Yr Wyddgrug Y Dref Gymreig

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-Mold has

-something of a troubled history.

-The hill behind me

-saw plenty of bloodshed...

-..even before the Normans turned up.

-It has seen battles since then, too.

-Throw in a church built

-to mark a war victory...

-..the Industrial Revolution, Daniel

-Owen and some architectural gems...

-..and you have

-this episode of Y Dref Gymreig.

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-In this programme, the tower where

-the mayor of Chester was hanged...

-..family portraits

-hanging in Gwysaney Hall...

-..the innovative houses

-of nuclear scientists...

-..and confident

-local council architecture.

-First, the Motte and Bailey

-above the town of Mold.

-Our journey through Mold

-and the area...

-..begins here, on the Motte.

-This isn't very familiar

-even to those who live here...

-..but this is the root of the town.

-Yes, we're standing

-on the old castle Motte.

-This Motte and Bailey

-was the start of the town proper.

-It was a Norman town.

-This castle was built by the

-Montalt family in the 11th century.

-The origin of the name Mold

-may be the Montalt family.

-They built a timber castle here.

-It wasn't made of stone.

-There are no stones here,

-which is interesting.

-Every town has a purpose.

-What is Mold's purpose?

-What is Mold's purpose?

-

-It's a market town.

-People came here to sell their wares

-and the town developed from there.

-Mold was a small town

-until the 15th century.

-It subsequently developed.

-The Industrial Revolution

-created the modern Mold.

-There's a lot of coal and lead

-in the area.

-There were important brickworks

-and potteries in the town.

-It's the only

-truly industrial town we've seen.

-The town was established here,

-so what came next?

-We'll leave the Bailey and head down

-to the High Street and the church.

-Come on, then! Let's go!

-We've come down the hill from

-the Bailey to the top of town.

-This is Saint Mary's Church

-which towers over the town.

-This is the best possible spot

-to build a church.

-Yes, that's true.

-The High Street

-follows the medieval pattern...

-..so we should see

-the town's oldest building here.

-The church dates back to 1485.

-It was built by Margaret Beaufort,

-the mother of Henry Tudor...

-..as a gift to Mold to celebrate

-Henry's victory at Bosworth.

-This church

-has been restored a few times.

-The tower was rebuilt

-in the mid-18th century.

-The Victorians had some fun with it,

-but it's still beautiful.

-The people of Mold were never

-afraid of rebuilding things...

-..so it doesn't have the feel

-of a heritage town.

-Nothing here is precious.

-People are happy to

-demolish buildings and rebuild them.

-Where you see these railings,

-there once stood houses and shops.

-There are gaps on the High Street

-where shops once stood.

-This town

-is still regenerating itself.

-We're standing on Earl Street.

-There's a uniformity

-about the buildings here.

-Yes, that's because they were built

-by one man during one period.

-That man was a local architect

-called Fred Roberts.

-He designed the town hall

-and the Territorial Force building.

-He also designed Earl Chambers,

-behind us.

-He adopted a Neo-Baroque style,

-and it's great.

-Fred Roberts wasn't famous.

-He only did work in and around Mold.

-He designed houses, and he won a

-few big commissions, like this one.

-The uniformity I mentioned

-ends right there!

-This is Mold

-and something had to be pulled down!

-They probably demolished whatever

-was on that side of the street.

-There's a statue

-of Daniel Owen on the square.

-It's the work of Goscombe John,

-the famous sculptor.

-Our tour of of Mold

-and the area continues...

-..with a visit

-to a 17th-century mansion.

-It belongs to

-the Cooke-Davies family.

-Built by John ap David...

-..the family can trace its history

-to the times of Rhodri the Great.

-We're on the outskirts of Mold.

-We're at Gwysaney Hall,

-looking towards the border.

-Tell me about this place.

-Tell me about this place.

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-It's a wonderful Jacobean mansion.

-The main house was rebuilt

-in around 1603.

-That's the oldest side

-of the building.

-This side is a Victorian extension.

-The original house

-was built in an H shape...

-..but it's hard to work out today

-since a chunk of it has been lost.

-This wing was one side of the H.

-The middle section

-was the bar in the middle of the H.

-There was another wing, but it had

-to be demolished in Victorian times.

-That's why the house

-looks so asymmetrical today.

-There's a date and a name

-on the door.

-The year 1640.

-Yes, but this door

-is older than that.

-It's thought this was

-the front door which stood here...

-..before the mansion was rebuilt

-in 1603.

-It's really old.

-During the Civil War,

-this family had Royalist links...

-..making this

-a target for Parliamentarian troops.

-It's believed Cromwell's men

-damaged this door.

-That would explain

-the extensive repair work.

-It's a beautiful, decorative door.

-I'm freezing! Let's step inside.

-We immediately meet the family,

-thanks to these portraits.

-Yes, it's an exceptional collection.

-It includes a portrait of every

-family member who has lived here.

-There are portraits dating back

-from Tudor times to present times.

-There's a dining table here,

-but this is the hallway.

-These panels aren't in every room.

-They spent money on the room

-you see upon entering the house.

-This painting

-isn't a portrait of this house.

-It's a house which has family links.

-It's a house which has family links.

-

-Yes, this is Llannerch.

-It's another family mansion.

-Unfortunately,

-it has since been lost.

-Only the outbuildings have survived.

-It's a fantastic,

-17th-century painting.

-It tells us about

-family's passion for their estate.

-This old photograph album

-is fascinating.

-These are Victorian photos,

-from the 1880s.

-The house had been extended

-by that time.

-They are very romantic photographs.

-The photographs of the town show

-the family had close ties to Mold.

-There are photos of the High Street

-and the church in here.

-It's a wonderful,

-deeply personal collection.

-We've entered a room

-to the right of the central hall.

-This is the parlour.

-Is this the fireplace

-you wanted me to see?

-Yes, it's interesting.

-Most of what you see

-dates back to Jacobean times...

-..but the fireplace doesn't.

-Parts of it are Jacobean...

-..but the Victorians had fun with it

-when the house was transformed.

-Those two newel posts

-came from the house's old staircase.

-They were re-used to create

-a fancy, Victorian design.

-It's difficult to say

-which part comes from what period...

-..but we certainly know

-the staircase has been moved.

-Yes. This is a Jacobean staircase,

-dating back to the 17th century...

-..but the Victorians moved it.

-One wing of this building

-was demolished.

-There was a large gable

-on this side...

-..where that lovely bay window

-now stands.

-The staircase may have

-originally been on this side.

-It's still here,

-although it was redesigned.

-The wood and the balusters

-are Jacobean.

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-Our tour of Mold continues

-along the High Street.

-The Assembly Rooms

-is a majestic building.

-What do you know about it?

-It stands at the heart of Mold,

-on the crossroads.

-Important buildings

-have always stood here.

-Leete Hall stood here in Tudor times

-but this building isn't Tudor.

-It dates back to 1849 and

-was designed by Alfred Lockwood.

-This central crossroads

-gives the town a village-type feel.

-That's what

-makes it feel as though...

-..this town has grown very naturally

-from here.

-The old photos show a memorial stone

-in the middle of this junction.

-They decided to get rid of it.

-I think it was a mistake because

-the traffic here is very busy.

-If the stone still stood there,

-it would be quieter and safer.

-There is the road that leads down

-from the church on the hill.

-From here, you can appreciate

-just how big the church is.

-It dominates Mold High Street.

-This is The Tower

-on the outskirts of Mold.

-It looks as if it belongs to

-four or five different periods.

-Yes, that's true.

-It's an old example of a tower house

-and it's unusual.

-This is the first tower house

-we've seen...

-..on this series of Y Ty Cymreig.

-There isn't

-a tower house tradition in Wales.

-In medieval Scotland and Ireland,

-people built tower houses.

-They are castellated houses.

-In Wales, it was traditional

-to build hall houses.

-The tall tower

-is the original house.

-You can also see touches from the

-17th century and Victorian times.

-The tower looks more recent

-than any other part of the house.

-Yes, but that is the oldest section

-of the property.

-The Victorians re-dressed

-some of the external stones.

-That's why they seem newer.

-These large windows

-weren't here, originally.

-Rheinallt Gruffydd ap Bleddyn

-lived here...

-..and the ground floor was fortified

-since this was a castellated house.

-Large windows

-don't make a building secure!

-In a house with links to

-so many different periods...

-..there are several features

-on the front of the house.

-Yes. The 18th century

-and Victorian features are great.

-Things like the gargoyles

-on the corners of the tower...

-..and the section of wall

-built to look like crenellations.

-The maculations remind me of the

-work of Burgess in Cardiff Castle.

-Let's take a look inside.

-We're on the ground floor

-of the tower.

-The barrelled ceiling looks old.

-Yes, that's the original ceiling.

-The craftsmanship is fantastic.

-This was built in the 15th century.

-This sort of stonework

-is linked with that period.

-It's top quality work.

-Almost everything else

-in this room...

-..dates back only

-to the 18th or 19th centuries.

-The Victorians created

-this splendid oak fireplace.

-This panelling dates back

-only to the 1870s...

-..but it helps create

-a fantastic ambience.

-Yes, there's a very baronial feel

-to the room.

-There's style and status about it.

-I know an interesting story

-about this room.

-Do you see the hook in the ceiling?

-Do you see the hook in the ceiling?

-

-Yes.

-It's believed the mayor of Chester

-was hanged there, in 1465.

-Who was that poor man

-and why was he hanged?

-His name was Robert Byrne...

-..and his crime was to insult

-a friend of Rheinallt's.

-He was shopping in Mold,

-years later...

-..and he was captured

-by Reinallt's men.

-They brought him here

-and, apparently, hanged him.

-An unfortunate end

-to a day in the sales!

-Yes, slightly!

-In the history of Y Ty Cymreig

-and Y Dref Gymreig...

-..we've never seen a house

-from this period.

-That's true. Isn't it fantastic?

-It looks like a 1930s house,

-but it was built in 1941...

-..when World War II was raging.

-It was built for the staff

-of a local Mold factory.

-It was an ICI factory -

-Imperial Chemical Industries.

-They were developing mustard gas,

-and such nasties.

-They were also working on

-a secret project to split the atom.

-They split the atom in Mold!

-The scientists lived here.

-This period

-has some interesting features.

-Take this corner, for example,

-built with curved bricks.

-Yes, it's totally modernist.

-Across the street, you'll see

-some typical 1930s houses.

-It's a stunning contrast.

-Modernists

-like Le Corbusier and Bauhaus...

-..built houses on the continent

-during the 1920s.

-This was built in 1941, and it's

-modern enough to be built today.

-There's a lot of concrete

-in this house.

-Concrete wasn't a new material,

-but it was rarely used in houses.

-It does have a concrete structure,

-though it looks like a brick house.

-There's hardly any wood

-in this house.

-These are local, curved

-Buckley bricks.

-This design reflected the lifestyle

-of the 1930s and 1940s.

-These designs were new

-and very, very modern.

-Catrin Davies and her family

-live in Eirianell.

-You've done quite a lot of work

-to the house.

-Yes, we built the extension

-two years ago.

-It has given us a new kitchen

-and a new bedroom.

-Was it important to you...

-..to make sure the extension matched

-the style of the original house?

-Yes, although we struggled

-to find a similar brick.

-They don't make Buckley Bricks

-any more...

-..but a company from Warrington

-made the bricks for us.

-The original bricks are narrow and

-finding something to match was hard.

-The house had steel framed windows,

-originally.

-You made a valiant effort

-to replicate the pattern.

-Was it important to have windows

-which wrapped around the corner?

-We thought it suited the house.

-Which feature of the house

-is your favourite?

-The stairs,

-with all that natural light.

-Half way up the stairs...

-..and we see the curved wall

-with the glass bricks.

-The glass bricks run along the roof.

-It's a great design.

-It reminds me of a 1930s cinema.

-We link such architecture

-with public buildings.

-Planning permission for a house like

-this was rarely granted in Wales.

-It's unusual to see glass bricks.

-From the outside, it looks like

-one continuous wall of glass...

-..but inside,

-you have a series of pillars.

-The glass bricks

-have been placed in front of them.

-I hadn't noticed that.

-Well done, Aled!

-It's also very solid.

-These are all concrete walls.

-The stairs

-are also made of concrete.

-It's all concrete.

-There's very little wood here.

-The idea was that this house

-could withstand an aerial attack.

-What I've learnt from this series...

-..is that heritage is something

-which develops every day.

-Things we see today

-will be valuable tomorrow.

-This house should be listed.

-Yes, but CADW hasn't listed

-any of the houses on this street.

-They considered it 15 years ago...

-..when the houses

-still had their original windows.

-Many of the original windows

-have now been lost...

-..and along with them an important

-part of the architecture of Mold.

-They are historically important.

-The scientists who lived here

-worked on splitting the atom...

-..a project which ultimately

-shaped history.

-Among all the notable buildings

-of Mold...

-..this is the one most people

-would expect you not to feature!

-I'm very fond of this building.

-It was built in 1968 by

-the county architect, Robert Harvey.

-Harvey isn't famous...

-..but this group of buildings

-designed by him is a huge success.

-His confident, strong design uses

-concrete and small glass tiles.

-It looks fantastic.

-Everyone who goes past here

-notices this building.

-Yes, but do they say, "County Hall

-is a magnificent building!"

-"We embrace it and praise it!"

-If not, why not?

-Mold's civic buildings

-built in the early 20th century...

-..replicated Georgian designs.

-Rather than look back,

-county architects looked forward...

-..in the 1960s and the 1970s.

-They looked to the future,

-not the past.

-This building reflects a new world

-and a new way of life.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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