0:00:06 > 0:00:10'The Royal Commission is a government detective agency,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'set up in the same year as the FBI.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16'Unlike the FBI, the Commission investigates the history of Wales
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'and its case files are open to everyone.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25'Today - The Norman town that time forgot.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'Does Grosmont have the oldest church roof in Wales?
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'How a West Wales family lives a 21st Century life
0:00:31 > 0:00:33'in an 18th Century cottage.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38'A visit to the only full-sized handball court in Britain.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41'And new views of Bardsey from your armchair.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:06This is picture postcard pretty in remote north Monmouthshire.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10We're so close to the border that there's no escaping the neighbours.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14This though is Wales, although with an almost unique twist.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And it's all to do with invasion.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Grosmont is about as Norman as anywhere in Wales.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28By name - gros mont, big hill.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And by architecture.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Yep, it's lovely.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34But there's a hidden history here of strife
0:01:34 > 0:01:37and of dreams that never quite came true.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44'The days of glory are all around,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47'when Grosmont was a Norman frontier town.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'1,000 years later, little has changed.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54'The Royal Commission wants to date the exceptional church roof.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56'Is it the oldest in Wales?
0:01:56 > 0:02:02'A remarkable map from 1588 shows a town where time had stood still.'
0:02:02 > 0:02:05The Elizabethan car boot sale! What have we got here?
0:02:05 > 0:02:07This is one of the treasures of Grosmont.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09It's a birds-eye view of the town,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13showing all the elements of the town as it was in 1588,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15the year of the Armada.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17So we can see the key buildings.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22The castle facing the church here with the central tower.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29And then the main street with rows of houses on either side.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I think the point is that it shows all these buildings
0:02:35 > 0:02:40which defined the town and the buildings are still here.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44It's spread over a huge area. There's the mountain behind.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47If that's all there is in 1588, does that mean
0:02:47 > 0:02:51it hadn't become the dream town the Normans had imagined?
0:02:51 > 0:02:53The map doesn't show everything.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55It doesn't show all the houses, for example.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58But yes, Grosmont is a case of a rested development.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It gets so far, and then it stops and becomes fossilised.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05The interest of Grosmont is that we can actually examine a town
0:03:05 > 0:03:07as it was in the late Medieval period.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10'While they were still conquering England,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'the Normans turned their attention to Wales
0:03:13 > 0:03:17'and their first castle here was Chepstow, built in 1067,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19'a year after the invasion.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23'Chepstow was the most southern of a chain of castles on the borders.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26'The Normans quickly established three others.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29'White Castle, Skenfrith and Grosmont.'
0:03:33 > 0:03:35They're real statements of power.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40They're expressions of the Anglo Norman ability to command men and resources.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43They dominate the landscape, they're very difficult to attack,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48and they're essentially imperial statements really in stone.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52The contrast between the stone castles and the timber dwellings
0:03:52 > 0:03:54is a very stark one.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58But more than that, it's a good agricultural region
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and they wanted to establish a prosperous settlement.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07'Grosmont has an illustrious royal history.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'Henry III, Henry IV and Henry V
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'were all associated with the fortified town.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'Indeed, Henry V, who was born in Monmouth,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'cut his teeth here, defeating the forces of Owain Glyndwr.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21'Professor Ralph Griffiths sees Grosmont
0:04:21 > 0:04:24'as a crucial stronghold for the English monarchy.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Kings have always been interested in this part of the world,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31ever since the Norman conquest.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It was a major defensive guardian of the of the route way,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37which went from the plain of Hereford
0:04:37 > 0:04:39down to the plain of Monmouth and Abergavenny.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42But it is remarkable that this was...
0:04:42 > 0:04:44You know, with Henry V born in Monmouth nearby,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46with Henry III coming from here,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51we're talking about a vibrant piece of Welsh history here.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Henry V, at the time of his birth,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57was the grandson of the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02So it's not surprising that he spent a certain amount of time in his youth
0:05:02 > 0:05:04here in this part of the world,
0:05:04 > 0:05:10before his father seized the throne as King Henry IV in 1399.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Of course, it was taken. A certain Owain Glyndwr.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Henry V, at the age of 18,
0:05:16 > 0:05:21led an army and confronted Owain just outside the castle.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28He was successful and the Welsh were defeated.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33It could be a bit disturbing that the hero of Agincourt
0:05:33 > 0:05:36actually practised on the Welsh.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42It's quite common amongst historians to say that he cut his teeth
0:05:42 > 0:05:46as a military commander in Wales, that's true.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49The forces he had with him, we don't know a great deal about them,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53but it's quite likely that he had archers and pikemen
0:05:53 > 0:05:57who were drawn from the Duchy of Lancaster estates.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00So men of Gwent, which is a common phrase, just like Men of Harlech,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03after the defenders of Harlech against Glyndwr.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08Men of Gwent were probably the archers who served with him
0:06:08 > 0:06:12both in Grosmont as well as in France.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18The centrepiece of the castle is this eye-catching chimney,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20built in the 14th Century,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24when three storeys of comfortable new apartments were added.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28But the oldest part of the castle dates from the 12th Century. The Great Hall.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31So this is downstairs life, is it? This was the kitchens?
0:06:31 > 0:06:35This was life on the ground floor. This was a kitchen wing.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39People scurrying everywhere, being shouted at by the chef!
0:06:39 > 0:06:43That's right! With the fire place at the gable end.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46- But the real business was on the first floor.- Up there?- Yes.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- The Great Hall.- The Great Hall, yes.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51And entered from that doorway there,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55probably by wooden steps that have long gone.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59The Great Hall is a place where the lord entertains
0:06:59 > 0:07:03and it's just where he shows how powerful he is really.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07We're missing a floor, but above all, we're missing the roof.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The roofs were tremendous pieces of carpentry.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Very few 13th Century roofs have survived.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15But if you want to see a roof
0:07:15 > 0:07:17like the one that formally covered the hall,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19all we have to do is go to the church.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Let's do that.- Let's do that.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29'As the Royal Commission's buildings expert,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31'Richard has been wanting to find out
0:07:31 > 0:07:35'if Grosmont Church has the oldest roof in Wales.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39'A few weeks before our visit, he commissioned a test to date the timber.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43'But first, Richard wanted to show me the interior,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45'which speaks of another age.'
0:07:51 > 0:07:53You've heard of the shock of the new,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55but this is the shock of the old!
0:07:55 > 0:08:01This space is more or less as it would have been in the 13th Century.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03This is what it was. No pews.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Absolutely. No pews, an open space.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12This big arcade with the heavy, round pillars.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18And above all, the roof. We don't often look upwards in a church.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I think we're meant to!
0:08:23 > 0:08:28But this roof seems to be part and parcel of a 13th Century church.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31How rare is this?
0:08:31 > 0:08:35This one is unusual. It's simple and it's very functional.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39It pre-dates the ornate roofs of the 15th and 16th centuries.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44How old it is is difficult to determine, except scientifically.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50So we've tree ring dated the roof and we now know what date it is.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54'Jean Prosser, the Vicar of Grosmont, is on tenterhooks
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'to find out if the roof is indeed the oldest in Wales.'
0:08:57 > 0:09:01We've had the information back from the Oxford Dendro Lab,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and we have a felling date range of 1214 to 1244.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10- My goodness!- I know. It is an extraordinary result.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15It certainly means that the church, the nave, the roof,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19is contemporary with the castle, built by Hubert de Burgh,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22as part of a campaign of setting up the borough.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26It means that this is the earliest scientifically dated roof in Wales
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and one of the earliest in Britain.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So all in all, it's fantastic.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33- And there's more!- Really?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Not only do we have a date range,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38but it fits in very well with the documentation.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42In 1227, the Crown granted Hubert de Burgh 50 oaks
0:09:42 > 0:09:44for his building works.
0:09:44 > 0:09:4650 oaks is a lot of timber,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49so certainly a lot was used in the castle.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53But I think, almost certainly, some of these oaks were used here.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- These are still the oaks up here. - That's right.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00We haven't repaired them. We've done a little bit of strengthening,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03but essentially, it's the same roof.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05After 800 years, that's quite extraordinary.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09We've done much more work to the Victorian restoration
0:10:09 > 0:10:12than we've ever done to this!
0:10:12 > 0:10:14That's a credit to the Medieval builders!
0:10:14 > 0:10:18So not only the earliest scientifically dated roof in Wales,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20but the earliest documented roof in Wales.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28So if these oaks were felled in the 1220s,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32the acorns from which they grew, well, they began to sprout
0:10:32 > 0:10:36not long after the Norman invasion of 1066.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38And perhaps the reason they survive
0:10:38 > 0:10:42is because Grosmont didn't remain a mighty Norman fortress,
0:10:42 > 0:10:47but rather hid its histories away in picture postcard peacefulness.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01'To anyone who knows Bardsey, it seems inconceivable
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'that the place has changed much over the centuries.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10'But my eyes have been opened by work undertaken by the Royal Commission
0:11:10 > 0:11:12'as part of People's Collection Wales,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14'an online history of Wales.'
0:11:14 > 0:11:16This is an exciting project
0:11:16 > 0:11:19which allows you to view the history of Wales
0:11:19 > 0:11:22in the comfort of your own home on your own computer.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26'This is how Bardsey may have looked in the Iron Age.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28'The houses were turf or stone walled.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39'By around 1000 AD, the island reputed to be the burial place
0:11:39 > 0:11:43'of 20,000 saints was an important Christian site.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46'The early monastery was a humble affair.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50'Monks may well have lived in circular huts nearby
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'in outhouses which may also have housed a kitchen,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56'refectory and guest accommodation.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02'By 1400 AD, monasticism was at its height
0:12:02 > 0:12:05'and the large Augustinian abbey dominated the landscape.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10'The most striking aspect of the abbey was its whitewashed walls.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16'At least five of the windows had stained glass.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21'There may well have been a covered walkway joining the abbey
0:12:21 > 0:12:23'to a lady chapel.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'By the mid-18th Century, croft style farming was well established.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37'There was also an old chapel, in those days used as a schoolhouse.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39'Today it is a visitor centre.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45'By the 1890s, Bardsey's owner, Lord Newborough,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48'had replaced the old crofts with more modern farmhouses.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53'He also built a new chapel alongside the older chapel
0:12:53 > 0:12:56'which was still used as a school and community centre.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59'The lighthouse had been built in 1821.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08'Bardsey's hidden history can be seen on the People's Collection.'
0:13:11 > 0:13:14On this side it's a bit forbidding, a bit like a prison wall
0:13:14 > 0:13:17which, of course, would have its own history.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23But on this side it's the handball court of Nelson in Caerphilly.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's so unique that it's worthy of being recorded
0:13:26 > 0:13:27by the Royal Commission.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Handball. It's not fives, that's English,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32it's not handball as played in the Olympics
0:13:32 > 0:13:35it's not squash because that has a racquet.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38It's Welsh handball and like the court, it's unique.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44'It claims to be the only full sized handball court
0:13:44 > 0:13:46'built on mainland Britain.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51'Now, I'm a sporting lad but I have to confess
0:13:51 > 0:13:53'I've never before come across the game.'
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Here I am. I'm new to Nelson, I quite fancy his game.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00What are the rules?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03The rules of the game.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06If you see that little square at the the front there
0:14:06 > 0:14:09that originally had a flat stone for the service to start.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12One bounce and that would be returned to the front wall.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- You can use the side walls? - You can use the side walls.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17That's why they're skewed out
0:14:17 > 0:14:20so they direct the ball onto the front wall.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- Play vollies?- Vollies. - Both hands?- Both hands.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28Open hand, closed fist. As long as it was returned to the front wall.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Time to take on the Royal Commission about why they're interested.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34I'll take the first point there.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Utterly hopeless!
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Not a bad use for a pub wall.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45The air shot! The air shot!
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Do you think, if it had remained a pub wall,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53that you wouldn't have become involved?
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Probably not, no.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59It's a fantastic structure and a very rare survival in South Wales.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02It's the only handball court left in South Wales.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05It was very popular in the late part of the 19th Century.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08The idea of it being built by the Irish for the Irish...
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Yeah, right next to the pub to attract all the pub-goers.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15What were they doing? Working on the railway line?
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Yeah. In the 1860s, we had the two railway lines coming close to Nelson
0:15:19 > 0:15:22so there was a community move to work on the railways.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25They were looking to develop sports they'd known in Ireland
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and handball's a very popular sport in Ireland.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32'After the heyday of handball the court fell into disrepair
0:15:32 > 0:15:35'and another court got involved
0:15:35 > 0:15:37'when the local council wanted to demolish it.'
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The Welsh Handball Association took them to county court.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Fortunately, the judge who was hearing the case,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49his father played fives.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53When I explained to him what the position was
0:15:53 > 0:15:56he told the barrister for the council
0:15:56 > 0:15:58to reconsider what they were doing.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02- Excellent.- Within three months, the court was renovated
0:16:02 > 0:16:08CADW came up and supervised it and put it back to its original state.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14'Until about 30 years ago, handball players in Nelson
0:16:14 > 0:16:16'thought they were a one-off.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19'Then they heard of other handball players overseas.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:22These are American.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's actually the world championships in Canada we went to.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Any good? How did you get on?
0:16:26 > 0:16:30I'd lost in the semi but one of our boys won the singles
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and I think we had a doubles runner up.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37- 30 years ago when you thought this was the only...- Court in the world.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Tell me how you made your balls then.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44Then we'd get a tennis ball, we'd get a Stanley knife razor blade
0:16:44 > 0:16:48and we'd shave the fur off because you can't hit the ball with the fur
0:16:48 > 0:16:51because it takes the skin off your hand with the friction.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53We'd play with those.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55We thought we had world championships just for us
0:16:55 > 0:16:59because we thought we were the only ones in the world to play it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- That was your hidden history. - Yes, it was.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Unfortunately, we found out the Irish and Americans played it...
0:17:04 > 0:17:06And now you've seen the world with it.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Canada, America, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13We've been to these places playing their version of handball
0:17:13 > 0:17:14and we bring them here.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18We had the first European championships in '86...erm, '96.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22We had countries from all over Europe and the Americans came over.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27That introduced the village to a global version of the game.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Who have we got here? One of the immortals?
0:17:35 > 0:17:40This is William Griffiths, who was the handball champion of Tonypandy.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43His handball was played out of Porth
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and it was twinned with this old court in Nelson.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52In the 1850s, there were big-money games played on the two courts
0:17:52 > 0:17:54on a home and away basis.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55Any idea of the purse?
0:17:55 > 0:18:01Purses at the time were around about £50 a side or £100 a side.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Such was the interest generated in these games,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08people were known to bet their pigs on the outcome.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16'Although handball was mainly a working class sport in South Wales,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20'the old social distinctions were never far away.'
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Down in Cardiff, I've got to show you this,
0:18:22 > 0:18:27this is for a fives court, a related sport, but this is Cardiff.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I just love the line...
0:18:29 > 0:18:35"On Mondays and Saturdays the court will be open for boys and members of the industrious classes,
0:18:35 > 0:18:41"but on the remaining four days the court will be kept exclusively for parties of respectability."
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The industrious classes were the people
0:18:44 > 0:18:46who would play with bare hands.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50The more posh, like yourself, Ed, would play with a racquet.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53You'd pay a bit more money to use a racquet.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- Kid gloves, me.- That's it.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58It was nearly lost.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02It nearly came down and it was saved by a good old judgement.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Is that the reason the Royal Commission exists,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08to make sure that doesn't happen again?
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Our role is to increase awareness of structures like this
0:19:12 > 0:19:15so hopefully its long-term survival is assured.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30'If the traditional Welsh cottage is in sharp decline,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34'there are examples of how they can meet today's standards of comfort
0:19:34 > 0:19:37'without losing their integrity.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40'This is Pantyrhwch Cottage near Lampeter
0:19:40 > 0:19:45'which retains original features while using renewable technology.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55'Martin and Ann Jones have been living at Pantyrhwch with their daughter since 2008.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00'Their new home is a labourer's cottage built around 1750.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04'At first they wanted a complete renovation
0:20:04 > 0:20:09'but then fell in love with the house and the simpler lifestyle.'
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It was as I got to know the place a bit better
0:20:11 > 0:20:15I found that a lot of original features were still there.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20We came here with plans of doing a standard rebuild
0:20:20 > 0:20:24and it was only when I started to see all the bits and pieces
0:20:24 > 0:20:26that we didn't want to lose them.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28There aren't many of them left.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33I felt a bit of a vandal really, to destroy them and take them out.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38'Richard Suggett is intrigued by what he's heard
0:20:38 > 0:20:41'and is here as part of the Commission's research on Welsh cottages.'
0:20:41 > 0:20:43This is perfection, Martin.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46You never know what to expect from the outside
0:20:46 > 0:20:48but this is fantastic.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54You have all the features, from the fireplace to the quarry tile floor.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56This is a remarkable fireplace, Martin.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01It's a fireplace hood, isn't it? What's the structure here?
0:21:01 > 0:21:06It's lath and plaster from here on up to the chimney.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Now, some of them are lath and plaster,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11some of them are wickerwork.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Either way, they're a fire risk.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Yes, and that may be one of the reasons
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- there aren't so many left around. - Absolutely!
0:21:22 > 0:21:25The reason we're able to keep it is that we've got
0:21:25 > 0:21:28the wood-burning stove and an insulated pipe.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32You would never have dared to have an open fire.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Not any more.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38I'm very impressed that you've retained your quarry tile floor.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Lots of people just rip them up.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Yes, they're all original throughout the house.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47There are various ages of quarry tile here.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48These are the oldest.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52They're hand-made. They've been set in lime mortar.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54We don't get the dampness coming through.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56It's a full breathing floor.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I'm very impressed with these windows, Martin.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02I wondered whether they were genuine.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06It's not a usual sash window or a usual casement.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11No, it's got a central pivot on it which works very nicely
0:22:11 > 0:22:15and much easier to work than a sash window.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- So you undo the catches... - And it pivots.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21And it pivots, yeah.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25It's all wood. I have seen these but in metal.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29It's interesting to see these - timber replicating metal.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33The glass, again, the windows are all original.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35We've had to do some repair on the bottom
0:22:35 > 0:22:39but most of it is original cylinder glass.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42We've had to replace a few of the panes, that's all.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45And the finish is very good. It looks like new.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Wonderfully thin glazing bars.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It's a model window we could use today.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It works very functionally. Easy to clean, easy to paint.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'Indeed, the cylinder glass had to be ordered from France
0:23:00 > 0:23:03'as Martin couldn't source a UK supplier.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06'Martin and Ann have not only downsized,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'they've embraced a simpler life
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'with a balance between conservation and innovation.'
0:23:12 > 0:23:16We've tried to keep all the period features intact,
0:23:16 > 0:23:22but we were having to re-lay the quarry tile floor.
0:23:22 > 0:23:28So we put in under-floor heating and we run the under-floor heating
0:23:28 > 0:23:31with a very modern ground source heat pump
0:23:31 > 0:23:37which satisfies the conservation side and ecological side as well.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41'A prime example of Martin and Ann's thoughtful modernity
0:23:41 > 0:23:44'is that they've opted to use geothermal energy
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'for under-floor heating.'
0:23:46 > 0:23:49We don't want to preserve for preserving's case.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51This is a living home
0:23:51 > 0:23:55that I hope is going to be here for future generations.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We've kept everything we could but at the same time
0:23:58 > 0:24:03made sure that it functions to a good standard in this day and age.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I like these doors very much, Martin.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It's all original including the ironwork.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The handle, I'm afraid, is a bit of my woodwork,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16but it's an exact replica of what was there.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Unfortunately, the original has gone.
0:24:18 > 0:24:24So a plank door - three planks, blacksmith-made strap hinges.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27You've reproduced what was here with this handle.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31What have we got here, Martin?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Well, the old llaethdy as it would have been,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38but we don't need a llaethdy but we do need a bathroom.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42A tin bath in front of the fireplace is not for me.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And a bathroom in a cottage much better downstairs.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Yes, we can keep all the plumbing downstairs
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and keep the plaster work in place.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Well, this is a surprise, Martin. What's all this about?
0:24:56 > 0:25:01It's an ingenious way of getting from downstairs to upstairs in half the distance
0:25:01 > 0:25:05by putting a double step into each step.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09In a small cottage you can get upstairs in much shorter distance.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14A steep ascent and you stagger the climb.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Let's give it a go.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19'Even the buildings expert has to watch his step.'
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Ouch.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25There are challenges.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28You have to make the space work for you.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33You have to think that every piece of equipment or furniture you need
0:25:33 > 0:25:38works in its duality or that it's absolutely essential.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43Sadly the dishwasher had to go. We're looking at a new one.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45A bit temperamental sometimes
0:25:45 > 0:25:49but I don't think we're missing out on anything.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54We've had to think long and hard, probably like the people before us.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59It's made us consider a more considerate consumers and users of equipment
0:25:59 > 0:26:01and whatever we want to consume and buy.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05There's a minimalist feel to this room, Martin.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08It's an early 19th Century room.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12There seems to be a perfect balance between the old and the new.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16This looks like a storeyed house from the outside
0:26:16 > 0:26:20but it's one-and-a-half storeys because we're in the attic here.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Just about, yes.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- What have we got here? The roof trusses.- Yes.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30- These were here, obviously. - Yes, everything is as it was.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Even the lath and plaster on the ceiling.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37That is still original for much of the ceiling.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I like the floorboards too.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But what's this area here?
0:26:42 > 0:26:46There is a trapdoor there. You've seen the staircase.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50It would have been difficult to get furniture up
0:26:50 > 0:26:54or, as some people tell me, get the body out.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00We're very, very lucky.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04We read a small book by Martin Davies, Precious Inheritance,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09and I think it changed both of our opinions and we did realise,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12we're only going to come here and take down
0:27:12 > 0:27:15what we always said we would like to find.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18We've tried to make best of what was here
0:27:18 > 0:27:22and not change too much but make it suitable for modern living.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'Richard Suggett thinks Pantyrhwch
0:27:25 > 0:27:29'could be a blueprint for other traditional cottages.'
0:27:29 > 0:27:33It does show that you can be traditional and contemporary.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34The best of both worlds.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39All those involved in a similar project should beat a path to Pantyrhwch.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:59 > 0:28:02E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk