Sir Gaerfyrddin Y Ty Cymreig

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-This week's featured county's

-greatest asset is farming.

-Its agricultural land

-is among the most fertile in Wales.

-That's what allowed

-some of this county's farmers...

-..to build some remarkable houses.

-Welcome to Y Ty Cymreig

-from Carmarthenshire.

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-In this show, an old cottage

-built with the rubble of the past.

-A gentry house

-restored to its original glory.

-A monster of a castle which stands

-within a drop kick of Stradey Park.

-First, a farmhouse which will be

-familiar to some of you.

-In a county which

-relies heavily on agriculture...

-..I assume there's no lack

-of farmhouses in Carmarthenshire!

-No, there's no lack of them...

-..but I struggled

-to find unaltered examples.

-Most farmhouses date back

-only 100 to 150 years.

-Most aren't listed, so they have

-plastic windows and new roofs.

-Their original features

-have been lost.

-This farm has lost

-none of its original features.

-It has appeared in several films...

-..and was the farm - Ffynnon Oer -

-in the TV series "Y Palmant Aur".

-Farmhouses don't come

-much more traditional than this.

-No, but this type of building

-is all too rare in Carmarthenshire.

-It's hard to find a house with

-its original limewashed walls...

-..original sash windows

-and original door.

-The houses of Carmarthenshire

-have all been renovated.

-This was the farmhouse

-in "Y Palmant Aur".

-It has featured

-in other films too.

-Yes, it appeared in a Spanish film

-and in "Tan ar y Comin".

-It's rather sad that we must always

-come to the same house...

-..if we want to view a traditional

-Carmarthenshire farmhouse.

-Tell me about the porch.

-Tell me about the porch.

-

-It isn't original.

-However,

-it is typical of the county.

-You'll see several of these

-in Newcastle Emlyn.

-It's a feature added especially

-for "Tan ar y Comin".

-The most important thing

-about this house...

-..is its relation to the

-outbuildings around the farmyard.

-Howell Jones owned this farm

-in Victorian times.

-He went to an agricultural college

-in Edinburgh...

-..and he was the first Welshman

-to study agriculture.

-He came home bursting with new ideas

-about how to run the perfect farm.

-Victorians ran farms like machines

-and had a room for every purpose.

-It ran like clockwork and it's still

-a fully-functioning farm.

-Those are the stables

-and the farmhands' bedrooms.

-Next to that is the barn

-and the cowshed is at the bottom.

-All of this was one huge cowshed.

-Cattle were kept indoors

-for six months during the winter.

-This was the first farm in Wales

-to produce silage.

-They had plenty of feed

-to last all winter.

-These were the best stables.

-There were six horses on that side

-and three on this side.

-It's a different class of stabling,

-as this was the mansion's home farm.

-The best horses were stabled there.

-That's the coach house.

-David and Jinsy Robinson

-now farm here.

-The outbuildings are used every day,

-as you'd expect on a modern farm.

-They're very aware of the history...

-..and they strive to keep the house

-and farmyard unaltered.

-We enjoy living here.

-We're fortunate to work and live

-in a beautiful spot.

-We must keep it beautiful

-and stop it from crumbling.

-We must maintain the roof.

-If the roof goes, everything goes.

-I've repaired

-the roofs, windows and doors.

-The original roof timbers

-remain in place.

-Behind the sheds that are in view,

-there are a few modern sheds.

-We have silage pits

-and we use modern machines.

-We keep the 21st century machinery

-off the farmyard.

-We make a living from our dairy herd

-and from our sheep.

-From the nature of the floor,

-I sense a wall has been demolished.

-The interior

-is not really what you'd expect.

-Yes, the exterior is unaltered

-but it's a different story inside.

-The stone arch

-has left me completely baffled.

-There wasn't a fireplace there.

-The house is one of the earliest

-barn conversions in Wales!

-David renovated the fireplace.

-David also added the wooden arch

-to support the beams above here...

-..and he created

-this wonderful furniture.

-He's a first-class carpenter.

-I enjoy it and it's cheaper

-than buying furniture.

-I make furniture

-to the exact dimensions we require.

-Carpentry was taught properly

-in my schooldays.

-It's in the blood, as they say.

-It comes easily to me.

-What does the future hold

-for the house?

-I hope my children carry on,

-as I carried on my father's work.

-We'll take good care of it and give

-our children a chance to live here.

-Where on earth have you brought me?

-It's a traditional farmhouse

-in a county famed for agriculture.

-Yes, it's a traditional

-Carmarthenshire farmhouse.

-The house was built circa 1900.

-It's great to see the cowshed,

-the stables and the barn...

-..with their original windows.

-We're here to see

-what's behind the farmhouse.

-Oh, we're here to see that! Alright.

-The original house and the new house

-are on the same site.

-Almost all the thatched cottages

-in Carmarthenshire have disappeared.

-It's great to see

-a vernacular cottage...

-..next to a traditional 1900s house.

-It's crying out for slate

-or even red tiles!

-Yes - concrete tiles!

-You're about to say the thatch

-isn't tied correctly in the chimney!

-No, I'm just delighted to see

-a thatched roof in Carmarthenshire.

-It's good to see a thatched chimney,

-which is typical of this area.

-I also love

-the limewashed gable end.

-The interior

-is as traditional as the exterior.

-It's stunning!

-The design is simplicity itself.

-There's a kitchen

-with a huge fireplace.

-The louvre chimney

-is also typical of Carmarthenshire.

-The modern kitchen

-is in what was the parlour.

-The bedroom is in the garret.

-In what condition was it

-before the renovation?

-Only the foundations remained.

-Everything you see is brand new.

-They've done a great job.

-They stuck to the original design

-with a kitchen and a parlour.

-There were pigsties

-where the bathroom stands...

-..and a garret.

-The detail is good - things like the

-louvre chimney and limewashed walls.

-The trusses with scarf joints

-are traditional to this area.

-A few things in this house

-look more modern.

-The oak looks new

-and indeed, is quite new.

-They haven't tried to disguise

-the fact that it's a modern house.

-They don't want to live in the past

-but they respect the original house.

-The work of realizing the dream...

-..was in the hands of the

-young farm owner, Robin Whelans.

-I started in 2003

-and I've only just finished.

-I've done everything.

-It has a new thatch, new windows

-and new floors.

-The materials are all local.

-The timber, the stone

-and even the curtain fabric.

-The hazel for the louvre chimney

-grew right here.

-Did you use only local materials?

-Yes, apart from the thatched roof -

-the reeds came from Turkey.

-There are over 2,500 wine bottles

-under the floor.

-We used them

-to create an insulation effect.

-Do they insulate the floor?

-Do they insulate the floor?

-

-Yes, in theory!

-This is the old pigsty.

-It's a small room

-but it makes a lovely bathroom.

-This is wonderful.

-Yes. It's very simple.

-It's lucky we're in the countryside

-because this leads onto the yard.

-I'm glad there's a bolt on the door,

-or we'd all see your jingle-jangles!

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-I may have misled you.

-Not everyone lived in a farmhouse

-in the old Carmarthenshire.

-Some people were rich enough

-to build gentry houses...

-..like Neuadd Fawr, Llanwrda.

-It has remained unchanged

-since the reign of Charles II...

-..give or take a few coats of paint!

-It looks fantastic in this setting.

-Has it always looked like this?

-No, the house was empty and going

-to wrack and ruin five years ago.

-It saddened me to see the place.

-It took three years

-to restore this house...

-..and it has blossomed

-into a fantastic Welsh house.

-Do you think the ochre limewash

-covered the original walls?

-The house

-dates back to the 17th century.

-It's a classic design

-from that period.

-Limewash was red, ochre, orange

-and salmon pink in those days.

-The gentry demonstrated their wealth

-in features like limewash colours.

-It was a bit flashy, wasn't it?

-Orange!

-Yes. This was a very flashy house.

-It's called

-Neuadd Fawr (Great Hall).

-It's certainly great

-but is it a hall house?

-No, this isn't a hall house.

-A hall house may have stood

-on this site before it was built.

-As you can see,

-it isn't an open, hall house.

-It was built

-in the late 17th century...

-..and this was a brand new design.

-A central corridor with a room

-on each side and a rear staircase.

-We still use this design, of course.

-This is a wide corridor.

-You could drive a coach

-through here!

-Were these partition walls

-included in the original house?

-These are new walls, rebuilt during

-the recent renovation.

-You can see where the originals were

-from the beams.

-The corridor was always this wide.

-It was the most important house in

-Llanwrda and indicative of wealth.

-They had a fancy staircase and a

-chimney down the side of the house.

-Ceilings were also innovative.

-Many people lived in open,

-hall houses in the 17th century.

-It was a fancy, or very grand house.

-What's the story behind the house?

-It was a wedding present...

-..from Mr Powell, the squire,

-to his daughter.

-She married a barrister from Dublin.

-They built the best house

-money could buy for her...

-..in a successful attempt

-to get her to move back home.

-The furniture fits in well,

-in my opinion.

-Does it suit

-the 17th century period?

-Yes,

-they are almost all Welsh pieces.

-Dan Clayton-Jones, the owner,

-wanted to renovate the property...

-..and create a Welsh house.

-He bought

-17th and 18th century furniture.

-It creates a lovely atmosphere.

-I'm very fond of the tapestry

-on the wall.

-The subject of the tapestry

-is a wedding celebration...

-..which is apt for a house

-which was a wedding present.

-The floor slants in all directions!

-I've never felt this drunk

-while being stone cold sober!

-The structure of the house

-has subsided.

-They worked hard

-to rescue the building.

-Repairs were carried out

-to the stairs.

-Steel was used upstairs

-to tie the walls together.

-What with the bowing walls

-and the heavy roof...

-..we're lucky it's still standing.

-Much of Carmarthenshire's wealth

-stems from agriculture...

-..but the industrial revolution

-created pockets of money...

-..in certain parts of the county,

-such as Llanelli.

-The wealth which created this house

-came from industry and farming.

-It's hard to believe we're only

-a mile from Llanelli town centre.

-This is a different world.

-Yes, and we're looking

-at a Victorian mansion...

-..in an amazing setting.

-This is the sort of house

-you usually detest!

-You know me too well!

-The more I learn about houses

-like this, the more I love them.

-It's great, once you understand

-what they were trying to create.

-It's a fascinating place.

-Stradey Castle replaced the old,

-traditional Mansel Lewis home.

-This new mansion

-boasted great sea views...

-..and was also far away from

-the noise and fumes of industry.

-This looks like a Victorian house...

-..with one or two echoes

-of medieval times.

-Yes,

-that's what they tried to create.

-They wanted to build

-a Tudor mansion...

-..but building work

-didn't start until 1847.

-What Victorian features

-can be seen in this building?

-Everything about this house

-is trying to be Tudor.

-The shape and size of the windows.

-The crenellations -

-the frames above the bay window.

-This is a house of two halves.

-The main chunk of it is behind us

-and the far end is an extension...

-..built 20 years

-after the main part.

-Stradey Castle was so vast,

-a few rooms were never completed...

-..and others weren't utilized.

-It was an amazing playground for a

-child who is now heir to the estate.

-When I was a child, I was very happy

-to live in the house.

-It was wonderful

-to live in a big house like this.

-My sisters and I

-had lots of fun in this house.

-We'd climb up the stairs

-and out onto the flat roof.

-We'd run around the cellars

-and the basement.

-This is what I'd call

-an impressive lobby!

-This must be the best

-Victorian stairwell in Wales.

-Really splendid.

-You wouldn't design something like

-this for your family, would you?

-This has to be a public space.

-The staircase invites us upstairs,

-so our journey begins there.

-It's really dark.

-Imagine how it would have been with

-the original, dark wallpaper, too!

-The house's main feature

-is that remarkable lantern!

-Good heavens!

-It's a replica

-of a medieval lantern.

-The carving is almost out of this

-world! It's wonderful.

-It's there to illuminate

-the paintings on the walls.

-This house feels

-like a public art gallery.

-When you walk in,

-you see this huge painting.

-There are important paintings

-on every wall of this house.

-Many of the rooms of this mansion

-were designed to display art.

-This family has strong links

-to the art world.

-Charles William Mansel Lewis was

-the famous artist in this family.

-His work and the work of

-Hubert Herkomer, a German artist...

-..is displayed here.

-Charles William Mansel Lewis,

-my great-grandfather...

-..met an artist

-called Hubert Herkomer in London.

-The two young men

-became great friends.

-One painting

-was on an artist's easel...

-..in a studio on King's Road.

-It was entitled

-"After the Toil of the Day".

-My great-grandfather

-loved the painting so much...

-..he bought it on the spot!

-The two men had opportunities

-to meet here at Stradey.

-Herkomer certainly influenced

-my great-grandfather's work...

-..and I believe...

-..that my great-grandfather

-influenced Herkomer's work in turn.

-The rooms are so spacious...

-..there's plenty of room here to

-display these wonderful paintings.

-They're over 100 years old...

-..and they appear

-as if they've always been here.

-The original plan

-was to create an ancient mansion...

-..and now,

-it has an air of authenticity.

-Yes, it's started to adopt

-that original style.

-These people were pioneers.

-This was one of the first houses

-in Wales to have electricity...

-..and they still use

-the 110 volt system.

-This is a lovely dining room

-with a stunning fireplace...

-..that wouldn't look out of place

-in the Palace of Westminster.

-It reminds me of Pugin's work.

-Wow, Aled! You've got to see this!

-It's fantastic.

-It's the original bath.

-Look at these brass taps

-and this incredible shower head!

-It's deep.

-It's really deep!

-You could get

-the whole Scarlets team in here.

-It's great!

-You climbed three steps to get in.

-You climbed three steps to get in.

-

-I'll go down three steps to get out!

-People take a keen interest

-in houses like Stradey...

-..but I don't want

-to turn it into a museum.

-Stradey is steeped in heritage

-of historical interest...

-..but essentially,

-Stradey is my family home.

-It's very important

-that Stradey remains my home.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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