Pennod 4 04 Wal

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-Welcome to the 04Wal archives

-from 2001.

-We're often reminded

-that space should be utilized.

-A building can be a home,

-regardless of its original purpose.

-We visit a shop

-owned by the late Cecil Williams...

-..and a chapel, but first,

-a former school in Manafon.

-CHILDREN'S VOICES

-Having lived in London for years,

-Ann Chidgey moved back to Wales...

-..to teach in one school

-and to live in another!

-When I designed this house,

-I didn't want to change much.

-I felt a responsibility

-towards its history.

-I liked it as it was...

-..so why change something

-that works well?

-We like it like this.

-I had lots of ideas

-about what I wanted...

-..but lacked the knowledge

-to carry them out.

-I worked closely with a surveyor.

-He gave me lots of ideas...

-..and helped me turn dreams

-into a reality.

-We came up with a design

-that's suitable for the building.

-First of all, we decided

-not to have too many bedrooms.

-I wanted to have three bedrooms

-but it was too complicated...

-..and it made the house

-feel less spacious.

-We decided to have two bedrooms

-and things just fell into place.

-I wanted to have the gallery

-on the other side...

-..but it made sense

-to have it opposite the window.

-I don't like too much clutter.

-I like the freedom to move around...

-..without worrying

-about tripping over something!

-I like the spacious, open feel.

-I find it easy to relax here.

-It's very quiet now...

-..but I can sense how busy

-and bustling it was years ago.

-I feel as though I'm the caretaker

-of this building.

-In which room

-do you spend most time?

-If we're sitting down and relaxing,

-we're in here.

-It's a large room, but it heats up

-really well during the winter.

-We close the doors and the fire

-gives off plenty of heat.

-During the day, I like to sit

-at the kitchen table...

-..and gaze out of the window.

-BELL RINGS

-We've visited converted cowsheds

-and mills in the past...

-..but never a home

-that was once a shop...

-..which is now a home

-and a shop in one!

-Cecil Williams was born in Essex.

-His parents moved there

-from Dolgellau in 1926.

-He later decided

-to move to the area.

-It's the first time

-he has ever lived in Wales.

-He speaks Welsh fluently

-and runs an antiquesshop.

-You sit in your shop all day

-and it becomes your lounge at night.

-I sit down and watch television.

-I live in it.

-When someone rings the bell,

-I let them in and I just carry on.

-If they want to see something

-or ask a question, I'm here.

-Is business good?

-Is this a good location?

-Yes, I think business will be good

-during the summer.

-I've sold a lot of items

-since I moved here.

-I had the opening night last Friday.

-A wealthy local farmer

-bought one of the cockerels.

-He already had 24 hens and he wanted

-a cockerel to look after them!

-China hens, I presume?

-China hens, I presume?

-

-Yes.

-Are you glad

-you moved to Dolgellau?

-Yes. I was born in Essex

-and lived there all my life.

-I was part of the rat race.

-Everyone is friendly around here.

-I know a lot of people.

-What attracted you to this house?

-It's in a lovely spot,

-close to the town centre.

-I came to view the property and

-imagined what I could do with it.

-I had no intention

-of opening an antiques shop.

-I just planned to live here.

-What have you done

-to the house, in all?

-I knocked down walls

-and removed cement.

-I replastered it

-and had the whole house rewired.

-I installed gas central heating.

-I even found this old inglenook.

-This ceiling is new.

-This ceiling is new.

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-Everything has been stripped.

-There were beams across here,

-but I plastered over them...

-..to conform to building

-and fire regulations.

-It's better, in one way.

-It makes the room lighter.

-The trouble is, I'd like to keep

-a lot of the things I've bought!

-Why don't you keep them?

-It's an antiques shop.

-Everything has to be for sale!

-I've collected top quality

-china cockerels for years.

-Now, I have to sell them!

-I don't have to sell them,

-but everything is for sale.

-Is everything in your house

-for sale?

-I suppose not...

-..but it's difficult.

-I just feel

-everything has to be for sale.

-I'd sell myself,

-if I could get a decent price!

-In Blue Anchor, near Penclawdd,

-overlooking the Loughor estuary...

-..is Capel Isaac,

-the home of Amanda Frobisher...

-..her children, Osian and Nia,

-and her husband, Simon.

-There was a chapel here

-until three years ago...

-..and this new house

-has echoes of the old chapel.

-It was our choice. We didn't

-have to make it look like a chapel.

-Everyone in the community

-was fond of the chapel.

-It was part of everyone's history.

-Everyone had special memories of it.

-We took that on board and

-designed something quite similar.

-Did local people protest against it?

-No, but it was a sensitive issue.

-People came every day

-and asked questions.

-They were interested

-in what we were doing.

-They wanted to be sure

-that we weren't creating a monster!

-The only strict rule

-was the height of the house.

-This house is within an inch

-of the height of the old chapel.

-It was important

-to the local planner.

-These are oak floors.

-The floorboards upstairs

-were rescued from the chapel.

-These boards are new.

-A local firm in Ammanford

-made these floors.

-The doors are also made of oak.

-I love that cupboard.

-It's an old bookcase

-that was also in an old chapel.

-This is a very respectable house!

-Everything came from a chapel!

-It's great - you can fit

-lots of stuff in there.

-These doors are interesting.

-The handles are made of wood.

-Did you have those made locally?

-Did you have those made locally?

-

-No, they were made in Oxford.

-Why did you choose wooden handles?

-Why did you choose wooden handles?

-

-I just knew I wanted wooden floors.

-Simon and Osian

-suffer from allergies...

-..so we didn't want carpets

-on the floors.

-Wooden door furniture

-was in keeping with the floors.

-The light, airy hall

-is very reminiscent of a chapel.

-I knew how the house would look,

-but I had no concept of its size.

-Simon took me and the children

-to Llangennith...

-..and drew an outline

-of the house's size on the beach.

-He traced its shape in the sand

-with a piece of wood.

-We could then walk

-from room to room...

-..and we knew exactly how big

-every room would be.

-You have lots of maritime artefacts.

-I can see some boats...

-..lots of seashells

-and pictures on the walls.

-Are you interested in the sea?

-Yes, we all love the sea.

-We live near the sea.

-Simon is related

-to Sir Martin Frobisher...

-..the Elizabethan mariner.

-Simon works on the sea.

-Even when he's home,

-he goes sea fishing.

-The road that leads to Penclawdd

-is far higher than the house.

-Has that caused any problems?

-We had to build

-an extremely thick wall there.

-There's a lot of metalwork

-in the wall.

-We blew the budget on it.

-It cost around 8,000!

-It had to be strong enough...

-..to take the weight of the road

-and the houses.

-Another disadvantage is that people

-can see into your bedroom!

-Yes, we give them

-a great performance every day!

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-Welcome back to 2001.

-In the second half,

-we look at artists' houses.

-Artists' homes are often

-an extension of their creativity.

-We visit Gwynedd later,

-but first, to Brittany...

-..home of Gwilym Prichard

-and Claudia Williams.

-What attracted you to this house?

-When we viewed it,

-we came upstairs to this room.

-It was just a garret.

-You could see the slates on the roof.

-We thought we could put

-north-facing windows up there...

-..and turn it

-into a wonderful studio.

-As in all things,

-you must use your imagination.

-You must be able to envisage

-what you can do with a room...

-..and with a whole house.

-How many hours a day

-do you spend up here?

-We're here all day,

-from nine o'clock in the morning.

-We work from nine o'clock

-until lunchtime.

-We come back to the studio

-after lunch until the evening.

-What's your favourite part

-of the house?

-The studio.

-Because you spend

-so much time here?

-Well, I love the smell of oil paint.

-I'm also completely happy

-with my surroundings.

-Everything in here

-means something to you.

-Did you plan to make this

-your permanent home?

-We've moved into every house

-thinking we'd live there forever.

-We then make the house a home.

-Once we move in, we work on a house

-and make it just right for us.

-We adapt ourselves

-to our surroundings.

-I see that you're not afraid

-to paint pieces of furniture.

-People tend to show

-their furniture too much respect.

-You want to customize

-your furniture.

-Yes, but we wouldn't paint

-Chippendale furniture!

-Claudia painted the table

-we have downstairs.

-It's only plywood,

-but it looks like painted wood.

-She has a good eye for such things,

-much more so than me!

-Claudia is responsible

-for the bold colours.

-She also arranged the furniture

-and the interesting antiques.

-You use this room

-as your own personal gallery?

-Yes.

-It's good to be able to see

-your paintings on the wall.

-You can see which ones

-hang well together.

-Paintings often look alright

-on the easel...

-..but when they're on the wall,

-I realize that they look terrible!

-I then take it down and do it again.

-What about this ping-pong table?

-We used to play ping-pong,

-when we had time on our hands!

-Do you get a flash of inspiration

-during a game?

-"That picture needs a tree!"

-Mihangel Arfor Jones moved home

-to Wales from England...

-..to work as a serious

-professional artist.

-Having said that, the decor

-in his house is very humorous.

-We relaid the roof and restored

-the wall to its original state.

-We also kept the windows and doors.

-It's old-fashioned.

-You've added a few things

-to the exterior, such as the birds.

-Yes, they're fun.

-Yes, they're fun.

-

-That knocker is great.

-Is that a typical example

-of your work?

-Is there humour in your work?

-Is there humour in your work?

-

-No!

-No, my work is devoid of humour!

-That's why I like

-these small touches.

-Why the poem 'Mab y Mynydd'?

-There was no door here,

-so I put the door in.

-Making a door is no fun.

-It was hard work!

-I like the poem 'Mab y Mynydd',

-so I carved it into the door.

-It's about a country boy

-whose heart is in the mountain.

-That's how I felt

-when I lived in London.

-You carved that

-into the wood yourself?

-Yes. With a Stanley knife.

-You can do that

-with a Stanley knife?

-You can build a house

-with a Stanley knife!

-This is the hall, the first thing

-people see when they come in.

-There's a lot of red here.

-Yes, this is a cold house

-and red is a warm colour.

-Since I painted it red,

-every day is like a summer's day!

-Just looking at it makes you sweat!

-Just looking at it makes you sweat!

-

-I sweated when I painted the walls!

-It works well.

-Have you made any changes

-to this room?

-Yes, quite a few.

-The fireplace was out here.

-The walls were under layers

-of wallpaper, hardboard and plaster.

-It was this thick!

-The wood panels

-had been covered too.

-Various walls stuck out here

-with a fireplace in each one!

-Is the fireplace original,

-or did you fit it?

-The original fireplace collapsed.

-I used some of the original stone

-to rebuild the fireplace.

-Do you use the room next door

-as a gallery?

-Do you hang your work on the walls

-and look at it?

-Yes, it's my life history.

-You can see my work,

-but it represents my life history.

-It makes me feel more secure.

-Do you find it difficult

-to sell your work?

-Do you hate to be parted from it?

-A piece is alive

-when you work on it.

-You can change it,

-get rid of it or let it grow.

-It's like a child, in a way.

-Once I've finished a piece of work,

-I put it on the wall.

-It's dead, in a way.

-You sell the body

-but not the heart.

-In a way, the heart

-is still in your head.

-Is that how you think of the house?

-Is it a work in progress?

-Is it a work in progress?

-

-Yes, very much so.

-I let it go for a while,

-then I make some changes.

-I feel colder as I get older,

-so I'll paint more walls red!

-Will you move house

-when you feel it's complete?

-No, I don't think

-I'll move from here.

-You'll be here forever?

-You'll be here forever?

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-Yes, I hope so.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones