Pennod 1 04 Wal

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-Tonight, I climb a steep hill

-to reach a small house...

-..with a huge view of Swansea Bay.

-We'll visit Henry and Gwen Hughes's

-underground house...

-..and a cottage

-jam-packed with arts and relics.

-Welcome to 04Wal.

-This is my little nest.

-I work here and I live here.

-It's quiet.

-I'm free to do as I please.

-I fell in love with the house

-instantly.

-The garden and the view

-sold the house to me.

-The house

-is in the middle of town...

-..but there's

-very little traffic here.

-It feels as if

-I'm in the countryside...

-..but I'm on the outskirts of town.

-Writer and gardener, Manon Eames...

-..has lived in this house in Swansea

-for 20 years.

-She carried out much of the

-renovation and design work herself.

-How did you go about adapting

-the house to suit your needs?

-I wanted a cosy home

-that was also practical.

-I'm not very tidy.

-I like everything to have its place

-but I like things to be on display.

-I'm not a cupboards person, really.

-I like to see my personal nicknacks.

-I like to get stuck in.

-I did some of the plumbing,

-the wiring and the decorating.

-I think it makes a house

-really feel like your home.

-My fingerprints are all over

-every inch of this house.

-In a way.

-The house is a whole, to me,

-rather than various rooms.

-It's one living space.

-I can see the sea

-from this house, of course.

-I have introduced a subtle,

-maritime theme to the house.

-I can see Mumbles lighthouse

-when I lie in the bath.

-I imagine I'm in a beach hut

-looking out, across the bay.

-You must have

-a seriously vivid imagination!

-Yes, I have, Aled!

-You have two sofas

-and lots of scatter cushions.

-This suggest you spend a lot of time

-in front of the television.

-No, but I want to be comfortable

-when I

-am

-here.

-It's lovely and cosy in here,

-in the winter.

-I spend most of my time outside,

-in the summer.

-That's a very special picture.

-There's a picture of Kyffin Williams

-on the wall.

-It makes me think about my father

-and about Snowdonia.

-I'm very fond of it.

-It lifts my spirits.

-There's one splash of colour

-in this room.

-It's the biggest splash of colour

-in the whole house.

-Yes.

-It's the centrepiece of the room.

-When I started staining it,

-I thought I'd gone over the top.

-I'm happy with it.

-The colour complements the carpet

-and the piano stool cover.

-I like this shade of red.

-It took a while

-to get the shade right.

-I wanted a strong, dark red,

-rather than a bright red.

-I think there's something

-quite rustic about it.

-It also makes the glass stand out.

-Yes. I'm very fond of glass.

-I'm fond of slate, too.

-I love

-the reflective qualities of glass.

-This is a really light room.

-The glass baubles I have throughout

-the house reflect the light.

-Are you fond of baubles?

-Are you fond of baubles?

-

-Yes, I love my baubles!

-Let's go and see the kitchen.

-Stepping in here from the

-muted colours of the lounge...

-..is quite a contrast.

-It's a riot of colours.

-Yes, but I hope

-they're fairly subtle.

-This kitchen can be cold,

-so I wanted some warm colours.

-When I put the stained glass

-in the doors...

-..I wanted it to blend in

-with the wood.

-There's a lovely, orange tint

-to the wood.

-Warm colours like orange and yellow

-go well with slate.

-This is a great kitchen.

-It's easy to cook here because

-two people can work here, together.

-There are two sinks over there...

-..and one, here.

-The wood and the slate worktop

-look as if they've been recycled.

-This slab of slate

-came from a toilet in Cardiff.

-I enjoy recycling things.

-Old things have real character.

-Slate worktops cost a fortune.

-This didn't cost a fortune.

-I write on it, with special pencils.

-I write notes on it

-and I draw pictures on it.

-I treat it like a practical item,

-not a decorative touch.

-A place to have a tinkle?

-It has been cleaned

-since it was taken from the toilet!

-Upstairs, the design is simple.

-Two bedrooms - and a bathroom

-at the back of the house.

-One little gadget

-makes this house rather unusual.

-MUSICAL CHIMES

-# Life is a cabaret, old chum

-# Dee-dee, dum-dum, tie-to #

-You can play that when you

-enter the bathroom, each morning!

-There's an old cupboard,

-on the landing.

-Manon has created a storage space

-for her shoe collection here.

-This ladder leads to what will

-eventually become a bedroom.

-Manon enjoys lovely views

-of the Mumbles from her bedroom.

-The office is over here.

-And what an office!

-Everything is within your reach

-when you sit in the chair.

-It's a real seat of power.

-When you're sick of

-ruling the world...

-..there's a balcony.

-I sometimes ask people if the garden

-is an extension of the house.

-Yes, I tried to give the garden

-a similar feel to the house...

-..by using terracotta and slate.

-You'll see the same materials

-and colours in the kitchen.

-I believe the house and the garden

-is a partnership.

-The house sits in the garden

-and the garden is part of the house.

-When you live somewhere,

-study it and work out how to use it.

-You can see

-how the light works in this garden.

-The sun's going down over the bay.

-You instinctively know where to sit

-when you're in the garden.

-React to your surroundings.

-You come from Bangor, originally.

-You've made this area your home.

-No, I'm half and half!

-A branch of my family

-comes from Swansea.

-My mother comes from south Wales,

-so I'm a mongrel!

-I have definitely

-settled in this area.

-I'm very fond of the house

-and of Swansea, too.

-I've lived here for over 20 years

-and this is my home now.

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-I rarely have a chance to stand

-on a roof when I film 04Wal.

-Henry Hughes designed this house

-with half of it underground.

-This roof will soon become a lawn.

-This unique house, near Llangernyw,

-is called Cwrt y Llyn.

-Henry and Gwen Hughes are

-about to move in to their new home.

-As you can see, the back garden

-is still in the development stage.

-The house itself has been completed.

-It was built in the same way

-as most new houses.

-It complies with

-building regulations.

-This two-foot thick concrete wall

-holds back the mounds of earth.

-This means

-there are no windows at the rear.

-The views to the front are stunning.

-Take a look at this lovely lake.

-What made you decide

-to build this house, Henry?

-We thought it would be a wonderful,

-picturesque spot for a house.

-We had to show steely determination.

-We didn't give up...

-..and it took three years to gain

-planning permission for this house.

-Did the fact you intended to build

-half the house underground...

-..help your application?

-..help your application?

-

-Yes.

-It's known as an

-earth sheltered dwelling.

-Did you learn about the

-technical aspects of building work?

-Well, there are certainly

-experts out there...

-..but we didn't seek

-anybody's advice, to be honest.

-Farmers are capable of anything,

-you know!

-We're jacks of all trades.

-We got there, in the end.

-The two foot wall

-is reinforced with steel.

-I know

-you designed the lake yourself.

-Was it always your intention

-to build this house?

-Yes. I think it's a perfect spot.

-I enjoy living near water.

-There's something calming

-about living near water.

-You can relax, without feeling

-as though you should be working.

-Why did you build the house

-on two levels?

-If we'd built a conventional house,

-it would be too obtrusive.

-It slopes upwards gently,

-with the land.

-There's soil on top of

-the first level of the house...

-..and it doesn't look like a house

-that spoils the countryside.

-We tried to make sure it blended in

-with its surroundings.

-We don't want people to notice it.

-The ceiling

-is just over 20 feet high.

-This is the gap

-between the house's external wall...

-..and this amazing, concrete

-retaining wall.

-It's two foot thick and it keeps

-the garden away from the house.

-It's like being in a catacomb

-or in a pyramid.

-It's like

-something out of Tomb Raider!

-There are lots of corners

-to negotiate...

-..before we find ourselves

-back at the front of the house.

-The bedrooms are upstairs.

-This house is set into the land...

-..so there will never be any windows

-on this side of the building.

-There's a bedroom over there.

-This is the bathroom.

-This is another bedroom.

-These huge windows capitalise on

-the glorious view, over the lake.

-You can see the hills

-of Conwy valley.

-You can even see Moel Siabod,

-on a clear day.

-How will they get the mower up here?

-Is this the only room in the house

-where you've had your own way, Gwen?

-No. I had my own way

-in most of the house!

-I chose the paint, and so on.

-Did you choose the kitchen units?

-Did you choose the kitchen units?

-

-Yes.

-It took time

-to get all the colours right.

-Having said that,

-this isn't quite what I wanted.

-I'm afraid

-they'll have to repaint it.

-Have your friends been here?

-Have your friends been here?

-

-Yes, most of them have been here.

-Everyone seems keen to see it,

-because it's unusual.

-It must have created quite a stir.

-It must have created quite a stir.

-

-Yes, and that surprised me.

-I'll sit in that chair, in the

-lounge, and look out of the window.

-I'll watch the swans and look at the

-ever-changing colours of the lake.

-That's my plan, too!

-I'm going to sit down

-and watch the swans.

-I may even do a bit of knitting!

-It may be old-fashioned,

-but I enjoy knitting.

-This is Tremafon,

-Betws Gwerful Goch...

-..the home of Steffan Jones-Hughes,

-Jeanette Orrell, his wife...

-..and Honey and Ellie,

-their children.

-I was born in Bangor but I didn't

-live in Wales until two years ago.

-We moved here from Wigan,

-in the north west of England.

-I have strong links

-with north Wales.

-My grandmother lived in Porthmadog

-for years.

-After we'd moved here...

-..I found out my grandfather's

-family comes from Gwyddelwern.

-Gwyddelwern is just

-over the mountain from here.

-I feel as though

-I've come back home, to my roots.

-Why did you move

-to Betws Gwerful Goch?

-My work brought us here.

-I run the Regional Print Centre

-at Yale College, Wrexham.

-It was very important to me

-to come home, to Wales.

-One of the first things I did

-when we moved here...

-..was to go to Welsh lessons

-at the college.

-It's very important to me.

-The Welsh language

-is part of my heritage.

-I have become

-a bit of a born-again Welshman!

-We moved to Betws Gwerful Goch

-because it's a beautiful place.

-It's quiet...

-..and we felt as though

-we'd reached Heaven.

-This used to be two, smaller houses.

-It makes so much more sense

-to have it as one house.

-There's a door in the middle,

-with a room either side of it.

-There's a very open feel

-to the kitchen.

-It's light and airy.

-Steffan and Jeanette are artists...

-..and their work hangs on the walls

-of the kitchen.

-The children have also

-contributed to the art work.

-The items in the kitchen reflect the

-owners' penchant for quirky things.

-There are wire items everywhere.

-Not just wire whisks...

-..but items like that egg stand

-and the light, over here.

-It adds to the creative atmosphere

-in here.

-Their work is creative but so is

-what they put in their house.

-Over here, in what was

-a separate house, is the lounge.

-What sort of atmosphere is there

-in the house, Steffan?

-We wanted to create

-a calm atmosphere in the house.

-We want it to be a cosy place,

-where we can think.

-We love the fireplace,

-in the living room.

-We also love the view.

-I can sit here for hours, looking at

-the weather changing outside.

-What about the colours you've used?

-They're calm colours, aren't they?

-They're calm colours, aren't they?

-

-Yes. We chose muted colours.

-We like light blue, grey

-and white with a hint of grey.

-They're calming colours.

-Which is your favourite room?

-Which is your favourite room?

-

-The kitchen is my favourite room.

-The Aga keeps it warm and cosy.

-I can sit at the table

-reading, drawing...

-..and helping the children

-with their homework.

-Sometimes, I just sit here to think

-and listen to music.

-There are three bedrooms

-and a bathroom, on the first floor.

-There's access to the attic

-from the first floor.

-It's a confined space...

-..but there's enough room

-for Jeanette and Steffan's studios.

-It's really pleasant up here.

-It feels like a home to us -

-me and my family.

-I'm very happy.

-S4C subtitles by

-Eirlys A Jones