Pennod 12 04 Wal

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-Tonight, an amazing barn conversion

-in Pembrokeshire.

-A childhood dream to turn a mill

-into a home comes true in Lleyn.

-And last, but not least,

-another mill, on Anglesey.

-Welcome to 04Wal.

-I've been very lucky.

-I've been happy, wherever I've been.

-I've never had regrets

-about leaving a certain house...

-..or yearned to live somewhere else.

-I've been happy, wherever I've been.

-That's been true since my childhood

-and I realise I'm very lucky.

-Joy Gardner has moved around

-quite a lot.

-She has a real talent

-for interior design.

-She's currently working on these

-farm buildings, near Fishguard.

-The building was here

-but no-one had ever lived in it.

-I happened to drive past

-and I was looking for a property.

-I saw a For Sale sign, so I drove

-up the narrow track, to the house.

-There were no floors,

-no bathrooms and no running water.

-Work was underway on the roof,

-so there was a structure.

-It was too dark for me.

-I wanted more skylights

-and fewer internal walls!

-The basic plans were there for me.

-There's a lovely feel to it.

-I'm the first person to live here

-and that's special.

-Animals lived here before me and I

-hope they weren't too unhappy here.

-This place was full of swallows.

-Hundreds of them.

-There were times

-when I doubted my own sanity!

-I'd left a lovely house,

-which was spot-on, to come here.

-I had a camp bed, which I moved

-from one room to the next...

-..while the builders

-laid the concrete floors.

-Living with the swallows

-was amazing.

-I'd do it all again,

-just for that experience.

-Where did you start,

-when you bought all these buildings?

-I started with the wing which is

-now let out to holidaymakers.

-I lived in that wing for a year...

-..while building work continued

-in the rest of the house.

-I sit here to watch television.

-I read in the room behind me.

-It's a dining hall.

-Straight through.

-There are no doors or curtains.

-I've been to many houses where

-there are rooms that are never used.

-But I can walk all around my house,

-straight through.

-This is the area of this huge room

-which you use as a kitchen.

-Yes, that's right.

-When my family is here, I can cook

-on the worktop, over there...

-..and they eat over there,

-so we can have a chat.

-You've divided this room

-into several compartments...

-..within the huge space.

-I had to do that

-because it is a big room.

-If I didn't have enough furniture

-and I didn't use it regularly...

-..it would look like a barn

-and I don't want that.

-That's what it is!

-That's what it is!

-

-Not like a barn that's empty.

-I added that small balcony,

-to make it a little bit different.

-I wanted to add

-a Spanish, or even a Mexican touch.

-I wanted plenty of variety here.

-This is an eclectic collection

-of furniture...

-..but they all go together.

-Yes. I don't like matching items.

-I like things

-which are completely different.

-This mirror is handmade.

-The wood came from old masts.

-I like to think I've created

-something with a homely feel to it.

-Did you design the slate slabs?

-Did you design the slate slabs?

-

-Yes, I designed everything.

-I wanted natural-looking brickwork

-and slate worktops.

-It's local Welsh slate.

-I wanted it to reflect its origin,

-an old barn.

-You found a clever means

-of letting in natural light.

-These glass bricks are wonderful.

-Yes, they certainly help.

-The bedroom itself

-was a little bit on the dark side.

-I wanted to make it lighter.

-What exactly is up there?

-Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and

-the piece de resistance, my bedroom.

-I can step out onto my balcony

-and watch the ferry sail to Ireland.

-I can go up there and shut the door,

-no matter who's in the house.

-I can get some peace and quiet.

-"Me time", as they say.

-"Me time", as they say.

-

-"Me time" - that's right.

-Is this is the entrance hall?

-Is this is the entrance hall?

-

-Yes, that's right.

-The main entrance hall

-and the formal dining room.

-This is your lounge. Wow!

-This is your lounge. Wow!

-

-Yes, this is the lounge.

-This is a wonderful room

-in which to lounge around and relax.

-The huge window contributes greatly

-to the ambience of the room.

-I'm not sure how this room

-would feel without it.

-I wouldn't want to sit in here,

-if it didn't have the window!

-It gives you access

-to a breathtaking view...

-..and I think this room

-would be too dark, without it.

-I kept the floor light, too.

-I kept the floor light, too.

-

-Yes, it's a reflective surface.

-I'm fond of reflective surfaces.

-I have lots of mirrors

-but I don't wish to look in them!

-Mirrors make rooms feel bigger.

-Mirrors make rooms feel bigger.

-

-Yes, it's all down to perspective.

-Yes, it's all down to perspective.

-I love the fact there are no rooms

-on the other side of these walls.

-I live in the whole house.

-It's very important to me.

-What's going on up here, Joy?

-I sneak off up there

-when I fancy an afternoon snooze!

-Nobody knows I'm there.

-I also go up there

-to take in the stunning view.

-You can see the sea and boats

-from there.

-You can see the farmyard, the donkey

-and the horse from the other side.

-It's also going to be my study.

-Let's go up

-and see this amazing view.

-Some viewers may think

-this is a big house for one person.

-Would you agree with that?

-Would you agree with that?

-

-No. It depends on the individual.

-Some choose a small car,

-some choose a big car.

-I enjoy having room to move around

-in my home.

-If I lived in a smaller house...

-..I'd have to go out more

-and join clubs and societies.

-I prefer

-to live in a spacious house.

-Does the house's interior

-complement the building?

-Yes. Absolutely.

-It must complement it.

-I tried to keep it

-as natural as possible.

-I didn't try to make it fancy.

-I just left it as plain as possible.

-I can see the sea,

-as I sit here now.

-I can also see the mountains

-from the house.

-It's a wonderful place to live.

-I'll be very sad when I leave.

-Do you plan to move house?

-Do you plan to move house?

-

-You can never say never.

-I'm very happy but you never know.

-I'd love to have enough money

-to buy another property, do it up...

-..sell this

-and move in, at my leisure.

-I must think long and hard about

-what I do when I leave this place.

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-Robert David grew up on this farm,

-in Lleyn.

-It was his dream to live in the mill

-on the farm land, some day.

-He's making his dream come true.

-This is your new project, Robert...

-..but you're very familiar

-with this collection of buildings.

-Yes. Absolutely.

-This is the biggest challenge

-I've faced.

-There's a bit of work

-to be done to it, as you can see!

-It's in a state of disrepair but the

-character is there for all to see.

-The local stone is fantastic.

-This part of the building

-must be demolished, unfortunately.

-The mill itself was built

-completely differently.

-It's solid

-and work on it is underway.

-There was no need to demolish it.

-The house and the kiln

-must be demolished and rebuilt.

-How did the farm

-come into your family?

-Through my

-great-great-great-grandfather.

-I think that's right!

-He bought the farm and the mill.

-They came together, as one lot.

-They were sold by the Madryn estate,

-who owned most of Lleyn.

-This lot came up and it included

-the mill and the farm.

-People lived here

-as recently as the 1950s.

-I first came down here in the 1960s,

-when I was five years old.

-I'd come here, with Mam, to feed

-the hens that lived in the house.

-This place must bring back

-happy memories of your childhood.

-Yes, it was my place.

-It was a very private place for me.

-I'd come here with my dog

-and daydream.

-My imagination ran wild...

-..as I thought of all the things

-I could do with the place.

-I never thought I'd do it, mind you.

-But that's what is happening

-and my partner and I will live here.

-This is an ambitious plan.

-How will Robert intertwine

-the old and the new?

-Only this part of the building

-was actually a mill?

-Yes, that's right.

-This was the working mill.

-The house is next to the mill.

-The idea is for the mill downstairs

-to be our kitchen and dining room.

-There will be a large kitchen

-on the ground floor.

-This room, above the kitchen,

-will be a living room.

-It's going to be open-plan.

-This will be a large, light room.

-There are three windows in the front

-and one at the rear.

-French doors lead you to the back,

-which is at first floor level.

-Our back garden

-will be at first floor level.

-Will that be a patio area?

-Yes, we'll remove some of the soil

-and level it.

-We'll sit out there,

-in the morning sunshine.

-Let's step outside,

-onto what will be your patio.

-You're actually

-standing on the kiln.

-This will be the landing.

-There will be a glass corridor,

-running along the back of the house.

-You step out of the living room,

-onto the landing...

-..and through a glass corridor,

-which will be on stilts.

-The corridor runs along

-the length of the house.

-You gain access

-to the three bedrooms...

-..through the glass corridor.

-The bathroom will be

-behind where you're standing.

-The landing will be here...

-..and the staircase

-will be on that side of the house.

-It's a revolutionary design,

-to say the least!

-Yes, you could say that.

-The idea, in a sense,

-is to re-create the old place.

-The outside must not

-look drastically different.

-It was a stipulation that we

-rebuild it in its current footprint.

-We must use Welsh slate

-and the original stone.

-Insulation is crucial.

-Will you create a modern home

-from an old building?

-Yes. This section is the modern part

-of the house.

-Nobody can see it -

-not even from the field, below us.

-We'll be able to see how well

-the modern blends in with the old.

-We want to include elements of the

-original building in the new one.

-It was important to us

-to build something modern, too.

-Some people believe

-fate decides where you live.

-Some call it providence.

-Imagine this - you're sailing,

-your boat capsizes...

-..and you're in danger of drowning.

-Luckily, the tide takes you to this

-haven which happens to be for sale.

-That must be some sort of sign,

-don't you agree?

-My wife was sailing

-on the Menai Straits.

-Her boat capsized.

-My wife was in the water.

-The river Menai

-carried my wife downstream...

-..until she'd reached the mill.

-She saw a For Sale sign here.

-Pedr Gledhill is a vicar.

-He and Brigit, his wife, moved to

-this old mill around 15 years ago.

-There's a studio on the ground

-floor, a flat on the first floor...

-..and their home

-is on the second and third floors.

-The old mill was empty.

-It was a furniture store.

-We had to transform it.

-It was for sale,

-so you felt compelled to buy it?

-Yes, the idea came to us instantly.

-It was very reasonably priced,

-because it was lying empty.

-Nobody else wanted this building.

-What sort of condition was it in,

-when you bought it?

-The old mill was completely empty,

-when we bought it...

-..and this was the only floor

-in the building.

-First of all, we concentrated

-our efforts on the ground floor.

-We gradually reached the two upper

-floors and we moved up there.

-You used wood from various other

-buildings to renovate the house.

-Yes.

-When we were working on the mill...

-..we were always on the lookout for

-suitable additions to the building.

-The stairs came

-from an old Welsh chapel.

-We also have some wood

-which came from Porth Penrhyn.

-And so on.

-Why did you leave this room open

-to the roof?

-My wife is very fond of space.

-There is certainly a feeling

-of spaciousness in the old mill.

-My wife isn't the only one

-who enjoys it.

-Visitors often comment

-on how lovely and spacious it is.

-When you come in

-through the main entrance...

-..you have no concept

-of how vast this building really is.

-This kitchen is on the third floor.

-Wood is very prominent

-in this kitchen.

-Much of it is old and has been given

-a new lease of life.

-You feel a sense of its history.

-You see stunning views of the river,

-even from here.

-Here's the house's crowning glory -

-the space.

-Only two people live here...

-..and there's enough room

-to do everything.

-The room is divided up, either with

-a bannister and a handrail...

-..or with these lovely drapes.

-Pedr and Bridget

-have a large family...

-..and there are lots

-of personal items in the house.

-It's not clutter. Every item

-says something about their family.

-My family lived in Burma.

-Some of the items came from Burma.

-Some items came from Wales...

-..and some came from Jamaica,

-where we worked for a few years.

-I love it

-because it looks beautiful.

-I'm also fond of it

-because it's a historical building.

-I'm also fond of this house

-because it's very homely.

-The time has come

-for them to move again.

-Pedr and Bridget will take many

-things with them, when they move.

-Memories, furniture, books.

-They've invested so much

-of themselves in this house.

-The tiles around the windows,

-for example.

-They'll leave more behind

-than they take with them...

-..especially the view.

-Have you enjoyed living here?

-Yes. It was a very valuable time.

-A very valuable time.

-That's what I want to say.

-I've lived here for a longer period

-than any other place.

-As it says in the Bible, "The Son of

-Man hath nowhere to lay his head".

-Sometimes, that's exactly how it is

-for a vicar.

-S4C subtitles by

-Eirlys A Jones