Y Bwthyn Cartrefi Cefn Gwlad Cymru

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-There's something about a cottage

-that warms our hearts.

-It's a symbol of a romantic past...

-..a lost world representing life

-before the modern industrial age.

-Essentially, a stone cottage

-is merely a cave with windows.

-They don't stand above fields,

-dominating landscapes.

-They squat in dells

-and peek over hedgerows.

-In this programme, we trace

-the humble cottage's contribution...

-..to our architectural heritage.

-Our journey, inspired by the book

-Houses Of The Welsh Countryside...

-..is drawing to a close.

-It can be argued that the cottage

-is our favourite Welsh home.

-We tend to look at the cottage

-through rose-tinted spectacles.

-Cottages weren't cosy,

-cute little homes.

-They were the homes

-of rural peasants.

-Many of them were built overnight.

-This was the original shanty.

-A shed that was thrown together.

-Over time, the cottage developed.

-It's crucial to our understanding

-of Welsh peasant life.

-Nant Wallter, St Fagans,

-is the quintessential Welsh cottage.

-A limewashed thatched cottage

-with smoke rising from its chimney.

-We tend to think of cottages

-as the oldest buildings in Wales.

-That's not true, is it?

-No, although they appear

-to be ancient.

-They seem primitive to us

-and many have deteriorated...

-..but this is the most contemporary

-of all the Welsh houses.

-We have no evidence...

-..that cottages were built

-before the mid 18th century.

-When was Nant Wallter built?

-When was Nant Wallter built?

-

-It was built in 1770 or thereabouts.

-Where did it come from?

-From Carmarthenshire.

-It comes from the Taliaris estate

-and is built from local materials.

-A thatched roof and clay walls.

-You needed heavy clay

-to build these walls.

-Was clay freely available

-in Carmarthenshire?

-Yes, very much so.

-That's the essence

-of traditional building.

-It's more evident in the cottage

-than in any other form.

-These were the homes of peasants,

-after all.

-The clay used to build this cottage

-was taken from a nearby field.

-The materials used to build cottages

-reflect the local community.

-They represent the geography

-and geology of Wales...

-..more so than any other

-traditional building.

-Let's take a look inside.

-Who would live in a house like this?

-We don't know the names

-of the people who built this house.

-That's true of most Welsh cottages.

-Records weren't kept

-prior to the 1801 census.

-The peasants who built cottages...

-..weren't wealthy enough

-to leave wills.

-They didn't keep diaries either.

-We know very little about the people

-who lived in cottages.

-This was a farm labourer's cottage

-on the Taliaris estate.

-Most cottages were occupied

-by farm labourers and craftsmen.

-Life wasn't a bed of roses

-in these cottages.

-They may seem romantic to us,

-but life was tough.

-The fireplace looks as though

-it projects outside the gable wall.

-A substantial fireplace

-was essential.

-The fire provided heat

-and was also used for cooking.

-This was the Aga of its time!

-As well as cooking food,

-they also boiled water.

-Water was boiled endlessly

-for washing and for laundry.

-The work was never-ending.

-Legend has it

-that the fire was never out.

-It was banked up overnight.

-There are stories

-about farmhouses, in particular...

-..where fires burned for centuries

-without a single break.

-If your fire did happen to go out...

-..you'd go next door

-to borrow some fire.

-You'd carry it

-from room to room, for example.

-Like the hall houses we saw

-at the start of the series...

-..many cob cottages

-like Nant Wallter...

-..were built with timber crucks.

-A cruck is an arched truss.

-In cottages, they used

-scarfed crucks or false crucks.

-A scarfed cruck is two pieces

-of wood joined together with pegs.

-This was a cheaper building method.

-If we refer to the book

-Houses Of The Welsh Countryside...

-..another of its fantastic maps...

-..shows us where cottages

-with scarfed crucks were built.

-More importantly,

-we'll see where they weren't built.

-They were all built in Ceredigion

-and Carmarthenshire.

-This was the poorest part of Wales

-when these were built.

-Next, we head to Ceredigion

-to a cob cottage called Felin-coed.

-Unlike Nant Wallter, this cottage

-is in the process of being restored.

-It gives us an opportunity

-to see its very fabric.

-It's quite an open layout inside.

-There's a Victorian fireplace

-with a variety of ovens.

-It's believed that there was

-an open fire here originally...

-..with a louvre chimney

-of wickerwork and mud...

-..stretching to the roof.

-This central structure

-is all Victorian.

-It was a later addition

-to the building.

-If we enter the parlour,

-we see the structure of the house.

-Similarly to Nant Wallter,

-it has scarfed crucks.

-The structure of Nant Wallter

-is buried in the walls.

-That's partly true

-of Felin-coed as well...

-..but it's wonderful to come here

-and see the structure laid bare.

-You can see the scarfed crucks

-before they're buried in new cob.

-I won't ask you

-to date this house, Dafydd.

-Phew!

-When did people first use

-this building technique?

-When were cob walls first erected?

-Some 16th century cob cottages

-are still standing in Wales.

-That takes you back some 500 years.

-They were certainly built to last.

-Why did they use cob?

-It's an extremely easy

-building method.

-Anyone can do it.

-You don't need any particular skill.

-You mix the cob with your feet...

-..then you lay it on the wall

-and compress it.

-It's easy.

-Is it common

-to erect a stone foundation...

-..and build cob walls on it?

-Yes, it's a very common technique.

-You don't want the wall

-to touch the soil...

-..or moisture will seep into it

-and turn it back into soil.

-They say that a cob cottage

-needs a thick hat...

-..and a sturdy pair of boots.

-It should then last for centuries.

-The hat being the roof?

-The hat being the roof?

-

-Yes, the thatch.

-I think we're now mixing some cob.

-I think we're now mixing some cob.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-Should I adopt

-a particular technique?

-Your technique is pretty good.

-You fold the straw into the mud

-and carry on till it has mixed well.

-Yours looks ready to me.

-I see - you fold the mixture

-back into itself.

-It's like kneading bread.

-What exactly is in this mixture?

-Subsoil, clay and sand.

-In this case, we're remixing

-part of the collapsed wall.

-We're recycling the wall

-of the original house.

-If you add water to it,

-it reverts to its original state?

-Well, well!

-When the owners bought Felin-coed,

-the walls were in disrepair.

-Unfortunately,

-one gable collapsed completely.

-Conveniently, however,

-the cob can be reused.

-Now then, where do we go from here?

-You have to spread it out a bit.

-We need a six-inch thick layer.

-You use this cudgel

-to spread it out and compact it..

-..so that it's nice and hard.

-Tear up chunks of cob.

-This squeezes out the water.

-You go right around the wall

-in one session.

-It's a lot of work.

-It's a lot of work.

-

-Yes, it is.

-According to tradition...

-..the best time to build a cob house

-was when a swallow built its nest.

-The long days and warm sun

-helps to dry and harden the walls.

-Many interesting items

-were found during the restoration.

-Most were stuffed into the thatch

-as draught excluders.

-This is a corset.

-The woman who wore this

-must have been tiny.

-It really isn't very big.

-There are lots of holes

-in this tunic...

-..but you can see its style.

-The bottom is flared

-and it has no collar.

-It must be very old.

-Pieces of paper from different

-periods have also been found.

-This is a 1950s calendar.

-This exercise book

-belonged to Annie Davies.

-It comes from the turn

-of the 20th century.

-We know that she was 16 years old

-when she used this book...

-..because she died two years later.

-Her grave is in the cemetery

-across the valley.

-This is a real treasure trove.

-This is wonderful.

-It's a Christmas card.

-"A warm, homely greeting

-to everyone in your unsullied home.

-"From Ifan and Mari Maesllan

-to all at Felin-coed. Good luck."

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-Our study of the Welsh cottage

-brings us to Pontbrenmydr...

-..in the Vale of Aeron.

-We're about to see

-an interesting feature.

-Pontbrenmydr is owned

-by the National Trust.

-They were responsible

-for its restoration.

-Martin, this is the first time

-that we've seen a door on the gable.

-They usually have a central doorway.

-Yes, it's a common

-symmetrical element in cottages.

-This is more old-fashioned

-and it's quite a common feature.

-Like the longhouse,

-there was a passage here...

-..and the cowshed

-was on the right hand side.

-The fireplace

-was behind this wall.

-The main entrance was there,

-in the longhouse.

-It's exactly the same.

-It's exactly the same.

-

-It's a throwback to the longhouse?

-Yes. It's an old house.

-I doubt we had symmetrical houses

-in this valley when it was built.

-The pattern of the windows

-is also unusual.

-Yes, they put windows

-where they wanted a window.

-After the 19th century,

-houses had a central doorway...

-..with a window on either side.

-That's how I think

-of the traditional cottage.

-The windows here

-were put wherever they were needed.

-Is the old cob visible inside?

-Is the old cob visible inside?

-

-Yes, and the trapdoor into the attic.

-There's a ladder there.

-You can climb up.

-We've closed it off so that people

-who holiday here can't access it.

-It's very rough,

-but that's how people lived.

-The wood has been blackened,

-which suggests an open hearth.

-Traditional rough-topcoat thatch

-is very rare today.

-They were once very common in Wales.

-People used gorse and rushes

-as well as straw for the thatch.

-The finish varied from area to area.

-The Glamorgan thatch is neat,

-held in place by hidden scallops...

-..with swept eyebrows

-above first floor windows.

-In West and North Wales,

-the top coat was more loose.

-In Cardiganshire and Ceredigion

-in particular...

-..the thatch was secured

-by decoratively-laid straw ropes.

-Later, zinc sheeting was used

-to protect the thatch...

-..as at Pontbrenmydr.

-What lessons can we learn

-from the way it has been renovated?

-Don't overdo it.

-That's the best way.

-They haven't ripped up the floors.

-The partitions and the ceilings

-haven't been touched.

-Repair things,

-but don't make drastic changes.

-That's the message.

-From a house that's been adapted

-to 21st century life...

-..across the fields to Wig-wen Fach,

-a cottage not afforded such love.

-Not yet, anyway.

-Wig-wen Fach is also

-a National Trust property.

-It's a part

-of the Llanerchaeron estate.

-Like Pontbrenmydr, it was built

-by the people who lived there.

-Such cottages are known

-as home-made homes.

-This is Wig-wen Fach.

-This is one of the features

-that I wanted to show you.

-This louvre chimney.

-Very few of these remain in Wales.

-Some have been recreated,

-but this one is original.

-It isn't a solid stone structure.

-This chimney was built

-above the internal wall.

-It's a wickerwork and mud chimney.

-It's a big basket,

-to all intents and purposes.

-The reason that so few

-have survived...

-..is that they're flammable.

-Here, we can also see crucks

-built into the wall.

-They don't reach the floor.

-They start halfway to the roof

-and again, they're scarfed crucks.

-There's also

-a wickerwork partition...

-..dividing the two parts

-of the house.

-As you can see,

-it's a plastered partition.

-Llainfadyn cottage at St Fagans

-comes originally from Rhostryfan.

-This cottage was built

-during the Industrial Revolution.

-The first striking thing

-about Llainfadyn is its structure.

-Unlike cob cottages

-such as Nant Wallter...

-..that have

-relatively smooth walls...

-..this is a stone cottage.

-Every stone

-has a character of its own.

-This came with three acres of land

-and outhouses.

-That suggest agricultural links,

-but it also has industrial links.

-Llainfadyn

-was a quarryman's cottage.

-We're familiar with the open

-cottagey feel of these properties.

-It's one large room...

-..a third of it partitioned off

-as a sleeping area.

-It's very difficult

-to date these buildings.

-They were built between the mid 18th

-and mid 19th centuries.

-Fortunately, someone carved the date

-into the lintel here...

-..and that date is 1762.

-That makes this

-an early Welsh cottage.

-Llainfadyn

-has an interesting history.

-We link cottages with society's

-most impoverished members...

-..but this wasn't a peasant's house.

-We link cottages with farm workers

-and craftsmen.

-Llainfadyn belonged to a quarryman

-and his family.

-We've furnished the house

-to make it look as it did in 1870.

-This was the golden age of the

-slate industry in the north-west.

-That's reflected

-in the quality of the house.

-Some of the items here

-are original to the house.

-Yes, some are original to the house,

-including that cupboard...

-..and some of the chairs.

-The remainder

-is from the museum's collection.

-How would they live in this house?

-How many people lived here?

-Believe it or not,

-at least ten people lived here.

-According to the 1861 census...

-..Llainfadyn was the home

-of Huw Williams, his wife, Ann...

-..their six children,

-a maid and a lodger.

-Is there evidence of slate

-being used in the house?

-Yes, most certainly.

-There's an early refrigerator

-made of slate in the corner.

-It looks like metal or wood

-from here, but it is slate.

-They stored meat, butter, cream

-and milk in the refrigerator.

-Under the cupboard,

-there's a kind of platform.

-This protected the furniture

-from damp rising from the floor.

-On the window sill in the corner,

-there are ornaments.

-These are things the quarryman

-would have made in his spare time.

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-This is Cae'r Gors,

-the home of Kate Roberts...

-..in Rhosgadfan, near Caernarfon.

-Like Llainfadyn,

-it's a simple cottage.

-It has a central door

-with a window on either side of it.

-A byre and a pigsty

-were added at some point.

-The biggest difference between it

-and Llainfadyn is the structure.

-There are big, rounded boulders

-in the walls of Llainfadyn...

-..but here we see smooth walls.

-The reason behind

-the greater sophistication here...

-..is that this was built

-50 years after Llainfadyn.

-There are some other differences

-inside the house.

-Cae'r Gors has now been saved

-for the nation.

-A heritage centre

-has been founded here.

-It is both an educational

-and a community resource.

-The most surprising aspect

-of this house is its size...

-..and the fact

-that it has solid internal walls.

-That offers real privacy

-between the rooms.

-This house had three bedrooms

-before the parlour was added there.

-A spacious dairy was also added

-to the rear of the house.

-When Kate Roberts lived here,

-it was a fairly comfortable house.

-Is it fair to say that this house

-wouldn't be in this condition...

-..if it weren't

-for the Kate Roberts connection?

-Yes, it's fair to say that.

-This house was empty

-after the end of the 1950s.

-When Kate visited her family,

-she'd pop over to see the house.

-She saw the deteriorating condition

-and broken slates on the roof.

-She came up with the idea

-of buying it for the nation.

-How long did she live here?

-Her family moved here in 1895...

-..when she was four years old.

-She lived here for 14 years.

-She left home when she was 18

-to go to university in Bangor.

-Her family lived here

-until the mid 1920s.

-When they became too old

-to run a smallholding...

-..they moved to a house

-in the village.

-They moved to a landless house?

-Yes, they had a garden but no land.

-This is a smallholding.

-How do you define a smallholding?

-A quarryman's smallholding...

-..is a house with between three

-and six acres of land.

-They were never large enough

-to be categorized as a farm.

-Smallholdings weren't big...

-..but they were big enough

-to boost the family's income.

-Judging by the statistics

-of the mid 1840s tithe...

-..the land was divided

-fairly equally...

-..between grazing land

-and crop fields.

-They grew crops

-such as turnips and oats...

-..which were used as animal fodder

-rather than food for the family.

-They would grow potatoes, beans

-and onions in a corner of a field...

-..to feed the family.

-Unlike other North Wales quarries,

-these were private dwellings.

-They weren't part of the estate

-of the quarry owner.

-No, and that's

-the main difference...

-..between the Faenol

-and Penrhyn estates.

-These cottages

-were built on common land...

-..and they were owned

-by the local people.

-We hear a lot about how tough

-life was for the quarrymen.

-Was it really tough or has history

-pulled the wool over our eyes?

-We've probably been led to believe...

-..that they were more impoverished

-than was perhaps the case.

-According to our standards,

-life was incredibly tough for them.

-You only have to read

-Kate Roberts's work to know that.

-If you led a frugal life,

-you were relatively comfortable.

-The descriptions in Kate's work

-of the rooms, the furniture...

-..and the clothes they wore

-didn't convey extreme poverty.

-She herself wrote more than once...

-..that she never really left

-Moel Tryfan.

-The house and the area

-were always in her heart.

-These are the wild, remote places

-that I described in my stories.

-The people who lived in these parts

-at the turn of the century.

-People who were full of endeavour.

-I myself am now old.

-I endeavour to write.

-We've seen Llainfadyn

-and Cae'r Gors.

-This is another type

-of industrial house.

-This is Stack Square, Blaenavon.

-Is this terrace relevant

-to a programme about the cottage?

-The answer is yes.

-We sometimes neglect our industrial

-and historical heritage.

-The fact that Blaenavon Ironworks

-is now a World Heritage Centre...

-..allows us to see

-how people lived and worked...

-..during the Industrial Revolution.

-From the outside...

-..this looks like a terrace

-of whitewashed farmhouses.

-The farmhouse and the cottage

-are similar in design...

-..in that they have windows

-on either side of a central door.

-The stable door

-is also a feature of the farmhouse.

-The interior

-is similar to a cottage...

-..in that it's split in two.

-The larger room is a kitchen

-and living area.

-The other room

-is a sleeping chamber.

-The big difference between

-the cottage and these houses...

-..is that you would have

-a loft in a cottage...

-..whereas these have a purpose-built

-floor accessed via a staircase.

-This is an early

-industrial terrace...

-..that borrows ideas

-from the rural cottage.

-Why are Blaenavon Ironworks

-so important?

-Because it gives us an insight

-into a late 18th century ironworks...

-..during the Industrial Revolution.

-Everything needed to create iron

-was on this site.

-There was enough of a slope

-to build against the wall...

-..and use gravity

-to throw things in there.

-You couldn't have an ironworks

-like this on level ground.

-This may be the most important site

-in the world for the iron industry.

-We're here to see

-the workers' housing in Blaenavon.

-We can date this terrace

-to the late 18th century.

-That's early in the period

-of this kind of house, isn't it?

-Yes, most certainly.

-Houses built later

-in Ceredigion's lead mining areas...

-..were nowhere near this standard.

-Of course, these houses

-had no sewerage...

-..or any of the things

-that we consider basic amenities.

-But they were comfortable houses,

-for their time.

-Essentially, they wanted the workers

-to live near the ironworks.

-The ironworks are only

-three minutes away from the houses.

-The South Wales coalfield

-developed...

-..on the presupposition

-that people could walk to work.

-Companies attracted workers

-by offering good accommodation.

-Work brought a lot of rural people

-to the industrial areas.

-Life in the countryside

-wasn't perfect, was it?

-When we read horrendous accounts

-of life in Merthyr or Blaenavon...

-..and we hear about cholera

-and the dangers...

-..we wonder why people came there.

-The truth is that life

-was even worse in rural areas.

-The Industrial Revolution

-improved living standards.

-These houses were cosy.

-This is the living room,

-with its fireplace.

-That's a second bedroom.

-There's another one upstairs.

-That's a pantry

-and then you have a lean-to.

-That's a more recent addition.

-Interestingly, the windows

-are all made of iron.

-Iron was the cheapest material

-available in this area.

-This was a coal mining area,

-so coal must have been cheap too.

-Coal miners often had free coal.

-There's a description by Bert,

-who came from Herefordshire...

-..to work

-in the South Wales coalfield.

-In Herefordshire, they never

-stacked coal above the bottom bar.

-He came here and saw coal

-stacked above the top bar.

-The house was warm and, compared

-to Ceredigion and the Preseli...

-..living in Blaenavon

-was a real privilege.

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-The custom of squatting

-on common land...

-..was quite widespread

-in the 18th century.

-Building one-night squatter cottages

-was a familiar concept to the Welsh.

-It's possible that many cottages

-on Lleyn were built that way.

-A squatter house

-only had to stand for one night...

-..before it could be rebuilt

-in stone taken from the fields...

-..thus creating a solid

-permanent structure.

-Pwll Melyn cottage

-has been extended at both ends.

-This is the journey's end

-for the traditional cottage.

-There are some more primitive

-cottages nearer to the sea.

-Scattered rural cottages

-have survived in good condition...

-..in two areas of Wales.

-North Pembrokeshire

-and here on Lleyn.

-The apparently random dispersal

-of cottages on the hillside...

-..suggests that some started life

-as one-night cottages.

-There simply wasn't enough land

-for people to own and build on it.

-People resorted to breaking the law

-by stealing chunks of common land...

-..and building a house overnight.

-People believed that if you could

-build a house in one night...

-..and have smoke in the chimney

-in the morning...

-..then you owned the land

-upon which the house stood.

-That wasn't legal. Common land

-isn't there for the taking.

-All land belongs to someone...

-..but people believed that you

-could lay claim to common land.

-Much of Wales's common land

-was very unwelcoming...

-..but having a cow, a pig

-and a field of potatoes...

-..made it possible to settle

-in the most unlikely places.

-This is Fron Deg and we've reached

-the foot of the social ladder.

-It only has three rooms.

-This is the kitchen and living room.

-The parlour is there

-and the loft above it.

-There's no suggestion

-that a kitchen was ever added...

-..so all the cooking

-must have been done here.

-Pots and plates would have

-been stored on this dresser.

-It also creates a partition wall

-to block out gusts of wind.

-The striking thing about the house

-and the stone walls outside...

-..is the standard

-of the building work.

-I think that this house

-was created by a stonemason.

-The standard of the building work

-can be seen clearly on the exterior.

-The walls are remarkably smooth.

-It's not only what the builder did

-with the stone that's impressive.

-He also showed resourcefulness

-with what was already here.

-This wall remains

-in a remarkably good condition.

-You can imagine how perfect it was

-when it was built.

-This is the most remarkable feature

-of this house.

-It may look like an Iron Age

-dwelling of some sort...

-..but it's actually a pigsty.

-This is the pig's enclosure...

-..and in there, beneath

-this wonderful mound of stones...

-..is the sty itself.

-This pigsty gives us an idea

-of the way...

-..people carved a usable building

-out of the landscape.

-The spirit of the one-night house

-can be seen here, near Fron Deg.

-We go on to Blaen y Buarth

-in Penmachno.

-This is a world away

-from the early primitive cottage.

-Many of these houses were built

-with a ground floor and a loft...

-..though a full first floor

-was then added to many houses.

-Blaen y Buarth was built

-to resemble a Georgian farmhouse.

-It has windows on both sides

-of a central door...

-..and a central staircase.

-We often see those on the bottom

-rung of the social ladder...

-..trying to elevate their status

-through architecture.

-This unassuming farmhouse

-in Penmachno looks Georgian.

-There's a clear development here.

-Welsh influences

-such as this simple slate porch...

-..are combined with classic

-symmetrical elements.

-The owners' ambition is underlined

-by it being a two-storey house.

-As you enter the house

-through this central door...

-..you find yourself in a lobby

-created by two partitions.

-Inside this partition

-are paintings of foxgloves...

-..that have probably been here

-for years.

-Many of the features here

-are original to the house.

-The boxed stairs at the heart

-of the house is original.

-If we walk through the lobby,

-we reach the parlour.

-This staircase leads

-to two remarkably private rooms.

-This is the first such staircase

-we've seen in this programme.

-It could be argued that this cottage

-has developed into a house...

-..but the cottagey elements here

-still capture the imagination.

-The contemporary transformation

-makes Blaen y Buarth...

-..an idyllic haven

-from 21st century life.

-Our odyssey ends

-at Bryncyn in Carmarthenshire.

-This house includes

-an unexpected development...

-..in the history

-of the Welsh cottage.

-Despite its contemporary feel...

-..this falls within the spectrum

-of what you expect from a cottage.

-But the extension

-to the right of the house...

-..belongs to another planet!

-It is, in essence, a concrete box.

-This is no ordinary

-concrete box, mind you.

-It has been shuttered.

-A timber wall was constructed

-and concrete pushed against it.

-The timber was removed,

-to leave wood grain in the concrete.

-It gives the feel of a log cabin,

-despite the fact that it's concrete.

-This slice of light above my head

-gives it a Japanese feel.

-The crowning glory of the design

-is this enormous window.

-It opens out completely...

-..to give great access to the garden

-and to the wonderful patio.

-I'm sure most viewers appreciate

-something modern in their home.

-Why did you go a step further

-and create this concrete box?

-I wanted to create a trick.

-When you first come here,

-you see a traditional cottage.

-The first room you see

-fits into that traditional mould...

-..but when you step into this room,

-there's an element of surprise.

-We wanted to push the boundaries

-of what we could do to a cottage.

-As you can see,

-there are pieces of concrete...

-..that are almost suspended

-in mid-air.

-That helps to create

-that element of surprise.

-Dorian, what is the future

-of the traditional Welsh cottage?

-It's hard to live in a traditional

-cottage in a traditional way...

-..because we use so many modern

-inventions in our everyday lives.

-Hopefully, I've shown

-what can be done with an old cottage.

-I wanted to breathe new life

-into a traditional cottage...

-..and move it forward

-to cater for 21st century living.

-If we turn to Peter Smith's book,

-Houses Of The Welsh Countryside...

-..there's a chapter

-that deals with cottages.

-It's been the same story

-across the centuries.

-The hall house owner

-who had an open hearth...

-..aspired to a house

-with a fireplace and a chimney.

-It's the same thing here.

-This is a modernized cottage with

-a revolutionary concrete extension.

-This echoes

-a different architectural style.

-It links us to our history

-but also looks to the future...

-..and to international architecture.

-Why turn old houses into museums?

-It suggests the that past

-is more important than the present.

-That's a fallacy.

-Welsh architecture

-has a present and a future.

-History is boundless.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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