32:00 > 0:32:03have slowed work down.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06The house was due to open to the public in December 2012.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11Now the timetable has slipped by at least three months.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13I'd go for 31st March.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16We will be near or as close to that as we can possibly get.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18And the contractors know that?
0:32:18 > 0:32:19The contractors definitely know that.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21What do they say? Do they just go, "Mmmm,"
0:32:21 > 0:32:23or do they go, "Yes, sir, of course, sir!"
0:32:23 > 0:32:27No. They... We are all answerable in different ways.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30It would be detrimental to the project
0:32:30 > 0:32:32if it carries on and on and on.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34You are dealing with public money
0:32:34 > 0:32:38and I've got to keep that on track and I have to account for that
0:32:38 > 0:32:41and if we are going to be late, there has to be...
0:32:41 > 0:32:45We have to be answerable for that, so we have to finish on time
0:32:45 > 0:32:47and to budget, mainly to budget.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49And that is going to be the biggest issue.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Yes, of course delays are bound to happen
0:32:52 > 0:32:55on big and complicated projects,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57but the contractor's worried too
0:32:57 > 0:33:01that Craig and his team are rather slow to make key decisions.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Nothing seems to be moving fast enough.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05It's very frustrating when you go into somewhere
0:33:05 > 0:33:08with all these unforeseens and you can't get answers quick enough,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11which has a knock-on effect for the other trades
0:33:11 > 0:33:14and for the works to carry on, and you do tend to do a lot of screaming
0:33:14 > 0:33:16and shouting then and trying to explain to people
0:33:16 > 0:33:19why you need this decision urgently.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21You are the one that's got to carry the can on this.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- It is a lot of pressure involved, yes.- Do you...
0:33:24 > 0:33:28- I mean, do you ever get a bit grumpy?- Very, very often.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Miles away, in the peace of the Carmarthenshire hills,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43stonemason Ollie Coe is making progress.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47He's hard at work on the puzzle of the urns,
0:33:47 > 0:33:51piecing cracked fragments of Bath stone back together.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55And, where concrete and water damage have dealt a mortal blow,
0:33:55 > 0:33:57he is carving new sections from scratch.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03I'm confident they'll look terrific at the end of the day and...
0:34:03 > 0:34:05I'm really looking forward to seeing them
0:34:05 > 0:34:08with their full front scaffolding removed
0:34:08 > 0:34:11and they should look like the cherry on the cake.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36At the house, too, craftsmen are hard at work.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38They have turned one room into a joinery workshop
0:34:38 > 0:34:40to get a move on with the wooden panels
0:34:40 > 0:34:42that will line most of the rooms.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Out go modern materials like concrete
0:34:48 > 0:34:53and in comes lime render to give the house a living, breathing skin.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59And this is how to get the posh look on a budget.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02The technique they are using is called ashlar work.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It looks like cheating,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07but this is exactly how they did it in the 18th century.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13This is a bit like an 18th-century stone cladding.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It's really keeping-up-with-the-Joneses stuff.
0:35:16 > 0:35:22The scorelines are done just hours after the float coat is put on.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26They have to get the marks in before it's completely gone off,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29but not straightaway when it is too soft,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31so it's this fine line between...
0:35:31 > 0:35:36Well, it's perfection. The craftsmanship is fantastic.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41You see the building come back alive again.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43It's spectacular.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56The house is owned and run
0:35:56 > 0:36:00by the Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04The chief executive is Claire Deacon and she and her trustees
0:36:04 > 0:36:06are guardians of the project's funding,
0:36:06 > 0:36:08so this is where the buck stops.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Having got her hands on the Stepney's armorial china service,
0:36:14 > 0:36:15top of her wish list now
0:36:15 > 0:36:19is a portrait of the eighth Baronet, Sir John Stepney
0:36:19 > 0:36:24by a superstar of 18th-century painting, Sir Joshua Reynolds.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Horrible question, I know, but how much is it?
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Well, you know I'd rather not say! LAUGHTER
0:36:31 > 0:36:34- Mime it, no-one will know. - What I will say is
0:36:34 > 0:36:37we've aimed to raise £50,000 for its purchase,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40but we're also trying to raise another £50,000
0:36:40 > 0:36:45to undertake activities for children to explore their own identity
0:36:45 > 0:36:47and sense of understanding and confidence, which will be
0:36:47 > 0:36:50centred around the understanding of the Stepney portrait.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53I think the key thing that I want Llanelly House to bring
0:36:53 > 0:36:57to Llanelli is just a sense of vibrancy and activity and busyness.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00I want people to come in the front door and to be...
0:37:00 > 0:37:02You know, have a sense of awe of,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05"I didn't realise it was quite this historic."
0:37:05 > 0:37:09But, in many ways, you got the toughest job because here we are,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13we are in this wonderfully exciting, creative, buzzy building site,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16but you've got to actually make it work, to make it viable.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Is that a life-shortening expedience?
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Well, it certainly keeps me awake at four o'clock in the morning
0:37:21 > 0:37:23and I don't want to be doing that for the next year!
0:37:31 > 0:37:33OK, now, the good news is there is
0:37:33 > 0:37:35a little bit of Llanelly House that's actually finished,
0:37:35 > 0:37:41but, perversely, it is a bit the public will never see - the roof.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Although, of course, without the roof being watertight,
0:37:43 > 0:37:47nothing else can happen in the rest of the house.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56Downstairs, some jobs are getting done, but, gosh, it's slow going.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00When I was here last, the project was already three months late.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Back then, project director Craig was aiming to open on March 31st.
0:38:04 > 0:38:10Now the timetable has slipped again to a summer opening.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14It's better to be in summer than it is in winter for something like this
0:38:14 > 0:38:17because it would have less of an impact
0:38:17 > 0:38:20if it was opened in midwinter, for instance.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21Not too many people want to
0:38:21 > 0:38:24come to major visitor attractions at that time.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31The contractors are feeling the heat.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Site manager Neal and his team are keen to get the job finished,
0:38:34 > 0:38:39but they are having to accommodate their client's changing plans.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43Save us machining it?
0:38:43 > 0:38:45They might as well machine it to size.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Craig is determined to future-proof the house,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55hence the jumble of cables, but details of his hi tech vision,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58including the costs, have yet to be finalised.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02And until the builders know where all these wires need to go,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05they can't get on with other parts of the job.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09We can't carry 20 carpenters when there is only work for five or six.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14So we know we've got work for 20,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18but until we can actually get into certain areas and do certain things,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20then obviously we cannot accommodate them.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31One area that has been rather neglected is the stairwell.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34It should be the centrepiece of the house, but it's occupied now
0:39:34 > 0:39:38by a mean, poky staircase inserted by the Edwardians.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43The original oak stairs led to a grandiose sash window
0:39:43 > 0:39:46with a classical balcony thrown in as a final flourish.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Get a prop under it, Neal.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54You need to get a couple of props on the short ones now
0:39:54 > 0:39:56so you can rest it down gently.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01At last, it's time to throw out the impostor staircase.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08It's been a long time coming. When this is out, I'll feel a lot better.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13It's progress, but they are still way behind schedule.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15The more days you lose, obviously,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19it just pushes the target a bit further away.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22I'll be very disappointed if we miss our target.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26I'll be extremely disappointed from a personal point of view,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28let alone the company
0:40:28 > 0:40:33because myself and Neal, we take pride in getting the job done
0:40:33 > 0:40:37on time and that's what we intend doing.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46So, it's out with the botched "improvements"
0:40:46 > 0:40:48that are the bane of Llanelly House.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Nothing embodies the house's classical splendour
0:40:57 > 0:41:00more than the urns now being restored to its parapets -
0:41:00 > 0:41:03the glories of Greece and Rome conjured up
0:41:03 > 0:41:05on the Llanelli skyline.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Well, they are delicate really. Handling is always a bit of an issue.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13What we don't want to do is damage them at this stage,
0:41:13 > 0:41:14having repaired them.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18We are lifting them over the top of the stainless steel rods
0:41:18 > 0:41:20and bedding them on a lime mortar.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24I hope that they won't need to be looked at for many years to come.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34So, what look are they going for for inside Llanelly House?
0:41:34 > 0:41:3815 miles west down the coast, there are some intriguing hints.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41This is the Great House at Laugharne.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45It is a very close architectural blood relation of Llanelly House,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47whether it's a kid brother
0:41:47 > 0:41:49or whether it's son-of, we're not entirely sure,
0:41:49 > 0:41:53but what is important is that wherever you look,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56there are visual clues that can help
0:41:56 > 0:41:59with the missing bits of the Llanelly House jigsaw.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07I'm feeling a bit like a time-traveller.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10I'm feeling a bit as if we have moved forward in time
0:42:10 > 0:42:13sufficiently to see Llanelly House finished,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17cos I'm imagining that this is the sort of effect
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- we're going for in some of the rooms.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23It's got the Georgian atmosphere.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27Not just the kit of parts, but that sort of feeling
0:42:27 > 0:42:31that you are in the minimalist Georgian dream world and, internally,
0:42:31 > 0:42:36very regular, very flat, masculine.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38It's almost like early minimalism.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43The Great House at Laugharne
0:42:43 > 0:42:46lacks the self-importance of Llanelly House.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48There are no urns here,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50but those pilasters framing the front door
0:42:50 > 0:42:55and the carved wooden cornice above share the same design DNA.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00What are the things that, as far as you are concerned,
0:43:00 > 0:43:06make this building the same hand as Llanelly House?
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Looking at it, you can see the genetic footprint everywhere,
0:43:08 > 0:43:13so if you take these archways, the keystones over the top
0:43:13 > 0:43:16are absolutely the same as some of the archways
0:43:16 > 0:43:18that we have at Llanelly House.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20And really, you can't fake that.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23As far as you are concerned, as the Miss Marple of Georgian architecture,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26these are, you know, this is handwriting.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28These are brushstrokes on a painting or...
0:43:28 > 0:43:30You know, these are fingerprints
0:43:30 > 0:43:34- and we have a date with this place, which is...?- 1715.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37- And Llanelly House is...?- Is 1714.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40The kit of parts is definitely here for us.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43The pilasters and the balusters and newel posts
0:43:43 > 0:43:48and so on and so forth, we're able to take and absolutely replicate.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57At last, the Llanelly House scaffolding is coming down
0:43:57 > 0:44:01to reveal a Georgian facade that looks good enough to eat.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13Inside, in Lady Stepney's boudoir,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16another striptease is nearing its final act.
0:44:18 > 0:44:2016 coats of paint have been removed,
0:44:20 > 0:44:24the final layer painstakingly scraped away with a scalpel.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29They have found four distinct colour schemes, but no sign of what
0:44:29 > 0:44:33I'd been so badly hoping to see - large lavishly decorated panels.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38I'm quite surprised by what you have uncovered.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41When... With that little bit that you found before,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44we were all a bit excited by that, but...
0:44:44 > 0:44:45But the big thing for me,
0:44:45 > 0:44:49and I think for you, is that there's nothing in the middle of the panel.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51We were all assuming they would be a frame
0:44:51 > 0:44:54and then there'd be a scene or a motif or something in the middle.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57Particularly based on the fact of the stuff over the doors and so on.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00I mean, it is a very simple, simple design.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02But what we've actually uncovered here -
0:45:02 > 0:45:05the corners here, I think,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07look pretty rubbish.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Do you know what I mean?
0:45:09 > 0:45:11- Compared to that. - Compared to the over doors.
0:45:11 > 0:45:17Those over doors are so soft and romantic and beautiful,
0:45:17 > 0:45:20but unbelievably sophisticated.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23These are very spiky.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27I think, looking at it and only cos I used to do that kind of thing,
0:45:27 > 0:45:28I think it's based on stencil.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32I think there's a stencil been used for the basic outline
0:45:32 > 0:45:37and then the highlight and the shadow have been put in by hand,
0:45:37 > 0:45:43freehand, but with none of the beautiful gradation of tone
0:45:43 > 0:45:45that you get with the over doors.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Those panels are due to be cleaned as part of this whole process.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Is it too late to cover them back up?
0:45:53 > 0:45:57Talk to my assistants about that. After six weeks scraping away.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00You know, I've got some really nice wallpaper you could put up.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11The speed of the build has picked up, but not enough.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Craig's plans for the visitor experience are,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17to a large extent, dictating the pace.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21His proposed national genealogy centre for Wales will have
0:46:21 > 0:46:26at its centrepiece an interactive globe, mapping family histories.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29Visitors would leave biometric fingerprints.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31There are even plans for a DNA testing station.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Craig is pressing ahead with the Time Lapse Room -
0:46:36 > 0:46:42a 360 degree immersive audiovisual experience.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44You hear a... HE COUGHS
0:46:44 > 0:46:47"Well, actually, I'm going to tell you about Llanelly House."
0:46:47 > 0:46:51It's one of the portraits starts to talk and takes over the sequence.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55The lights go down and the sun and moon start shooting past
0:46:55 > 0:46:58backwards and forwards as if you start to run back in time.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04It means paying for actors and green-screen filming.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Well, with all this CGI and digital trickery,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09I worry he's got a touch of the Steven Spielbergs.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Well, back on terra firma, Sophie has found a craftsman to make
0:47:18 > 0:47:20the stairs she's been planning and drawing for years.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26This staircase is going to be the centrepiece of this building.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30The staircase carving just gives it that wow factor, doesn't it?
0:47:37 > 0:47:42The stairs are being crafted in Haverfordwest from solid oak.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44These are the timbers for the newels.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48We can see where the turnings are going to be,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50and try to match it to the grain as best as possible.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54No more castles in the air.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56It's a joy to see Sophie's ideas made real.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17It's April 2013. My first time back in a while.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Well, I can honestly say that this is the first time I've come here
0:48:20 > 0:48:23and stood here and felt that there might be a bit of Georgian light
0:48:23 > 0:48:25at the end of the Georgian tunnel.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28That is looking quite credible.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31In fact, that is looking incredible.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34But what's the inside like?
0:48:55 > 0:48:59This is the bit where I'm supposed to talk about
0:48:59 > 0:49:01how finished everything's looking.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05About how it's, you know, less than six months until it opens
0:49:05 > 0:49:07and isn't it all very exciting?
0:49:07 > 0:49:10But it really doesn't look very finished at all.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13There are bits upstairs that,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16I suppose they give you a bit of a lift
0:49:16 > 0:49:19because there's a radiator or there's some paint on the panelling
0:49:19 > 0:49:22and there's maybe even a socket or two if you're really lucky.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25What shocks me at the moment
0:49:25 > 0:49:30is that not only is the building not terribly complete,
0:49:30 > 0:49:32it's just the amount of cables.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35The amount of dangling cables everywhere,
0:49:35 > 0:49:40because it's obvious that so much of the resources,
0:49:40 > 0:49:44so much of the time is going into the attractions.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46It's going into the digital displays.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48It's going into the sort of...
0:49:48 > 0:49:52The faith in the technology is overwhelming.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56I'm just a bit worried that it's overwhelming
0:49:56 > 0:50:00the fundamental beauty of just finishing, restoring
0:50:00 > 0:50:03and bringing this beautiful building back to life.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14The big news is that project director Craig has left.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Now he's providing only very occasional consultancy.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19And they're running out of money.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21They've had to get an interest-free loan
0:50:21 > 0:50:24of a quarter of a million pounds from the county council.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28They've asked the Heritage Lottery Fund for an extra
0:50:28 > 0:50:33660,000 on top of the 3.4 million they've already given,
0:50:33 > 0:50:37but this has just been refused.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40Are you running out of money in certain areas which means
0:50:40 > 0:50:43that you actually have to raise funds to pay for things?
0:50:43 > 0:50:46It does mean that our budget is starting to be used up, yeah.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Then you have to ask them for more funds as well.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53- How does that...? That can't feel good.- It's not great.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57It's very difficult. It is very difficult.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59It was a big all-singing, all-dancing
0:50:59 > 0:51:01proposal originally, wasn't it?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Craig had a vision of something that was very techno heavy.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Have you had to get to a stage with all of this where you have
0:51:07 > 0:51:10had to choose what the star of the show is
0:51:10 > 0:51:15between the house and between what the house can offer?
0:51:16 > 0:51:19I think the star of the show has to be the house.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21I mean the house is what's special.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Without the house, none of this would be...
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Are you having to do that on a daily basis with the budget?
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Are you having to think about actually suddenly having
0:51:28 > 0:51:31some of the bells and whistles for some of the digital things
0:51:31 > 0:51:34less important than actually just making sure that the house
0:51:34 > 0:51:36- is ready and open.- Absolutely.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39I think that one of the joys of what we're doing is
0:51:39 > 0:51:42the tour around the house will be a guided tour.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44- You'll have a guide that will take you round.- Back to basics.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- Back to basics.- Using a human being.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49- How unusual.- Oh, my goodness me.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01This has always been your vision.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05Are you disappointed that your vision has been compromised?
0:52:05 > 0:52:10- No, it's a project. It's not my vision.- No, but your...
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Your big idea, this idea of somewhere that is very interactive,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17that's very digital, that's very contemporary in its technology.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19A lot of that is not now going to happen, is it?
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Yes, it's one area that's been compromised.
0:52:22 > 0:52:28The area that we're keeping down for a second marketing push will be
0:52:28 > 0:52:30the genealogy aspect of it.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33I wouldn't want to put that in straight away at this level.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35But that was the jewel in your crown, wasn't it?
0:52:35 > 0:52:40A year ago, that was going to be the thing that really made
0:52:40 > 0:52:41- Llanelly House different.- I agree.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43- That's not going to happen. - That will happen.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45It won't happen at this moment in time.
0:52:45 > 0:52:50You will have a project that has come together that the people will enjoy.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52For how long that is, who knows?
0:52:52 > 0:52:55How it morphs over the next few years, who knows?
0:52:55 > 0:52:59But we've given something back to the nation that is an important piece,
0:52:59 > 0:53:03which is the main structure, and looked at the history of the house.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07How they carry that on as a business, as a sustainable business,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09is now passed over to a trust.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13- That's what...- You're getting in your Jag and driving away very quickly.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15- I'm off to...- Whomph! I like that.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30At least the house is coming together.
0:53:30 > 0:53:31Its real wow factor,
0:53:31 > 0:53:36the great Georgian staircase is finally sliding into place.
0:53:43 > 0:53:44On.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53We've been waiting for a very long time for this moment.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57I'm absolutely overjoyed, cos you can see that it's the real thing.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00It's been an absolute labour of love.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03It's a magical day to see it actually come together.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15It might seem a shame to stain that lovely oak,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18but that's just how the Georgians liked it.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23I'm hoping that people will feel that sense of splendour that
0:54:23 > 0:54:26was once actually part of Llanelli town.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Just feel there's something special in Llanelli again.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52They've gone public with a launch date in time for the October half term holidays,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56and an opening ceremony on November 1st with Huw Edwards.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Now it's a race against time to hit the deadline.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27It's autumn half term.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29The doors are finally opened,
0:55:29 > 0:55:33and I'm back to see the culmination of a decade of ambition and effort.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40Yes, there've been setbacks and plenty of twists and turns,
0:55:40 > 0:55:41so has it all been worth it?
0:55:44 > 0:55:47Visits to the ground floor are free.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50There's a charge for guided tours of the upper tiers.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55The murals depict Aphrodite and Pan the God of fertility.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57So this is quite a racy room,
0:55:57 > 0:56:01and I believe that Lady Stepney was quite a racy little character.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06So what's the verdict from the first local visitors?
0:56:06 > 0:56:09It's fantastic. Really amazing.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13We're so thrilled that it's actually opening to the public.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15It's given Llanelli back its history, I think.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18People will be proud of that and they'll want to share
0:56:18 > 0:56:19and be part of that.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Just thrilled to bits. The place looks wonderful.
0:56:25 > 0:56:31You've got an icon for central Llanelli of real quality.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35It's got transformational powers, because it's that good.
0:56:37 > 0:56:42The overall project cost has leapt from £6 million to £7 million.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46That includes an extra grant of half a million in European funding
0:56:46 > 0:56:49for a more hi tech relaunch in the spring.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54The digital experience will roll out. That will enhance all the rooms.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58It will provide research facilities for you to explore genealogy
0:56:58 > 0:57:01and really encourage people to get more involved in their heritage.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05You're from here.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08You will see this so often, your family will see it,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11your neighbours will see it, your friends will see it.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14You've given something literally back to your own home community.
0:57:14 > 0:57:15It's something I always talk about.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18It's round the corner and everybody knows where it is.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20It's a nice feeling. It's a lovely job.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23It's hard to imagine it as it was to what it's like now.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27You live and breathe a project.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32It is emotional and you go on a huge journey, roller coaster.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34It's a real wrench to let it go now.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37It's a...it's a...
0:57:37 > 0:57:39real project of the heart.
0:57:46 > 0:57:47Well, what a marathon.
0:57:47 > 0:57:53I think ten years is the longest I've ever followed a design project.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55What a sense of achievement as well.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58When you bear in mind that when I first saw this place it was
0:57:58 > 0:58:03rubble, it was completely derelict, it was a write-off.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08Now, surrounded by this very charming
0:58:08 > 0:58:13recreated 18th century luxury, it's really seductive.
0:58:13 > 0:58:18It really feels as if something lovely and warm
0:58:18 > 0:58:20and personal has been achieved.
0:58:20 > 0:58:21And it has.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24It's very easy when you look at your town, when you look at your
0:58:24 > 0:58:29community and you can compile a list of all the things you don't have.
0:58:29 > 0:58:34But, actually, what Llanelli did was it understood that it had this.
0:58:34 > 0:58:38It had Llanelly House. That's the point to me.
0:58:38 > 0:58:44We live in a nation where every high street is the same,
0:58:44 > 0:58:47so it's incredibly important to understand that
0:58:47 > 0:58:52places like this are, weirdly, the future.
0:58:52 > 0:58:54Yes, they're all about the past,
0:58:54 > 0:59:00but by being about the past they say so very much about who we are,
0:59:00 > 0:59:03and actually, I suppose, about who we want to be.
0:59:03 > 0:59:07It's fascinating. It's extraordinary.
0:59:07 > 0:59:08Come and see it for yourself.