Pennod 16 04 Wal

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-Welcome to 04Wal.

-We've now reached 2007

-in our trawl through our archives.

-This programme takes us

-to beautiful towns and villages.

-Each one is different,

-as are the houses.

-We begin in Cowbridge.

-This is the story of two sisters

-who live next door to each other.

-Ten years ago,

-Linda Adams and Hawys Pritchard...

-..left their commune in London

-and moved back to Wales.

-For the first three years,

-they lived together in Linda's home.

-The cottage next door

-then came on the market.

-Now, Hawys lives in Number 9

-and Linda lives in Number 10.

-We wanted to come home to Wales

-and we found a house in Cowbridge.

-We escaped from the commune

-in Linda's house in London.

-The commune

-had got a bit out of hand.

-We wanted some fun.

-We wanted some peace and some fun.

-We lived here for three years,

-just the two of us, and we had fun.

-Yes.

-Fortunately, the house next door

-came on the market.

-We bought it and I moved in there.

-We wanted to live near the sea...

-..but could only find bungalows

-or huge houses.

-We came to Cowbridge

-to visit an estate agent's office.

-That's when we realized

-what a lovely town this is.

-I thought it was very pretty.

-I wanted to live in an old house.

-I like things that have been used

-and that's why I loved this house.

-It's an 18th century house.

-There were three houses here

-originally.

-There's a window

-where the third front door stood.

-They may have been the outbuildings

-of a long-gone mansion.

-I have a 19th century map,

-but there's no reference to it.

-I didn't want to have to do

-much work on the house.

-I did a lot of work

-on the Muswell Hill house.

-I never want to do that again.

-I lived in a big house.

-Friends lived on the top floor.

-They came to stay for a month,

-while they bought a house.

-Their sale fell through,

-so they stayed with me.

-They actually stayed

-for around ten years!

-Good grief!

-Good grief!

-

-Yes.

-I've mentioned the people

-who lived with me in Muswell Hill.

-Take a look at some of the things

-they made for me.

-First, the leek cupboard.

-Tim made the cupboard and Jane,

-his partner, painted the leek.

-Because you were moving to Wales?

-Because you were moving to Wales?

-

-Yes.

-The table is also a symbol

-of their guilty conscience!

-Yes. Tim also made the mirror.

-Yes. Tim also made the mirror.

-

-They're custom-made for this room.

-Yes, that's right. I was lucky.

-Before we came here,

-I was nervous about leaving London.

-I wanted to come back to Wales.

-England never felt like home to me.

-I had lived in a house

-that was full of people.

-Hawys promised never to leave me

-in the rain, in Wales, on my own!

-The rest is history.

-Linda and Hawys

-now live in separate buildings...

-..but only the width of this fence

-separates them.

-This is Hawys's house.

-Hawys Pritchard

-lived in Spain for years...

-..but she didn't stay away

-from her homeland forever.

-She now lives here

-with Dick, her partner.

-I lived in Spain long enough

-for it to change me.

-Had you asked me 15 years ago...

-..I'd have said it was impossible

-for me to come back to Wales.

-We all change, don't we?

-Homesickness kicked in

-and we decided to move here.

-I met someone - he's now my partner.

-This house came on the market

-and we bought it.

-We've taken over a row of houses!

-This was a small, dark house.

-A man had lived here on his own

-for many years.

-This part is new.

-The original house was tiny

-and it was really dark.

-We tried to take advantage

-of the natural light that comes in.

-Our lifestyles have changed,

-naturally.

-Since we forged

-these new living arrangements...

-..we have respected

-each other's privacy over the years.

-It has worked out really well.

-We've decided to build an extension,

-to make room for a piano.

-I'm not sure

-how Hawys and Dick will react...

-..to having a grand piano next door!

-I'm sure we'll discuss it at length

-before the plans become a reality.

-I think the walls are thick enough.

-Huw and Ann Iorwerth bought this

-house in Llansteffan 20 years ago...

-..and filled it with colour and joy.

-Ann and I

-had both been married before.

-Ann moved in with me

-in Carmarthen...

-..but she and her son, Jake,

-always called it "Huw's house."

-That's why we felt

-we should have a home of our own.

-What attracted you to this house?

-What attracted you to this house?

-

-Unexpected corners.

-I also love the size of the rooms

-and the stunning views.

-I enjoy lying in bed in the morning

-and looking out at the sea.

-The house is always very light.

-When two families come together,

-you must combine and integrate.

-We wanted to keep

-the furniture that we had...

-..and the two collections

-of paintings we already owned.

-We wanted to be able to enjoy

-those paintings in our home.

-What sort of look

-did you want to create in the house?

-Paintings are important to me.

-It's important to find

-the right place to hang them.

-Furniture isn't important to me,

-but paintings are very important.

-The house is almost a gallery.

-The artworks

-dictate the style of the decor.

-Yes, and we're aware of the fact

-that we mustn't overdo it.

-I hope this house is a home,

-not a museum.

-The last thing we want to do

-is create a museum.

-I feel totally at home

-in this house.

-It's an idyllic place

-to raise children...

-..mainly because

-of the nature of the village.

-Having said that,

-nothing remains static.

-You must move on

-and develop constantly.

-I first bought paintings

-when I was 21 years old.

-I invested the money I received

-as birthday presents in paintings.

-I've kept on buying, but I never

-spend huge amounts on a painting.

-I empty my pockets

-at the end of every day...

-..and save every 50p piece.

-It's amazing! Every two years,

-I have enough to buy a painting.

-You'd never guess

-that I was in a traditional house...

-..in one of Wales's

-most classical villages.

-Welcome to Townsend House

-in Beaumaris.

-Marian Thorogood lives here...

-..with Mark, her husband,

-and James, their son.

-It was split into three flats

-when they bought it.

-For years, Marian and Mark

-lived in the first floor flat...

-..before they turned it

-into a conventional house.

-The exterior of the house

-looks a bit Victorian.

-We wanted to blend the traditional

-with modern design.

-We were keen to add

-contemporary touches to the house.

-A friend of mine

-lives in Manchester...

-..and she drew up a radical design

-for the rear of the house.

-That changed everything.

-It lets in more natural light.

-We started out with our hearts set

-on a contemporary design.

-This is the lounge

-and the dining room.

-At what point

-during the planning process...

-..did you decide to combine

-the lounge and the dining room?

-That was the plan from the outset.

-We had lived here,

-on the first floor, for 15 years.

-We put the kitchen here too.

-We knew we would be spending

-most of our time here.

-There are amazing views

-from the first floor.

-It was inevitable that we would

-want to capitalize on those.

-We tend to live on this floor

-from day to day.

-We feel comfortable

-above street level.

-We can see the sea

-and the mountains.

-The dining room

-flows naturally into the kitchen.

-A kitchen on the first floor

-is part of the revolutionary design.

-You demolished the rear wall

-and replaced it with a glass atrium.

-Yes. Isn't it great?

-As I said,

-my friend came up with this design.

-We demolished the back of the house.

-It gives us a far better level

-of natural light.

-We had small, dark windows...

-..and the kitchen

-was in poor condition.

-We opened it all out

-to give a very contemporary space.

-Will you stay here forever?

-Will you stay here forever?

-

-Who knows what the future holds?

-Sometimes,

-I yearn to have a garden...

-..and to enjoy

-a greater degree of privacy.

-Having said that,

-I think we'd really struggle...

-..to find somewhere better

-than this house.

-We really do enjoy living here.

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-Welcome back to 2007.

-We now take urban living

-as our theme.

-The two houses we'll visit

-certainly fit into that category.

-Later, we'll meet

-Phil and Christine Havard...

-..but first, the artist

-Mary Lloyd Jones in Aberystwyth.

-Moving from a school in Aberbanc

-to a semi in Aberystwyth...

-..would be a backward step

-for some...

-,,but it has been a step forward

-for Mary and her husband, John.

-I never expected to end up

-in a suburban house like this...

-..but it's convenient

-and serves its purpose very well.

-As the years went on...

-..we decided that it would be wise

-to move to a smaller property.

-As we get older...

-..it's a good idea to live somewhere

-where you can go for walks.

-We came here

-as a downsizing exercise...

-..and it was the right thing to do.

-We had to get rid of many things.

-We had never thrown anything out!

-You've been very disciplined

-in the stripping process!

-It wasn't easy,

-I can assure you.

-Making the decisions wasn't easy,

-but it came as a relief to us.

-I enjoy having a certain amount

-of traditional furniture.

-It's nice to be surrounded

-by history...

-..and to have new ideas.

-Where would you have put

-this collection of pictures...

-..if you didn't have this wall?

-When we lived in the former school,

-it all fitted on the dresser.

-It was a chaotic dresser!

-We then came up with the idea

-of creating an interesting wall.

-As it gets overcrowded,

-we have to take items away.

-There's a lot of blue here,

-as there is in your work.

-The shade of blue behind me

-and the green on the door...

-..were inspired by a trip to India.

-I saw that colour over there

-and tried to match it on the door.

-I wanted to have strong colour

-in one area of the house.

-It's all instinctive, I think.

-Why do we choose certain colours?

-It's a mystery.

-I certainly get a lot of pleasure

-from using clashing colours.

-It creates something

-that is visually exciting.

-It's certainly exciting.

-All the other walls are white.

-Must walls be white?

-White creates a good backdrop,

-especially if you make alterations.

-You make a simple decision and you

-don't waste time thinking about it.

-Is the house's decor

-an extension of your work on canvas?

-Yes, in a way.

-I think it's important

-to be surrounded by things...

-..that are easy on the eye.

-With this house, we had to choose

-our furniture very carefully.

-That's because the house isn't huge.

-It's easy to fill it, as though

-it were some sort of cupboard.

-As soon as we saw the view,

-we knew that it was the house for us.

-We've been here

-for nearly 20 years.

-The city has changed dramatically

-during that time.

-Phil and Christine Havard

-and their two children...

-..can see a chunk of Welsh history

-from the windows of their house.

-We can see several buildings

-that weren't there when we moved.

-It isn't an ostentatious house.

-It's an Edwardian, double-fronted,

-semi-detached house.

-It may be an ordinary house...

-..but it's also

-a beautiful and happy house.

-It has changed drastically

-since we've been here.

-It was tidier in the early days!

-We had less stuff.

-Welsh furniture is Phil and

-Christine's work and passion.

-The contents of their home

-reflects that perfectly.

-In my opinion,

-Welsh hand-built furniture...

-..is some of the world's best

-hand-built furniture.

-Of course, as this furniture

-is made of Welsh wood...

-..particularly Welsh oak...

-..it's remarkable furniture,

-really exceptional furniture.

-I like a variety of wood.

-Welsh craftsmen used all sorts

-of wood, whatever was available.

-The house is full of furniture

-made of all sorts of wood.

-The most important thing

-is the patina.

-Whatever wood it is, it must have

-a good colour and a great patina.

-Patina is the skin on the surface

-of a piece of furniture.

-If a piece is old...

-..it should have a patina

-that reflects its age.

-A patina with real depth to it

-is what appeals to me.

-We rarely see a dresser

-without its top half.

-Yes, that's true.

-A full dresser suits a farmhouse,

-but this isn't a farmhouse.

-Some people like the racks,

-but I prefer it without.

-Many pieces come from the area

-where Phil was brought up.

-The clock and those samplers,

-for example.

-Do you like them?

-Do you like them?

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-Yes, I've grown to like them.

-You must understand that no-one

-can appreciate items like Phil!

-He's the only expert in the house.

-The one and only!

-I'm just the one who says, "No!"

-I'm just the one who says, "No!"

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-Every home needs one of those!

-What sparked your interest

-in collecting old furniture?

-I was keen on furniture,

-even when I was young.

-I remember my grandmother

-had a table similar to that one.

-It had a shaped apron and fretwork

-similar to what you see there.

-I think that's why I started

-to take an interest in antiques...

-..especially in furniture.

-I love these antiques.

-A piece of wood with a good patina.

-I always say he'd never leave me

-for a fluffy blonde...

-..but a dresser with a fret?

-Ooh! That's a tricky decision.

-Yes, maybe.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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