- 12 hours ago
our welsh chapel dream s03e03
Category
šŗ
TVTranscript
00:01Master Potter Keith Braimer Jones and actor Marge Hogarth have made the
00:06charming coastal town of Portleli in North Wales their new home.
00:13Who knew? This is on our doorstep Marge. Yeah, I think everyone who lives here knew.
00:18I think we're the last to know.
00:22They've invested everything they have into a Grade 2 listed chapel and
00:27adjoining Sunday School. The things we do, eh Marge? I know. When does the fun start?
00:34Now, Marge. And together are turning it into something extraordinary.
00:40It doesn't have to be conventional. It's not for everyone and that's okay.
00:46Two years after falling in love with Kap El Salim, their dream is becoming a reality.
00:53Yay! It's beautiful.
00:55While the Chapel Hall will one day host community events...
01:00It's like Piccadilly Circus in here!
01:03...the next phase is bringing their vision of a working pottery studio to life.
01:09We can be creative every day here. Yeah, absolutely.
01:13Taking inspiration from Nia...
01:15Yachida. Yachida. Yeah.
01:17...and far.
01:18A dolphin riding a bike.
01:20Makes sense.
01:21Does make sense.
01:22...meeting skilled artisans along the way.
01:25I've dreamt of this moment for so long.
01:27Someone making mugs of mine in Stoke-on-Trent.
01:30Yach! I love an overlocker!
01:32...and crafting unique pieces of their own.
01:35Just don't look behind you.
01:37I'm not.
01:38As they continue on their journey to rejuvenate Kap El Salim.
01:44You're up and running.
01:48I'm running.
01:49First pots.
01:50Ha ha!
01:51Ha ha!
01:52Ha ha ha!
02:00In PĆ³llely, North Wales, one unique building has survived against all odds.
02:10The 163-year-old Grade II listed Kap El Salim was built in 1862, but suffered a devastating fire in
02:201913.
02:22This tight-knit community pulled together to ensure this non-conformist chapel was rebuilt and lived to tell another tale.
02:34Its latest chapter, and current rejuvenation story, is being written by two new guardians.
02:41Yay!
02:42Ha ha ha!
02:45In 2022, Keith and Marge took the plunge and poured their life savings into restoring the chapel, even after 14
02:54years of dereliction.
02:55We're going to keep all this, aren't we? We're going to keep the gallery as it is.
03:00Yeah.
03:00We'd like to grow trees in it, wouldn't we?
03:02We would, in trugs.
03:04Big trugs, so we can wheel them about.
03:07Indoor trees are just one of Keith and Marge's many unconventional ideas.
03:12See, Marge wants to put a railway carriage in here, underneath the gallery.
03:17A bit of a railway carriage.
03:18Yeah.
03:19Like an old-fashioned sliding door.
03:20And then we could have a cocktail bar in it, but it's like a reading room as well.
03:23It'd be gorgeous.
03:26With the adjoining Sunday school almost complete, soon their sights will be set upon turning the majestic Chapel Hall into
03:36a thriving community space.
03:39It's a wonderful space, but, I mean, you know, we need to clear all the concrete rakes.
03:45Yeah.
03:46All the platforms that the pews were on.
03:48Yeah.
03:49Are you still going to move this?
03:51Yeah, that's got to be moved.
03:53And once we've cleared it, we can really sort of think again.
03:57Yeah.
03:57But it's like anything.
03:58We can only do it at the pace we can do it at.
04:02I know.
04:03I know.
04:04Unless we win the lottery.
04:05Well, let's win the lottery then.
04:08OK.
04:08OK.
04:08Right.
04:10Meeting over.
04:13Whilst they wait for their lottery numbers to show up, Keith and Marge are firmly focused
04:18on finishing the final space in their living quarters, the entrance lobby.
04:26It's so weird when I look at this door.
04:29Yeah.
04:29This is a really big door.
04:30But when you see the yellow door.
04:32Yeah.
04:33The yellow door that will replace this door.
04:35Yes.
04:36It's enormous.
04:37I know.
04:37It's massive.
04:38And it's like a safe door.
04:39I know.
04:40It's got five industrial hinges.
04:41I know.
04:43The metal door isn't the only unusual new feature.
04:47So we've got the yellow door.
04:49Yeah.
04:50We're having a steel staircase put in.
04:53We're going to have antlers on the wall.
04:55So it's going to have a kind of a Scottish baronial kind of feel about it.
05:01The new additions to the lobby will complement the existing light feature made by Keith and installed by electrician James.
05:09And highlight the beautifully rendered walls crafted by plasterer Daniel.
05:13I always marvel at the brilliance of Daniel.
05:19We asked him to give us something that was really rough.
05:24And if we wanted to have a sense of Scots baronial.
05:27Yeah.
05:27I know.
05:28He's made something that looks like plastered stone.
05:31I know.
05:32I know.
05:32It's great.
05:33I love it.
05:34Well it's funny isn't it this space because it really does encapsulate all the builders isn't it.
05:39Well I tell you what.
05:40Yes.
05:41Why don't we.
05:42Yes.
05:42If they'll agree.
05:44Yeah.
05:45Why don't we take a portrait.
05:48Yeah.
05:48Of all the builders.
05:49That's a great idea.
05:50Well.
05:51And we'll frame them all along the corridor.
05:53In homage.
05:55Keith and Margie's entrance lobby will be playful in style and serve as the vital link between the living accommodation
06:03and the chapel hall.
06:05Out goes the tired wooden door and in comes a bold daffodil yellow steel entrance that will contrast against the
06:14stone effect walls.
06:16Reclaimed vintage storage and builder portraits will add storytelling depth to the space.
06:22An industrial style staircase will climb dramatically meeting a sleek steel gantry that leads to the pottery studio.
06:32The space will surprise with antlers adorning the walls adding a unique Scottish baronial flair.
06:43Today the metal fabricators are on site to install the lobby's new steel staircase.
06:56In the chapel hall, Keith is working on the lobby's contrasting Scottish baronial features.
07:04We've been collecting antlers for about two years.
07:10I think all of them came to a natural end.
07:12They were found.
07:15And I just love them.
07:17As with most of Keith and Margie's carefully curated items, they have a story to tell.
07:24This is a particularly good one.
07:27The naturalist society, the jungle, 166 Piccadilly, London, West One.
07:34Wow.
07:35Now it's here.
07:36I love that about things though.
07:38It's amazing.
07:39If objects could talk.
07:44Today, Keith's task is to remount the antlers onto new plaques.
07:51Never done anything like this before really.
07:54Woodwork, it's not really my thing.
07:57But, you know, I'll give it a go.
07:58We've got plenty of wood to practise on, let's face it.
08:01As always, Keith and Marge are keen to reuse whatever materials they can.
08:07And the chapel pews, once again, come in handy.
08:10They're amazingly straight for a start.
08:13They're really, really dry, pitch pine.
08:16And they're a really lovely thickness.
08:18The exact thickness that you need to put an antler on them.
08:22Which is quite brilliant.
08:26It's one thing having creative ideas and vision.
08:32But when it comes to woodwork, Keith is learning on the job.
08:37Pottery is so much better.
08:41With the pews cut into smaller, more manageable pieces...
08:44That'll go on there like that.
08:47Just like that.
08:49Keith needs to shape the plaque.
08:52But rather than making a template,
08:55Potter Keith opts for a dish.
08:58Look at that.
08:59Couldn't be better.
09:01I'm even getting good with this thing.
09:04Apparently it's called a jigsaw.
09:12Look at that.
09:14That doesn't look too bad.
09:19Never one to resist a bold look.
09:22I am in my painting outfit, yes.
09:25What does Keith say I look like?
09:27Those little things with the round glasses.
09:31What are they called?
09:33Minion!
09:35My Minion outfit.
09:38Marge is giving the plaques a moody makeover,
09:42coating them in jet black paint to play off the daffodil yellow door.
09:47It's a bold clash that sharpens the contrast
09:50and adds another layer to their Scottish baronial vision.
09:55The idea was to have, sounds ridiculous,
09:58the inside of a Scots baronial tower.
10:01Which is where the idea of having antlers comes from.
10:06Because the building is majestic and the building is enormous.
10:11So to give it that sense of majesty and history,
10:15you know, you go to National Trust properties
10:18and nine times out of ten there will be antlers.
10:24The space that these are going into in so many ways
10:27has been one of the hardest spaces to even think about
10:32because we lost the stairs, the wall died, it all died.
10:40But that space being finished, that's a real game changer
10:44because if you sort your entrance out,
10:48when you put your key in the door, that's the first thing you see.
10:52It keeps you motivated and enables you to keep going.
10:56Is it going on all right?
10:57Oh, is it?
11:01Yeah, that looks all right, doesn't it?
11:03Yeah.
11:04They almost look professional.
11:06Shush now. I mean, they're going to be far away, which helps.
11:11I look better far away.
11:13Oh, I love.
11:14And I do up close.
11:14Well...
11:15You've washed your hair and everything.
11:16I know, I have today.
11:17I can tell.
11:17They do all that.
11:18They all do all that.
11:19They all do all that.
11:20I mean, yeah, all that.
11:22Yeah, I have washed my hair.
11:31At Kapel Salem, Master Potter Keith is learning some new skills.
11:37Yeah, I think that's about right.
11:40I'm the cement boy.
11:41I was a clay boy once.
11:43I'm now the cement boy.
11:45Yeah.
11:45I'm feeding Daniel with cement.
11:48Yeah.
11:49Plasterer Daniel is finishing up a wall in the pottery studio.
11:53Daniel's amazing.
11:55I mean, you know, he's done all the plastering throughout the whole build.
11:58I mean, he's an artist.
12:00Honestly, it's like, it's a craft in itself.
12:04It really is.
12:05Keen to get the pottery studio up and running.
12:08Today, Keith is giving Daniel a helping hand.
12:13What do you reckon?
12:14That looks all right, doesn't it?
12:15Yeah, that's fine.
12:16Yeah.
12:17Nice.
12:18It's a good one.
12:19Oh, yeah, you see?
12:20Oh, yeah.
12:21Me and him.
12:22You can have a job.
12:22We're like the Ant and Decker cement.
12:25We'll put that off.
12:26Oh, yeah.
12:27It'll get too wet, otherwise.
12:29Yeah, yeah.
12:31With the render mixed to a satisfactory level...
12:35Is that all right?
12:36A bit sludgy?
12:37Yeah.
12:38OK, no.
12:38All right.
12:39Master plasterer Daniel is keen to see how his new apprentice shapes up.
12:45Do you want to have a go, what?
12:46Yeah, yeah, I'll have a go.
12:47Go plastering, yeah?
12:47Yeah, yeah, I'll have a go.
12:48Let's go then.
12:50Today's lesson, the art of applying a render scratch coat.
12:56So you tip the...
12:57That's not sure.
12:58Clean that.
12:59Yeah.
12:59Yeah.
13:00Just mix it up a bit.
13:02Yeah.
13:07With the plaster ready, it's time to apply it onto the brick wall.
13:18Then from the side, you can go that way.
13:24So when you're going, yeah, just like tilt the trowel a bit.
13:28Yeah.
13:29So you just put it on that just slight angle there.
13:31Open it after a while.
13:32Oh, I see.
13:33Yeah.
13:33OK.
13:34It's just like the wrist stick, yeah.
13:36While Keith is learning a new skill with Daniel...
13:38Look what I've done compared to what you've done.
13:41Yeah.
13:45Marge is tracking down the rest of the team to take their portraits.
13:49Can I disturb you for a minute?
13:51What do you want me to do?
13:52I just need you to stand somewhere.
13:55This photo exhibition of their trusty workforce will be hung on the lobby walls.
14:01Can you stand about there?
14:03Right.
14:03Let me see.
14:04First up, Hugh's brother.
14:06Please.
14:08I'm going to come in a wee bit.
14:12Great.
14:13Please don't put it on Facebook.
14:15No, of course I won't.
14:20On a build like this, what it boils down to is that you get on with the builders.
14:27They respect the building.
14:28They respect you.
14:30You respect them.
14:30Ah, these are really nice.
14:34They're all local.
14:35And they're just all master craftsmen in their own right.
14:39Yeah, it's fantastic.
14:42Last but not least, head honcho Hugh.
14:46Hugh, can I take your photograph?
14:48No.
14:49That was a yes, wasn't it?
14:51Pretty sure it was a no there.
14:52I think you'll find it was probably a yes.
15:00Oh, that one's got your eyes closed.
15:01I knew you'd do that again.
15:04Nice.
15:05Great.
15:07Proper.
15:07Well.
15:10Diolch, ma.
15:11Diolch, ma.
15:18Capel Salem stands as a beloved piece of Polleli's history.
15:21And its restoration is bringing joy to a community proud of its heritage.
15:27So the memories I have of Capel Salem is perhaps going there with the primary school, singing in the choir.
15:33I don't have a great voice, but I gave it a go.
15:38If you saw the before and after of what's happened now, you know, the state of the place now, you
15:45can't believe what it looked like, honest to God.
15:47You've got to have the before and after.
15:50The building is fantastic, but the heart of the building is Keith and Marge.
15:56They're the people that are bringing that building to life and that sense of community.
16:04It's long been Keith and Marge's dream to transform the Chapel Hall into a vibrant community space filled with art
16:12and culture.
16:16Though they've cleared away years of rot and are exposing the bare bones of the building, the space now feels
16:23more fragile than ever, making their ambitious vision harder to picture.
16:27The potential is enormous because basically it's a big room that we own.
16:33And a big room can do a myriad of different things.
16:38But this is the most neglected space.
16:41And it's because it's the most complicated space and the most expensive.
16:51Seeking inspiration.
16:56Today, they are in London, visiting an historic, artistic venue that, like the chapel, has lived another life.
17:09We're here at Trinity Boy Wharf, aren't we, Marge?
17:11We are.
17:12Which was basically where they used to make boys for ships and that.
17:18That's right.
17:18And the London, well, the London docks and beyond.
17:22But what's so amazing about it is that it's been transformed into an artist's kind of creative hub, which is
17:31amazing.
17:31It's a perfect example of what we want to try and create in Prichelli, isn't it?
17:39In the Kappel Salam.
17:41A space of inspiration.
17:44In the 16th century, the site at Trinity began maintaining beacons and buoys.
17:52It was a major employer, from engineers to chain testers.
17:57Over time, larger shipyards were built further down the coast.
18:03And by 1988, Trinity was an empty and derelict site.
18:11But in 1998, a phoenix rose.
18:16The site has been rejuvenated into a cultural hub, full of art and creativity.
18:24Look at that.
18:25Oh.
18:26This artistic community is full of studios and designers.
18:31And is home to the work of kinetic sculptor Andrew Baldwin.
18:36I love his little tiny flippers.
18:38I know.
18:39And his fabulous long legs.
18:40Fantastic.
18:41Yeah.
18:42A dolphin riding a bike.
18:44I mean, you know.
18:45Makes sense.
18:47Does make sense.
18:50It's beautiful.
18:51There's something about a bit of rust.
18:54I kind of like it.
18:55Well, we have got big girders in our house.
18:58Yeah.
18:58I like materials that can be weathered and worn.
19:04Yeah.
19:04With obvious signs of ageing.
19:08Definitely.
19:09Yeah.
19:09Yeah.
19:10Creaking.
19:11Yeah.
19:11Yeah.
19:12But he's extraordinary.
19:14Yeah.
19:15He's...
19:15And what an amazing thing that you can see his work here.
19:20In London.
19:21In London.
19:22Yeah, I know.
19:22And we're not at the National Gallery.
19:24No, no.
19:25And we're not at the Tate.
19:26We're at Trinity Boy Wharf.
19:30It's not just the accessible art providing Keith and Marge with food for thought.
19:37Trinity's chain and boy store has been lovingly restored and transformed into a multi-purpose venue.
19:49God, I'm loving these.
19:51Oh.
19:52Those metal sort of joists.
19:55What a great space.
19:57This projection just gives it another element.
19:59Yeah.
19:59Honestly, we've got to do something with light in the main hall.
20:04That's beautiful.
20:05You know, when those pews go away, we just put the concrete down.
20:08Yeah.
20:08It makes the floor another element.
20:10No, it does.
20:11It does.
20:11Yeah, you're right.
20:12This is beautiful.
20:14It's great.
20:14You can even see the history in the walls.
20:18Of course.
20:19You know, you take a building like this and you still, after years and years and years,
20:25you still get a sense of what went on in here.
20:28Although it's now a venue.
20:30Yeah, but that's because it's been done so cleverly.
20:32Yeah.
20:33It's a nod to the past and an opportunity for the future.
20:37Yeah.
20:38I know.
20:39It's a great space.
20:40I feel like a bit of a dance, actually.
20:47It's lovely.
20:54It's been great coming here, isn't it?
20:56Wonderful.
20:56I've happily come again.
20:58Certain aspects you can clearly see is what we're trying to do with the chapel.
21:04You have to be changing, constantly moving forward.
21:07Yeah.
21:07Or things become redundant.
21:08Yeah.
21:09I do feel inspired.
21:11Brilliant.
21:11Diane.
21:13Diane.
21:23Full of energy and creative vision.
21:26Everything changes but you.
21:29Keith and Marge dream of one day dancing across the floor of their own transformed venue.
21:34But first, the magic begins with the hard work.
21:39Why a chapel, they said.
21:41It would be fun, they said.
21:43They must remove tons of concrete that once raised the pulpit and anchored the pews to return the floor to
21:51a level stage for what's to come.
21:55This was the old platform of the set valve, the big seat, the altar, the pulpit, whatever you want to
22:03call it.
22:04And, um, this is the first bit, this is the first section of the hall that's being levelled.
22:10It's all got to be levelled.
22:12Basically all the pews were on a slight platform.
22:15That's all got to be levelled.
22:17So, have I said levelled?
22:19I think I might have said levelled quite a few times.
22:21Has it got to be levelled?
22:22It's got to be levelled.
22:23Yeah.
22:24Helping to clear the broken up plinth is handyman Dropbats.
22:29Don't overfill your barrow.
22:31No.
22:32The story of my life.
22:33I've often overfilled my barrow.
22:37How hard is it to get it up the ramp?
22:40Don't overfill your barrow.
22:42Don't overfill your barrow.
22:44Go on, have a go.
22:46Robert's coming up behind you, so you'd better hurry up.
22:48Shut up!
22:50I'm a natural ramper.
22:55This back-breaking work to rejuvenate the hall...
22:58Oi!
23:01..sometimes feels more like an archaeological dig.
23:06It's a remnant of the fire...
23:10..that happened here.
23:121913, I think it was.
23:13And basically they just chucked all the debris.
23:15You even get the odd roof slate...
23:19..from when the roof fell in.
23:21I mean, it's just extraordinary.
23:23When you peel back the layers and you understand...
23:26..how the building is made...
23:28..it's exciting.
23:29Who doesn't love a bit of history?
23:31Discovering and honouring Capel Salem's history...
23:34..is something Keith and Marge strive to do.
23:37But in the grandest of rooms...
23:39..this careful process will take time.
23:43We have to chip away at this space...
23:45..because psychologically, if we can move forward...
23:48..just by doing things like this...
23:51..we can use this space as a storage space.
23:55We can use it as a workshop.
23:57It just keeps you mentally moving forward, I think.
24:01I've overloaded my barra!
24:04I've overloaded it!
24:07Well, that's the last of it.
24:10Still a lot to do.
24:13Just in case you didn't realise.
24:17Just in case you didn't realise, Marge.
24:18Oh, right!
24:20Gin and tonic, anyone?
24:31It's a big day at Capel Salem.
24:34Yeah, it's 87.
24:36It's, yeah.
24:36It's a bit of a dropion lower on top or something.
24:38Bang on.
24:39Yeah, cool.
24:40We're trying to move on.
24:42Hugh and his brother Rhys...
24:44..are installing one of the Chapel's boldest features yet.
24:47A towering yellow steel lobby door.
24:52Today is a good day...
24:53..because our yellow door is finally going in...
24:57..to the door that we first ever entered into the Chapel.
25:01The door that we've not been able to come through for about two years.
25:05Oh, two years, yeah, no.
25:06It's quite a symbolic moment, really, that door going back on.
25:10It's a really big deal because we talked about having...
25:13..a yellow door when we bought the building.
25:16Yeah.
25:16And we've got one.
25:17And it's metal, which means it's dry rot-proof.
25:22We'll see how heavy it is, yeah?
25:24Weighing in at around 80 kilos...
25:27Quite heavy, yeah.
25:29Hugh and Rhys need to manoeuvre the massive door...
25:32..from the Chapel Hall to the lobby.
25:34He's got the lower down there, though.
25:36There, there.
25:37There, there.
25:39The yellow door going in...
25:41..means that can make good that whole section.
25:43Then we've got an entrance into the house.
25:45Yeah.
25:46You've always said...
25:47Sort your hall out first.
25:49Sort your hall out first.
25:50Well, we've kind of sorted it out last.
25:52But...
25:53..that door, I mean, it's got five hinges.
25:56Five industrial-sized hinges.
25:58It's beautiful.
25:59Just hope Hugh's done the measuring OK.
26:01He's done all right so far.
26:03Yeah.
26:04Yeah, he has.
26:07The moment of truth.
26:11Spot on.
26:12Spot on!
26:14I think.
26:14Give or take a bit of rubble.
26:16Hmm?
26:17Give or take a bit of rubble.
26:18Yep.
26:18It'll be fine.
26:20Nice.
26:20It's a big door, isn't it?
26:21It's wide.
26:22Massive.
26:23Yeah, yeah.
26:23Absolutely massive.
26:24Biggest one like this I've ever fitted.
26:26Oh, it is, is it?
26:27Right.
26:31This gigantic steel door is not the kind usually found in houses.
26:37It's a security door for factories or garages, that type of place.
26:42It is definitely unique to them, but I think it reflects their personalities bang on, I think, there.
26:51Working in close proximity with Keith and Marge for 18 months, Hugh is well acquainted with their unique taste.
27:01It's been very different working with them, because, and it's nice with people who know what they want.
27:07So it's made life quite easy, to be fair.
27:09Erm, and yeah, beginning, thought they were mad, but now I can see their vision.
27:15It's just, it's just nice to see it all coming together and all the, the different colours and everything.
27:20It's just, everything works, to be fair.
27:35What a happy days.
27:42The yellow front door marks another big step in Keith and Marge's journey to making the Llyn Peninsula their forever
27:50home.
27:52Eager to fully embrace the Welsh culture, they know it's time to take the plunge and learn the language.
28:00Where have we come to, Marge?
28:03Blimey.
28:03Shall we just stop and admire the view?
28:06Today, they are heading just eight miles north to Nantgwrthairn to begin that journey.
28:15Everybody asks you, have you been to Nantgwrthairn yet?
28:20And we hadn't.
28:22No, it's fantastic.
28:24It's really beautiful.
28:27Who knew?
28:28This is on our doorstep, Marge.
28:30Yeah, I think everyone who lives here knew.
28:33It was just us.
28:34I think we're the last to know.
28:39In the 1850s, Nantgwrthairn became a prominent granite quarry.
28:45Yeah, I mean, look, you can see the remnants of the old quarry and the buildings.
28:49I know.
28:50Where they all lived.
28:52The history here is etched into the landscape.
28:56Yet after World War I, the granite industry declined.
29:00And in 1959, the last family left, leaving this village empty.
29:07And then a visionary man, a clever man, called Dr Karl Klaus, thought it would make a wonderful centre for
29:16the Welsh language.
29:17And he wasn't wrong.
29:19He wasn't wrong.
29:21So they started in the 1970s, making it into this centre for Welsh language.
29:27And the first lesson was in 1982.
29:291982, yeah. Amazing.
29:31Yeah.
29:32And we're going to have a lesson, aren't we?
29:33Well, it's interesting, because we were both at school in 1982.
29:36Yeah, yeah.
29:36And today we're going back to school.
29:38Well, look, we've got our ties on.
29:39We have got our ties on.
29:40Got our school ties on.
29:40We're ready.
29:41I don't want to go to school!
29:43Miss, I've got a tummy ache!
29:47Keith and Marge's tutor for the day is Nia Eyre.
29:50Hello.
29:51Nia has been teaching here for two years.
29:55She wants to hear of Keith and Marge's experience of the Welsh language.
29:59This is our classroom chair, is it?
30:01Yeah.
30:02Nice.
30:03My father, when he came up during the war, he didn't speak Welsh.
30:07But when he went back after the war, he could sing in Welsh.
30:11Yeah.
30:11And he could understand it.
30:12But, yeah, yeah, it was quite amazing, really.
30:15So, do you remember your father being able to speak Welsh?
30:18Oh, yeah.
30:18Yes, I do, yeah, yeah.
30:20Interesting.
30:21So, obviously, his parents were both Welsh.
30:22Well, I grew up watching Welsh rugby with my father.
30:26Right, okay.
30:27Yeah, yeah.
30:28We always supported Wales.
30:29Oh, yeah, yeah.
30:30Yeah, as it was growing up.
30:31As someone who isn't Welsh and doesn't have Welsh heritage,
30:35is that you come here and you find Welsh across the board?
30:40Yeah.
30:40So, although if you feel like you don't come from maybe a Welsh-speaking background...
30:44..the language still belongs to you and you're still engaged with it...
30:48Yeah, absolutely.
30:48..in some sort of way.
30:49So, there's engagement with the Welsh language all around us, really.
30:54Tutor Nia is keen to get to work on the Welsh alphabet.
30:59So, dyma ni, dy ni'n dweud A.
31:02A.
31:03A.
31:04A.
31:04Gwych.
31:05Nesa.
31:06B.
31:06B.
31:07B.
31:07Hyfryd.
31:09C.
31:09C.
31:10Iawn, this one.
31:12Da, iawn, iech.
31:14Yeah.
31:15Gwych.
31:15Yeah.
31:16Like you're clearing your throat.
31:18Yeah.
31:19Da iawn, gwych.
31:20Welsh is one of Europe's oldest languages and is spoken by over 800,000 people in Wales.
31:28Yet, it was only given official status, alongside English, in 2011.
31:35Da iawn, gwych.
31:37Nesa.
31:37I think the facial expressions are like, u, u.
31:41U.
31:42U.
31:42U.
31:42Yeah, da rawn ni.
31:43U.
31:45Let's think of a ordering something in a cafe then or in a pub.
31:48If you're asking gai gai e a cup of tea maybe gai banad o dee
31:54o dee o dee gai banad o dee d'rani?
31:57Yeah gai banad o dee o dee o dee gai banad o dee
32:01neu gai goffi gai banad o goffi gai banad o goffi gai banad o goffi gai banad o goffi
32:10A perfect accompaniment to the tea and coffee is bara brith a traditional Welsh fruitcake
32:17which translates as speckled bread
32:21Gai barabri
32:23Barabri?
32:23Efo?
32:24Efo?
32:25Menyn
32:26Os gwolech yn la
32:28Bych chi di neud yn wych?
32:30You've done brilliantly
32:32Diolch yn fawl
32:33Diolch yn fawl
32:35Diolch yn fawl
32:35Yeah well done
32:36Tara
32:37Quid go before she says anything else
32:43Next it's time to put their lesson into practice
32:50First up is Marge
32:52Gai farabri?
32:54Efo menyn
32:56Cewch tad
32:57Cewch tad
32:57Unrhyw fiod
32:58Gai cappuccino
33:00Yeah
33:01With Marge successfully ordering both cake and a drink
33:04Os gwolech yn la
33:06Keith spots a shortcut
33:09Da
33:10Da
33:11Da?
33:11Da chi i siwr un peth?
33:12Yeah?
33:13Er
33:19I genuinely do want to be able to, you know, I mean to learn fluent Welsh is something
33:26You're going to need to learn the words for sandwich and sausages
33:31Yeah
33:32Seen as all you ever buy is sandwiches and sausages
33:38Sandwiches, I like a sandwich, it's true
33:49Back in Pollelly, thoughts return to finishing the lobby
33:55And there is one vintage piece of storage that Marge thinks will fit in perfectly
34:00What we have here is, I think it's probably French
34:05It's a little tiny wardrobe
34:08It's like a locker wardrobe really, it's got two hooks in it
34:11And I bought it a few years ago in Whitstable hoping that one day I would do something with it
34:17And now's the time, which is quite exciting
34:20What we want is to create this weird kind of juxtaposition between the industrial and the sort of genteel Scots
34:35baronial feel
34:35So, this will be part of our industrial as opposed to our genteel
34:44To achieve the raw industrial style finish that Marge is looking for, this antique steel locker needs some TLC
34:53So, I'm trying to get off this brown paint and I'd quite like to get it back to the metal
35:01And the joy of doing this is, it won't matter if I don't get all the paint off
35:08It'll just look distressed and that's what I'll call it
35:13Whilst Marge gets to work with her hand sander, stripping back years of antique paint
35:19I'm going to just start off
35:25I can't see out my glasses now
35:29Keith is reinstating one of the many treasures that came with the chapel
35:34We've got so many of these hooks that were left here all over the chapel
35:39And I've taken them all off the bits of rotten wood
35:43And Marge has reclaimed them by sort of taking off all the paint, paint stripping them
35:48And they're lovely hooks, so we need coat hooks
35:51So I'm just doing new bits of wood to put up on the lobby wall
35:57With some more coat hooks
35:59They're probably Victorian these, they're brass
36:02They've been in this building since the year dot
36:05They're amazing, I love them
36:08Now, I'm doing the final coat on this bit of wood
36:12I love this bit because, one, because it's the final coat and I hate painting
36:18And two, Mel, our painter, reminded me that if you...
36:23Before you put this final coat on
36:25If you sand the wood down and make it nice and smooth
36:29The last coat you put on will look really flat
36:32And really, yeah, like professional
36:35Which is not my middle name
36:38Yeah, look at that, that's nice now
36:42It's really nice when you get a chance to reuse stuff that was in the chapel
36:47And boy, can we reuse the coat hooks, we've got so many
36:52But mind you, Marge does have quite a lot of coats
36:55So it's just as well, really
37:01Marge will soon have plenty of suitably styled storage for her coats
37:05As her sanding is slowly revealing the industrial look she was hoping for
37:14Oh yeah, it already looks so much better
37:19I think it will be a combination of this with these lighter edges
37:27And it's going to pick out the detail
37:29It's going to be transformed
37:32Which is great
37:33And it will sit really nicely in that space
37:36It's exciting
37:38It's exciting seeing all these treasures that we've collected
37:41Coming into their own
37:44And coming into our home
37:56Keith and Marge have almost finished restoring the final area in their living space
38:04The industrial steel staircase is fully operational
38:08And today Hugh and Brother Heese are on hand to help add the Scottish baronial flair
38:16Feel the weight of that
38:18Fancy that on your head
38:19Jesus
38:22They're finished remounted antlers
38:25I'll be excited because they'll be off the floor in the main hall
38:29Finally, they're going up on the wall
38:31Which is great
38:32And what a wall
38:40Do many people ask you to put up a wall of skulls?
38:44Oh, it's like a deal occurrence
38:46I thought that
38:49Never before, I don't think
38:53That one hurt, this one
38:55You all right?
38:56Yeah
38:57Mounting their antler collection in the entrance to their home
39:00There
39:01That's it
39:02You're ruining that good wall
39:05Don't tell the owners
39:07Is a vision that's been years in the making
39:09I brought Keith's first set of antlers
39:14Christmas 21
39:15Yeah
39:17We kind of knew what we were going to do with them then
39:21Get more
39:22Get more
39:23Well, it's like the British Museum
39:29Are you happy there?
39:31Yeah
39:34Is it out with the door, is it?
39:36Yeah
39:40Nice
39:40Yay!
39:41It looks brilliant
39:42Nice
39:43Spot on
39:44Well done
39:45Cheers for that
39:46Perfect, yeah
39:47You know
39:48And it makes sense once it's in then
39:49Once it makes sense
39:50Yeah, that's right
39:51Not that I don't believe you
39:53LAUGHTER
39:55It's just not
39:56It's really good for me
39:56Yeah
39:59Downstairs in the snug
40:00Marge is putting the finishing touches to the photo gallery
40:04Celebrating Hugh and his team
40:07It's really important to remember the people that have
40:13Been significant in this project
40:16Been significant in this project
40:17Everyone's just been an absolute
40:20Delight
40:21Which is
40:22You hear other people talk about building projects
40:26One of the reasons we haven't really encountered many problems
40:31Is down to this man, Hugh
40:33Hugh
40:34Because he's put a really great
40:37Team together
40:40As Hugh and his team add the finishing touches in the entrance lobby
40:44Outside, Keith is ensuring the new yellow industrial front door
40:50Has a post box to match
40:53But can you see what we've done here?
40:55Yellow
40:55Yellow door
40:59Are you a designer?
41:00I mean, you know
41:01I don't like to say
41:03LAUGHTER
41:05The bold yellow post box declares Keith and Marge's lobby
41:08Officially complete
41:09A striking contrast to the state they found it in
41:13When they first walked through their store
41:16At Chapel Salem
41:21Yes
41:21Oh, yes
41:23This needs clearing up
41:27I wouldn't do that
41:29I'd kind of leave that bit
41:30Yeah, I'd just leave that
41:31We could make that a feature
41:32Yeah, no, that would be nice
41:36Though one of the smallest spaces in the chapel
41:38The lobby has been one of Keith and Marge's most significant projects
41:43The enormity of which they recognise from the very beginning
41:47The stairs didn't used to be like that
41:49They didn't used to be like that
41:51No, and the fungus has got to it and they're rotten
41:54This floor is great though
41:56I know it is
41:58One day
42:00There'll be
42:01A line of
42:04Smart
42:04Waterproof coats
42:07And Wellingtons
42:10In a country living photo styling
42:14So that'll be nice
42:15One day
42:16We'll have that
42:17One day
42:21Hey, look at your post box
42:23Yes
42:23And at last
42:24That day
42:25Has arrived
42:26Look at that yellow door
42:28Oh no, only a lovely post box
42:29It's a thing of beauty
42:38Gone are the rotten stairs
42:41Replaced now by a stunning industrial style staircase
42:46That transforms the entire space
42:51The vibrant yellow door
42:53The vibrant yellow door is a symbol of Keith and Marge's bold approach
42:57Come on, we've got to hang my coat up
42:59Hang my hat
42:59We can actually hang our coats up, Marge
43:01Hey?
43:04This space is the main conduit between the whole building
43:08It's also the place you welcome people in
43:11The lobby ties the chapel and Sunday school together
43:15Finishing off Keith and Marge's living accommodation
43:18With an industrial edge
43:21We can start finally using this
43:23Because we've got
43:26We've got our snug in there
43:28Yeah, I know
43:29And it's like
43:31That's ordered now
43:32And this is ordered
43:34Yeah
43:36And then we've got this little bit here
43:38Before you go into the main hall
43:39So it really is
43:40It's like a junction
43:43Got my locker
43:44Yeah, that's worked out really well
43:46Thanks
43:48Well, talking of this room being a junction
43:51Shall we go upstairs to the studio hall?
43:54To the Scots Tower
43:55The Scots Tower
43:59Ascending the metal staircase
44:01I even like the noise
44:02Yeah
44:07Reveals an entirely new dimension of style
44:15When you look in from this corner
44:17You just see a tangle of antlers
44:19I know, it's great
44:20It's brilliant
44:20And then you see the light at the top
44:22Yeah
44:23And those plaques from the seating of the pews
44:26Works really well, doesn't it?
44:28Yeah, I quite like the fact they look a bit like skateboards
44:33Also, what I love about it is because the stairwell is quite a big stairwell
44:37When you come up and you see these antlers
44:39It's quite dramatic
44:40But they don't encroach on your personal space
44:43No, no, not at all
44:44They don't get in the way at all, do they?
44:46Not at all
44:46We will have fun putting baubles on them at Christmas then
44:51The Scottish Baronial Tower offers a dramatic new entrance into Keith's future pottery studio
44:59Yeah, thrown into the pottery
45:01That's the gateway to our future
45:04Yeah
45:07The completion of the lobby is the final piece of the living space puzzle
45:12Infused with character and rich history
45:15All brought back to life by their much trusted build team
45:19And then we've got our gang
45:21Yeah
45:22They're not all there yet
45:23They're not all there yet
45:24But they will be
45:26I like it because it's a simple reminder of how much work they've done
45:31I know
45:32And they've been brilliant
45:33I know they have
45:34Now we just need to raise the money to do
45:38The next phase
45:40Marge, may I show you in here?
45:42No, I'm not looking
45:43Look away
45:45We'll just close that, shall we?
45:49Can't do it today
45:50That's the chaos thing
45:51No point in worrying about it
45:54Celebrate the little wins
45:56Ah
45:59Next time the spotlight shifts to the Potsity studio
46:04Bendageddick
46:05Where new windows and lights
46:07I know it's all a bit wonky Marge
46:09But it's kind of the Moulin Rouge kind of effect
46:12Right
46:14Set the stage for Keith's 60th birthday
46:17Can everyone make their way inside?
46:20The show is about to begin
46:48Let's begin!
Comments