Sir Aberteifi Y Ty Cymreig

-We doubted the existence

-of a quintessentially Welsh house...

-..in past series of Y Ty Cymreig.

-However, we did discover

-distinctive, regional variations.

-In this series, we'll visit

-the former 13 Welsh counties...

-..to solve the mystery

-of the Welsh house.

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-Our whistle-stop tour of the

-counties starts in Cardiganshire.

-My guide is Dr Greg Stevenson

-and his dog, Minti.

-In this programme, we visit

-a Victorian house in Aberystwyth...

-..a farmhouse in Strata Florida

-and a mansion near New Quay.

-Our journey begins in Llanon.

-We start with a house that's

-at the bottom of the social ladder.

-What makes this cottage so special?

-What makes this cottage so special?

-

-This is the Welsh house, for me.

-A whitewashed, thatched cottage with

-corrugated iron over the thatch.

-A house like this usually has a

-window either side of the front door

-Yes, that's true.

-What is now the back of the house

-was the front, originally.

-A cottage was built

-directly in front of it...

-..so they reversed it and this

-has been the front for a century.

-Let's take a look inside.

-This is a real gem.

-It's hardly changed at all.

-This floor is magnificent.

-Yes, pebbles are often used

-in this part of Cardiganshire.

-The worn pebbles look like ropes.

-A house like this, so close to

-the sea, has strong maritime links.

-A child carved pictures of boats

-in the partition.

-There are actual ropes

-in the kitchen.

-Look at this amazing ceiling!

-It almost looks trendy.

-Does it serve a structural purpose?

-Yes, people used straw rope to tie

-down the thatch in the winter.

-The rope keeps

-the bundles of straw in place.

-Another feature reminiscent

-of the house's original period...

-..is this louvre chimney.

-Yes, everything about it

-screams out Cardiganshire.

-This fireplace is so open,

-it has no boundaries.

-They'd burn peat in this fire.

-It suits a thatched cottage

-because it gives off no sparks.

-They could hardly

-have burnt the carpet, anyway!

-What about the garret?

-Is it original?

-There was probably a garret

-from the start...

-..but this was rebuilt

-in the late 19th century.

-They used the sides of an old

-cupboard bed in the ceiling.

-Those aren't planks of wood.

-There must have been thousands of

-houses like this in Cardiganshire.

-Sadly, they've almost all vanished.

-This was the most common

-type of house in this area...

-..but it's now

-the rarest type of house.

-The new houses are the same shape

-but they're bungalows!

-Yes, they're white,

-single-storey properties.

-This house looks older than it is.

-This house looks older than it is.

-

-Yes, it looks really primitive.

-If you want to see

-a really primitive house...

-..follow me, to Llanarth.

-Come on, Minti!

-Some parts of Wales

-are full of 16th century houses.

-That's not true in Cardiganshire,

-other than its castles and churches.

-This is a 15th century house, with

-an extension built in the 1670s...

-..which has a Georgian facade,

-to the left.

-The two parts

-don't sit well together.

-It tells us a lot

-about houses from different periods.

-Henry of Richmond,

-who became Henry VII...

-..stopped here en route to Bosworth.

-The room in which he slept

-has been kept.

-During the 17th century,

-they wanted to create a new house...

-..whilst preserving

-the history of the original house.

-Let's take a look.

-This front door is magnificent.

-Yes.

-It dates back to the 17th century.

-Our tour begins

-in the old part of the house.

-This is the old part of the house.

-This is a lovely room

-with a huge fireplace.

-It's a world away from next door.

-It's really low.

-Dr Dilwyn Thomas

-and Rhiannon, his wife...

-..have lived in Plas y Wern

-for fifty years.

-The pair are as passionate as ever

-about their home.

-We lived in a rented house

-in Llanon for two years.

-We travelled to north Wales

-to visit my parents...

-..and we bought

-'Country Life' in Aberystwyth.

-In it, we saw a picture of this

-place and we learnt it was for sale.

-We were up north for two nights...

-..and we were desperate

-to come back and see the house!

-We fell in love with the house.

-The outside was a mess, there was

-no water and no electricity.

-You're going back a few years.

-Yes, I'm going back almost 50 years.

-A doctor friend of ours said we had

-to be young and very energetic...

-..to be able to tackle the work

-which lay ahead of us here.

-Can we finally walk in

-through the grand front door?

-Yes but first, let's stop

-and marvel at this fantastic door.

-This part of the house

-was built in the 1670s.

-This door

-is original to that period.

-Can you see the three seashells

-above the door?

-They symbolize

-a pilgrimage made by the family.

-They sailed from Cardigan

-to Santiago de Compostela.

-I take it they were Catholics.

-I take it they were Catholics.

-

-Yes, they were very proud Catholics.

-I love the key to this door.

-It's huge!

-I want to take it home with me!

-It's really thick.

-It's really thick.

-

-Yes, it's heavy.

-What a wonderful doorway!

-What a wonderful doorway!

-

-Yes and the carpentry is amazing.

-It's all panelled.

-It's a really lovely room.

-It's a really lovely room.

-

-Yes, it's wonderful.

-This is all pine.

-It looks like oak but it's pine,

-stained to look like oak.

-We associate pine with Scandinavia.

-Yes and that's where

-this pine came from.

-The original receipt for the wood

-is in the National Library.

-It was shipped over

-to Aberystwyth harbour in 1670.

-It's fascinating to learn

-that pine was imported back then.

-The ceiling is stunning.

-Yes, indeed. This house

-is full of remarkable ceilings.

-This one has a Tudor rose

-in the middle and it's lovely.

-The family wanted to underline

-its connection with Henry VII...

-..200 years after his visit!

-Let's enter the drawing room.

-It comes from the term

-'to withdraw'.

-It would be a pleasure

-to withdraw in here.

-It's a really light room.

-Yes, it's entirely different

-from the room next door.

-The paint isn't original.

-It's a Georgian shade but it's only

-been here since the 20th century.

-The fireplace

-is on the gable end wall.

-You can imagine

-how warm these rooms must have been.

-Many people lived in hall houses.

-A house with wood-panelled walls,

-low ceilings and a fireplace...

-..must have been sheer luxury.

-A substantial sum of money must have

-come into this house at some point.

-Wealth was displayed through

-features like wide, fancy stairways.

-Every step is really low too.

-Yes, it's a very gradual staircase.

-They knew how to design a staircase

-in the 17th century.

-I love the spindles.

-This is Henry VII's room.

-This is Henry VII's room.

-

-Is he home?

-We're at the top of the house.

-You might expect to see

-the servants' quarters up here...

-..but what you see here

-is an open hall.

-It's a shock to find this here,

-at the top of the house.

-It was adapted in the 1930s.

-Alistair Graham,

-a friend of Evelyn Waugh...

-..lived here during that period.

-He threw huge, famous,

-allegedly debauched parties.

-This was famous as a party house

-and this was the music room.

-What do you like most

-about this house?

-Peace and tranquillity.

-All the rooms are quiet.

-I sit in my library, which is

-above this room, and feel at peace.

-The world passes me by

-when I'm in there.

-Can you see a time

-when you'll leave this house?

-Yes - in a wooden box.

-I'm not leaving before then!

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-We've seen a modest cottage

-and an impressive mansion.

-What's the next item on the menu?

-You can't make a programme about the

-history of Cardiganshire houses...

-..without including a farmhouse.

-This is a fine example.

-This is a fine example.

-

-What makes it so remarkable?

-We're next to the abbey.

-We all know about the Dissolution

-of Monasteries Act of 1536.

-There was plenty of stone around for

-anyone who wanted to build a house.

-This was built on the foundations

-of an abbey building.

-This is no ordinary farmhouse.

-It's quite grand.

-Yes and that's why I chose it.

-There are plenty of 19th century

-farmhouses in Cardiganshire...

-..with a parlour and a kitchen

-with a staircase in the middle.

-This is surprisingly different.

-Ty'r Abaty has been

-in the Arch family for generations.

-Dai Arch's generation was the

-last one to be raised in the home.

-No-one has lived here for 15 years.

-No-one has lived here for 15 years.

-

-It's been empty for over 15 years.

-Mam was the last person to leave.

-It's been empty since then.

-The Arch family came here when

-they became gamekeepers at Nanteos.

-This place was then

-a part of the Nanteos estate.

-One of the Arch family members then

-settled here and farmed the land.

-You were raised in this house.

-What sort of experience was it?

-What sort of experience was it?

-

-I was one of five children.

-We had no electricity.

-We had a stream of visitors

-and the place was always alive.

-They were happy days.

-We walk straight into the main room,

-which is a huge kitchen.

-The hearth is always the heart

-of the home and this is huge!

-That's a crane

-to lift the cooking pot.

-Yes, it's a great example.

-Up there is the spit rack

-above the fire.

-To store items that weren't in use.

-I'm sure they built another kitchen

-out the back.

-Yes, there's a modern kitchen there.

-There is also a dairy or pantry.

-It's where they'd cure meat,

-make cheese and store milk.

-Was it a productive farm?

-Yes, although the land

-is relatively poor quality here.

-The premier agricultural land

-is in the south of the county.

-Other than this main room, is there

-anything else that's worth seeing?

-Yes, indeed.

-Let's start with the staircase.

-Is it at the rear?

-Is it at the rear?

-

-Yes and you'll soon see why.

-The staircase is fantastic.

-The standard of craftsmanship

-is outstanding.

-The staircase is at the rear

-of the house, which is unusual.

-Was it moved from a prominent

-position at the front of the house?

-Yes, most probably.

-This house has undergone many

-alterations and rebuilding work.

-It's possible the stairs were moved.

-This is the parlour.

-Yes. It's entirely different

-from the kitchen.

-These panels look smoother

-than the ones we saw at Plas y Wern.

-The panel above the fire is

-important - it has a painting on it.

-It's rather dark.

-The figure in the middle

-represents youth...

-..and it's being tempted by evil,

-on the right.

-The owners must have been wealthy.

-The owners must have been wealthy.

-

-Yes, it was an aristocrat's house.

-The picture down there

-dates back to the mid-18th century.

-It's changed since then.

-Yes, it's lost the dormer windows

-and it looks smaller.

-The picture is misleading.

-It seems like an ordinary house.

-It was a mansion in the 18th century

-and a farmhouse in the 19th century.

-It's empty and I worry about it.

-The ceiling's coming down

-and it's damp.

-There's no other house like it

-in Cardiganshire.

-I think of Aberystwyth

-and I think of the Victorian period.

-The train and other Victorian

-additions make the town what it is.

-I agree with you.

-Aberystwyth's golden era was in the

-late 19th and early 20th centuries.

-There are great houses

-from all periods on Llanbadarn Road.

-There are Edwardian properties,

-a 1930's property...

-..and the house we're about to see -

-Garth Celyn.

-The land was

-purchased from Gogerddan estate.

-A man called John Morgan bought it.

-He was an amazing man.

-I believe he was ahead of his time,

-when it came to this house.

-He was well-connected, through

-his work as a timber merchant.

-He commissioned an architect

-from London to design the house.

-He worked hard

-to build the house...

-..but sadly, lived here for only

-four years, before he died.

-Peter Thomas and his family are

-Garth Celyn's latest custodians.

-This is an important Victorian house

-in Aberystwyth.

-Which features do you like?

-I like everything about this house.

-Open a Victorian pattern book

-and you'd expect to see this house.

-They've combined local grey stone

-with yellow and white stones.

-This is typical of Aberystwyth.

-This house faces Llanbadarn Road

-but the entrance is on this side.

-It's a house which has two fronts,

-in a manner of speaking.

-The standard of the exterior

-continues inside.

-This mosaic floor is lovely.

-This mosaic floor is lovely.

-

-Yes.

-The blue tiles are still bright.

-The blue tiles are still bright.

-

-Yes - the work of Italian craftsmen.

-It's unusual

-to have such a long hallway...

-..before you reach

-the centre of the house.

-You can't see the stairs

-from the hall and that's important.

-When you enter a terraced house,

-the stairs are in front of you.

-Here, you walk past the study,

-the parlour and the dining room...

-..before you see

-this high-quality staircase.

-The service area was under the

-stairs behind the obscured glass.

-How many members of staff

-ran this household?

-Four people worked here

-and they lived in the attic.

-Let's see an interesting feature

-on the first floor.

-I don't think we've seen bathrooms

-on Y Ty Cymreig before...

-..but we've seen two fine examples

-in Cardiganshire.

-This was the first bath in

-Aberystwyth plumbed for hot water.

-It's a real whopper.

-Yes, it's deep and it's long.

-I'd love to bathe in it!

-It was fitted in 1884, in the early

-years of baths with running water.

-You rang the bell when you were

-ready to have your back scrubbed!

-"I'm ready for my talc and towels!"

-It looks like a piece of furniture.

-It was just like a parlour,

-with drapes, blinds and wallpaper.

-It looked like every other room.

-A few important people

-have lived here.

-Thomas Darlington bought the house

-in the early 20th century.

-Professor Aaron and his family

-also lived here.

-He bought the house in 1942,

-during the Second World War.

-He was banned from taking residence

-for three years...

-..because the house was commandeered

-by the army.

-They used the house as a hospital.

-If these walls could talk...

-..they'd tell many stories

-and share fascinating experiences.

-Maybe that makes it

-an especially warm house.

-It's a welcoming house.

-We're now in the roof.

-Yes, we're almost in the roof.

-The maids slept here,

-on the third floor.

-There are four rooms

-and one tiny one up here.

-It's no more than a cupboard

-but someone must have slept here...

-..because the walls are panelled.

-It was freezing in the winter!

-Was this beautiful staircase built

-just for that tiny room?

-No, the house's biggest

-and best surprise is up here.

-This is very heavy

-as it's made of lead.

-Let's have a go.

-You can see

-why they wanted a roof terrace.

-What a stunning view!

-We're very lucky because we can see

-the house's original blueprint.

-These are quite rare.

-The roof terrace

-wasn't on the original plan.

-When you look at most blueprints...

-..you see the design

-is more fancy than the end product.

-That's because

-people usually run out of money.

-In this case, they added something

-extra during the building process.

-All it needs

-is a barbecue and a bar!

-Yes, a cocktail bar!

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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