Pennod 11 04 Wal

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-The first series of 04Wal

-was broadcast ten years ago.

-Our trawl through the archives

-has reached 2005.

-We'll leave the town and turn

-our attention to country living...

-..starting in Aberthaw.

-In the Vale of Glamorgan,

-not far from Rhoose airport...

-..stands the home

-of Rhodri Elis Owen.

-It's near the sea and in the shadow

-of Aberthaw Power Station.

-Mam saw this house in the newspaper.

-We came here, saw the power station

-and saw this perfect little house.

-I don't care about its location.

-It's like an old friend to me.

-I've come to love it.

-I like the contrast

-between it and the power station.

-In what condition was the house

-when you bought it?

-There were holes

-in the thatched roof.

-The walls were patched up

-with concrete.

-It had no electricity or hot water.

-It's a listed building, so we were

-restricted in what we could do.

-We had to seek permission

-for aspects of the work.

-We wanted to make sure

-that we did the work properly.

-I worked with CADW at the time,

-so my job depended on it!

-We carried out extensive research

-into such things as the roof.

-We had to repair the thatch.

-The problem was finding craftsmen

-who could do the work.

-The local authority provided us

-with a list of thatchers.

-They are master thatchers.

-They can adapt their work

-to suit the location.

-Glamorgan has its own thatch style.

-Different parts of Glamorgan

-adopt a variation on that style.

-Every thatcher leaves

-his own signature on the roof...

-..be it a curve or a gaping hole,

-so he can come back and repair it!

-The external stone walls

-had been patched up with concrete.

-Experts told us to act immediately

-or the house would deteriorate.

-All the concrete was removed.

-Some sort of mortar

-was applied to the walls.

-It was then covered

-with a lime mortar.

-We matched the colour of the mortar

-to lime mortar we found at the back.

-People remark

-on its bright colour...

-..but that was the way

-in olden days.

-People used bright colours.

-It's interesting to see

-just how colourful houses were...

-..in past centuries.

-Would you say you're pickling

-this house in a certain period?

-No, this isn't a museum.

-This is a home.

-I wanted to be able to live here

-in a contemporary manner.

-I've kept

-all the original features...

-..but I tried

-to bring them out a little.

-There's a strong French theme

-upstairs.

-The chandelier above the stairs

-is an example of that.

-Almost everything

-in the master bedroom is French.

-That includes the wallpaper,

-the bedspread and the bed itself.

-The big pieces of furniture

-fit well into a fairly small room.

-There are some lovely

-unusual touches in here.

-This chair is covered

-in a leopard-skin print.

-The old wireless

-also catches the eye.

-The most unusual touch of all

-is the David lamp!

-# Quand il me prend dans ses bras

-# Il me parle tout bas

-# Je vois la vie en rose #

-The shape of the house

-hasn't changed since day one.

-I didn't want to be the person

-who changed the building forever.

-I wanted to keep

-the footprint of the house...

-..and leave it as I found it.

-I'm proud of the work

-that I've done to this house.

-At least the house is complete.

-The next owners

-can put their own stamp on it.

-Hopefully, this house will be here

-for centuries to come.

-Petite France en Glamorgan!

-I was staying with my mother

-and Tim saw this place.

-You wouldn't have seen its potential

-from the estate agent's photograph.

-It didn't look nice in the details.

-Tim came up here and he phoned me

-to say he'd bought it!

-It's magical up here.

-You can see Snowdonia

-and Cadair Idris.

-It's fantastic.

-This breathtaking view can be seen

-from a home near Offa's Dyke.

-Facing west towards Wales,

-it's home to Rena and Tim Clarke.

-Thanks to their efforts, the house

-has been renovated and extended...

-..without losing

-its original character.

-It's a traditional Welsh longhouse.

-The farmer lived in one room

-and the animals lived in the other.

-The animals went into the warm room

-where the fireplace stood.

-We wanted a bigger house

-to make the most of the view.

-We tried to be sympathetic

-with the tradition...

-..in keeping

-with the original building.

-We built an oak-framed extension.

-What did you have to do

-in order to make it habitable?

-We could just about squeeze in.

-Five of us lived here.

-It was a squash!

-It took time to get planning

-permission and to build the house.

-I like unusual things.

-I'm not a minimalist

-when it comes to interior design!

-I surround myself with items

-that say things about my family...

-..and my family's interests.

-I wanted the kitchen

-to be the heart of the home.

-We spend lots of time in here.

-We have four children...

-..and they come and go,

-as children do these days.

-We all congregate in here,

-so it is the heart of our home.

-Do you enjoy cooking?

-Yes, I love to cook.

-I find it very relaxing.

-There's nothing better

-than cooking for a full table.

-I enjoy eating and drinking

-with a group of people.

-Did you choose the colours?

-Yes. At one point,

-there were 20 shades of pink here!

-I wanted something warm.

-I get fed up with white.

-We've used a bit of white,

-but I wanted something warm in here.

-Your taste is eclectic.

-Yes, I suppose.

-You collect items

-from lots of different places.

-Yes, and it's time to stop now

-because we have more than enough!

-It would take another lifetime

-to use them all!

-I use these plates.

-I take a plate off the wall

-when I cook a special meal.

-I don't keep things

-just as ornaments.

-I like the fact that everything

-is used, even our old glasses.

-This is the modern part

-of the house.

-This is completely new, isn't it?

-Yes, that's right.

-Wow!

-Why did you want such a large room?

-We wanted a big room

-because the others are so small.

-We wanted a contrast.

-We also wanted somewhere

-where we could eat and relax...

-..that was also ideal for parties.

-This is a triumph.

-The wall of glass

-capitalizes on the fantastic view.

-Yes, it brings the outdoors

-into the room.

-Did you design it?

-Yes, with an architect friend.

-We sat down together

-and created this.

-It's simple, really.

-We wanted to create

-a baronial-style hall.

-We were keen

-to keep it simple and natural.

-Would anything persuade you

-to move away from here?

-I'm not sure.

-I'm really fond of this area.

-Perhaps I'd move closer to the sea.

-I love the sea too, and I have

-relatives in Pembrokeshire.

-I can't even imagine

-living anywhere but here.

-I can see why.

-Betsan was born in Wales,

-but she grew up in London.

-She planned to stay there...

-..but things changed

-when she met her husband.

-She decided to move

-to a special house in Ferryside.

-Initially,

-we fell in love with the house...

-..but the beach is also enchanting

-and the view is stunning.

-I found it on the Internet.

-I was bored one day.

-I went online

-and found my dream home.

-The house was empty, wasn't it?

-Yes. It had been empty

-for around 20 years.

-In what condition was the house

-when you bought it?

-It wasn't good.

-Water was leaking in at the back.

-Dampness was a problem,

-and there was Artex everywhere.

-It was in a poor condition.

-We could see its potential.

-We didn't have a vision as such...

-..but we recognized the things

-that we could change in the house.

-It all came together.

-We knew that we could

-make this house look great.

-What have you done to the exterior?

-The outside walls

-were pebble-dashed.

-We removed the pebble-dash,

-replaced the windows...

-..and applied a lime plaster

-to the walls.

-All we did then was paint it.

-We wanted it to blend in

-with its surroundings.

-You've spent most of your life

-in London.

-Ferryside must be a massive change!

-Yes, it's far more peaceful

-and far less stressful here.

-It's a much nicer place to live

-than London.

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-Welcome back.

-Both homes featured in this part

-are close to their owners' hearts.

-First, Jan Morris

-and her house in Llanystumdwy...

-..then harpist Ieuan Jones's home

-that's close to his family home.

-Trefan Morys

-is more than a house to me.

-It's a small building.

-A very simple house.

-It was once a stable.

-I don't care about that.

-To me, it's really grand.

-It's more of a concept

-than a reality.

-Within the walls of my home...

-..is everything that has been

-important to me during my life.

-The people I've loved, the animals,

-my work and Wales itself.

-That's what I like to think.

-As a travel writer...

-..Jan Morris praises cities

-and countries across the world.

-Home is where her heart is,

-and that's here in Llanystumdwy.

-I've lived in this house

-for more than 30 years.

-I've written more than 30 books

-during that time.

-I've seen my children grow up

-and my grandchildren arrive.

-I'll live here

-for the rest of my life...

-..with the woman who has

-been my partner for 50 years.

-Elizabeth Morris.

-Happily ever after.

-You'd expect an author's house

-to be full of books...

-..and this house doesn't disappoint.

-This central room is full of books.

-Jan works and reads in here.

-It's a pleasure to be here.

-What adds to the ambience of this

-room is the floor, funnily enough.

-It's lino,

-but it has a classical look.

-I told Jan that it looks Roman.

-She said that it came

-from Blaenau Ffestiniog!

-There's an amazing variety

-of books here.

-There are books

-on every subject here.

-Jan has varied interests.

-Before we moved in,

-horses and stablehands lived here.

-I can feel their presence

-in the wood and the stones.

-Owls also lived here.

-We see bats here, from time to time,

-and too many spiders!

-The roots of this house

-are deep in the soil of the area.

-In the soil,

-in the wildlife, in nature...

-..and in its own history.

-It's built from local stone.

-No house in the world

-is more organic than Trefan Morys.

-The same pattern

-continues upstairs, to some extent.

-This room is full of things

-that are close to Jan's heart.

-Pictures of the family

-and of places she has visited.

-A painting of Venice

-and a painting of Cricieth.

-We're in the structure

-of the roof itself.

-You can see the row of A-frames

-stretching from end to end.

-This is the length of the house.

-I hope that the Morris family

-lives here forever.

-I hope that this house

-stands here forever...

-..as a symbol of thanksgiving

-to Wales.

-Ieuan Jones, the former Harpist

-to the House of Commons...

-..sold his London home in 2003

-and moved back to his native Powys.

-He was born a stone's throw

-from this house.

-Once the farmhand's house,

-it's now home to Ieuan and his wife.

-A whitewashed cottage

-in rural Wales. Lovely.

-There's much more to this house

-than this idyllic facade suggests.

-I grew up in Mathrafal,

-the neighbouring farm.

-My father bought this house

-in the 1940s...

-..when he and my mother

-came to Mathrafal.

-My parents used it

-as a farmhand's house.

-When did the house become yours?

-I lost my father

-three or four years ago.

-My mother

-wanted to sort a few things out.

-She gave this house to me...

-..because she knew of my interest

-in renovation projects.

-I believe that I have a good eye

-for what needs to be done.

-What state was the house in

-at that time?

-No work had been carried out here

-for years.

-We had to make a fresh start.

-We stripped everything back

-down to the stone walls.

-There were no floors.

-We went down to the actual soil

-that lay beneath the

-tiles.

-Is this a load bearing beam

-or it is purely decorative?

-It's cosmetic.

-I wanted to see some wood

-from the old house.

-It was too complicated

-to add lots of beams.

-It would look artificial.

-This is here

-purely to break up the room.

-It certainly isn't load bearing.

-Step this way.

-I have a surprise for you.

-Walk through the bookcase

-and you'll find another room.

-I thought that you wanted me

-to read a book!

-Well, well! This is breathtaking.

-This is my tiny workshop!

-You practise in here?

-Yes. I practise

-and give recitals here.

-I also teach here.

-Did you need such a huge room?

-When we built the extension,

-the room was only half this size.

-There was a door here.

-When it was complete,

-I had a change of heart.

-I bought a piano

-and I had two harps in here.

-It was very cramped

-and I need lots of space.

-I went back to the builder

-and asked for double the space...

-..with a fireplace at the end.

-The fireplace

-is the finishing touch.

-This is the extension

-on the extension!

-Yes. People were surprised

-to see us adding another extension!

-In order to use this room

-for professional purposes...

-..I needed more space.

-It's now the perfect size.

-I remember coming here

-as a child...

-..to play with the children

-who lived here.

-I never imagined

-that I'd return here.

-It's a strange feeling,

-in some respects.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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