Episode 2

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0:00:30 > 0:00:53at the edge of the Atlantic, is where nature dumps its spare rain.

0:00:55 > 0:00:59but it's not so good for buildings.

0:01:03 > 0:01:06It's pretty grand for this part

0:01:06 > 0:01:10and we've discovered that it's been

0:01:10 > 0:01:12during periods of prosperity.

0:01:18 > 0:01:20that every room needs work.

0:01:23 > 0:01:27On top of all that, there is the problem of the leaky roof.

0:01:32 > 0:01:36But it's been patched up so often,

0:01:40 > 0:01:44the building from the heavens,

0:01:44 > 0:01:48but also from some place down below.

0:01:48 > 0:01:50This is certainly a glamorous room.

0:01:56 > 0:02:00The trouble is the house is built

0:02:00 > 0:02:02When the floors were dug up,

0:02:02 > 0:02:06we suddenly found ourselves constructing a swimming pool.

0:02:15 > 0:02:21When they dug the floors out

0:02:21 > 0:02:24I've never seen that happen before.

0:02:24 > 0:02:27I've seen damp around the place

0:02:27 > 0:02:30but I've never seen water pouring

0:02:33 > 0:02:39The stone, as in most stone houses,

0:02:39 > 0:02:41it doesn't go deep under the ground.

0:02:44 > 0:02:48In particular it can come in between the stone and the ground.

0:02:48 > 0:02:52We get water coming off the mountain

0:02:52 > 0:02:56comes down through the yard

0:02:56 > 0:03:00It looks like the sort of thing

0:03:02 > 0:03:07There's a lot less of it now than

0:03:07 > 0:03:10have to do something about.

0:03:21 > 0:03:23If we don't eradicate this problem,

0:03:26 > 0:03:31the water's going to decide to wander off into our building.

0:03:47 > 0:03:51The other job we need to tackle to get the building dry is the roof.

0:03:57 > 0:04:01Originally, it was covered with local slate which was soft.

0:04:01 > 0:04:13As the slates began to deteriorate, they didn't repair the whole lot.

0:04:13 > 0:04:21and eventually the two halves

0:04:21 > 0:04:23to hold the thing together.

0:04:28 > 0:04:31but very difficult to repair

0:04:31 > 0:04:34why it's one of the few left.

0:04:34 > 0:04:39Still, we're going to keep as much of the original as possible.

0:04:44 > 0:04:47it's also its fuel and life source.

0:04:47 > 0:04:52Up here on the hill a trickle starts

0:04:52 > 0:04:55Then into a bit of a stream.

0:04:59 > 0:05:05the stream is actually deep enough

0:05:05 > 0:05:07for a human being to swim in.

0:05:10 > 0:05:16as being a baptist stream, where people were plunged into the water.

0:05:16 > 0:05:21Look, here are the steps leading down, a little bit silted up.

0:05:30 > 0:05:35By the time the water gets here

0:05:38 > 0:05:41providing water for the sheep

0:05:41 > 0:05:43and keeping the fields green.

0:05:43 > 0:05:48But it also, supposedly, provided power for this building here.

0:05:49 > 0:05:54Although it was used as a barn

0:05:54 > 0:05:59that water get to this mill?

0:05:59 > 0:06:02I'd rather like to find out.

0:06:05 > 0:06:09But apart from that we know

0:06:09 > 0:06:13I've come to the National Library

0:06:19 > 0:06:23Dated 1843. Yes. Surrogate copies

0:06:37 > 0:06:41They're exactly as they are.

0:06:48 > 0:06:54an important and useful thing.

0:06:58 > 0:07:13One of the things that happened in the North Pembrokeshire area

0:07:13 > 0:07:16They developed their houses

0:07:23 > 0:07:27you get so many Georgian type houses running up from St David's.

0:07:45 > 0:07:47the main thing was the sea.

0:07:47 > 0:07:52by people owning ships and trading.

0:07:52 > 0:07:56the navy was always short of ships

0:07:58 > 0:08:04and took on the privateers as part of their extra ship and naval power.

0:08:04 > 0:08:10In a way, you had a sort of early milk cheque coming in

0:08:13 > 0:08:16That might have had something

0:08:16 > 0:08:20You mean the farmers..? You had tenant farmers owning ships

0:08:20 > 0:08:24and farmers owning parts of ships. They used the ship to trade with?

0:08:24 > 0:08:28Three or four of them clubbed

0:08:28 > 0:08:32There was a huge amount of trading

0:08:32 > 0:08:34I think this is my problem.

0:08:37 > 0:08:40I think I'm coming to a remote place

0:08:40 > 0:08:44from centres of population.

0:08:44 > 0:08:49But if you went back 150 years you'd find there were lots of connections

0:08:55 > 0:08:59That's what the mill was all about,

0:09:04 > 0:09:08I got a bit of a shock when I saw it in the middle of the yard.

0:09:08 > 0:09:12Perhaps other people will too, if they're small and try to climb it.

0:09:12 > 0:09:14I've got to get rid of it somehow.

0:09:19 > 0:09:22but every building fulfilled

0:09:25 > 0:09:27which is how it sustained itself.

0:09:27 > 0:09:31These were the stables. Horses provided power to run machinery

0:09:34 > 0:09:37and ground into feed in the mill.

0:09:38 > 0:09:43where their manure ran down here and was put back on the fields

0:09:43 > 0:09:46which was fed to the animals.

0:09:46 > 0:09:52then it was the way of the world.

0:09:55 > 0:10:00So, it all fits together. What looks

0:10:06 > 0:10:10And that is why it looks so good

0:10:21 > 0:10:47They could become holiday cottages,

0:10:51 > 0:10:54and I thought we should meet up

0:11:12 > 0:11:18and have a charity concert, not only to raise a bit of funding,

0:11:21 > 0:11:27So we would like you, if you would, to compare the evening for us.

0:11:27 > 0:11:30It's in the Bay Hotel in Goodwick.

0:11:30 > 0:11:34So I just sort of say things like,

0:11:34 > 0:11:38Introduce each artist, yes.

0:11:38 > 0:11:41if that's OK... Yes, go on.

0:11:45 > 0:11:49How many items have you got? I think about six good items.

0:11:49 > 0:11:53Six is absolutely fantastic. As long as we don't get too many,

0:11:56 > 0:11:59I'm just going to pour myself

0:11:59 > 0:12:01Tell us about the Point then.

0:12:01 > 0:12:05overwhelming response came back

0:12:05 > 0:12:09that people felt there wasn't enough for young people to do.

0:12:09 > 0:12:12It was felt that they needed

0:12:12 > 0:12:15It's important for young people

0:12:45 > 0:12:50you can find one on the computer

0:12:53 > 0:12:56They'll help you get a job.

0:12:58 > 0:13:02If we're going to do a concert to raise money and awareness,

0:13:02 > 0:13:04what extra things do you need here?

0:13:04 > 0:13:07Does it get fuller than this then?

0:13:07 > 0:13:11it gets really, really packed.

0:13:14 > 0:13:18do you think they know about the good work the Point does?

0:13:18 > 0:13:21Do you think they know much

0:13:21 > 0:13:28Old people sometimes think that it's

0:13:28 > 0:13:34I don't see any trouble around here,

0:13:39 > 0:13:41It's like an ailing patient.

0:14:03 > 0:14:25All the base of those studs

0:14:25 > 0:14:28load bearing on to anything.

0:14:34 > 0:14:37we try and keep the maximum amount

0:14:37 > 0:14:43instead of having an old building,

0:14:43 > 0:14:45you end up with an elaborate fake.

0:15:05 > 0:15:09As you start to strip it back, you don't know where to stop really.

0:15:09 > 0:15:13So I'm not 100% sure that we're going to end up keeping it.

0:15:19 > 0:15:22I think we should go for it

0:15:41 > 0:15:45and before we go any further,

0:15:49 > 0:15:52So what do you feel about this roof

0:15:54 > 0:15:58After arguing passionately to keep

0:16:00 > 0:16:03the sheer mass of this roof

0:16:05 > 0:16:09And we could just keep slapping

0:16:12 > 0:16:15It would keep it all together.

0:16:17 > 0:16:21This is the reason the slate industry in Pembrokeshire declined.

0:16:21 > 0:16:25These aren't as hard as the slates

0:16:25 > 0:16:29They're so soft, I wouldn't like

0:16:29 > 0:16:33I'm not even pushing hard there and the whole thing is moving.

0:16:33 > 0:16:35I'd probably go through it.

0:16:35 > 0:16:40If you're trying to grout that later

0:16:47 > 0:16:50I can't think off the top of my head

0:16:50 > 0:16:54Maybe just mix up something which is going to set on top.

0:16:54 > 0:16:58It would be fantastic to keep this. It's such a beautiful thing.

0:16:58 > 0:17:00Leaving aside Greg's enthusiasm

0:17:00 > 0:17:08for making a last ditch attempt

0:17:08 > 0:17:30off, we were hoping to save this.

0:17:32 > 0:17:51Then we'll completely replace this bit and join it on here.

0:17:51 > 0:17:57and the purlins are too far spaced

0:17:57 > 0:18:01but it won't save your timber.

0:18:01 > 0:18:06But it has been holding this weight for at least the last century.

0:18:11 > 0:18:14If there was a way you could

0:18:14 > 0:18:16and put it straight back on,

0:18:16 > 0:18:20But I can't see those rafters holding that for much longer.

0:18:20 > 0:18:22It's pointless restoring all this

0:18:22 > 0:18:26and then coming back in 20 years

0:18:28 > 0:18:32But obviously I also agree with Greg that we need to conserve this.

0:18:39 > 0:18:42about the roof further down,

0:18:42 > 0:18:47I'm not moving an inch on that one.

0:18:47 > 0:18:51You definitely believe that that roof down there has got to be saved.

0:18:51 > 0:18:53My goodness me. This is complicated.

0:19:03 > 0:19:06Are people going to be sitting

0:19:06 > 0:19:10Yes. The tables will the laid

0:19:15 > 0:19:19but we've decided against that

0:19:19 > 0:19:21We're trying to fit everything in.

0:19:29 > 0:19:33Are you planning to have dancing here later? I don't think so.

0:19:35 > 0:19:38This isn't quite a big enough stage,

0:19:41 > 0:19:47But they've got more stage units. I would hope so. I think so.

0:19:47 > 0:19:51The choir are about 20 in number and there's a jazz ensemble.

0:19:51 > 0:19:55And it's not a great acoustic

0:19:57 > 0:20:01Those people behind the pillars

0:20:01 > 0:20:04you're sitting at your tables,

0:20:04 > 0:20:06you'll have to concentrate.

0:20:20 > 0:20:22..and nobody will hear at all.

0:20:26 > 0:20:30But my pre-performance demands

0:20:30 > 0:20:32compared with the star of the show.

0:20:32 > 0:20:38principal player and cash guzzler

0:20:40 > 0:21:10The slates were due to arrive last

0:21:22 > 0:21:26the first layer of packers,

0:21:26 > 0:21:29that's to pack out the base layer.

0:21:29 > 0:21:33We're about to put the first

0:21:33 > 0:21:37It's quite momentous because we've waited a long time to do this.

0:21:39 > 0:21:43the best way to use the lime.

0:21:46 > 0:21:50Roofers would have used oak slates

0:21:50 > 0:21:53It would have come quickly to them.

0:21:57 > 0:22:01We're doing it to historical measurements, which differ.

0:22:02 > 0:22:05So what's that? That's 161 there.

0:22:10 > 0:22:15So, we have different lengths and those lengths in different widths.

0:22:15 > 0:22:19the different widths randomly.

0:22:25 > 0:22:29If the joints are in the wrong place, you get water penetration.

0:22:29 > 0:22:33the joints cross over enough.

0:22:34 > 0:22:38the carpenter who did the slating.

0:22:38 > 0:22:43He'd have a bucket of lime. He's not someone who builds walls.

0:22:43 > 0:22:47He'd pick up a small dollop

0:22:47 > 0:22:52of the slate and fix the next one.

0:23:14 > 0:23:19We don't want to dollop it on

0:23:21 > 0:23:26Nathan suggests they'd have dolloped lime and squidged a slate on top.

0:23:40 > 0:23:46It's basically a bit of lime, which was to help wind flap. That's it.

0:24:01 > 0:24:05The timbers are still here, but the slate has all gone.

0:24:05 > 0:24:10I was interested in this house

0:24:10 > 0:24:14We agreed half of the main house

0:24:14 > 0:24:16I conceded to that as a compromise.

0:24:39 > 0:24:43and there's just four walls left.

0:24:50 > 0:24:53We're desperate to keep all we can.

0:24:59 > 0:25:03and everything they pick up

0:25:11 > 0:25:15I thought we could have patched

0:25:18 > 0:25:22it was saturated underneath.

0:25:22 > 0:25:26That was after three or four days

0:25:26 > 0:25:30the house, creating condensation.

0:25:30 > 0:25:35the place dripped with condensation.

0:25:35 > 0:25:38and there's no point arguing

0:25:48 > 0:25:51That's what I wanted to see

0:26:07 > 0:26:10I'd like to hand you over now

0:26:32 > 0:26:36that's the only Welsh I know!

0:26:36 > 0:26:39How nice to see you all here.

0:26:45 > 0:26:48It's also bloody inconvenient!

0:26:51 > 0:26:56It's not often one is asked to talk

0:27:02 > 0:27:06And I'm doing that tomorrow

0:27:06 > 0:27:27In the meantime, I've been asked to come here, which I'm happy to do.

0:27:37 > 0:27:42Have we got any husbands and wives

0:27:42 > 0:27:49The point is, I want the husbands

0:27:49 > 0:27:56We have some wonderful things

0:27:59 > 0:28:04Let me tell you that we're here to fleece every penny we can

0:28:16 > 0:28:20to some previous occupants.

0:28:20 > 0:28:23I think Sion's found something

0:28:26 > 0:28:28Colin continues to clear up.

0:28:28 > 0:28:33going to look very good on camera.