Hello and welcome…
Welcome to the second edition of the Llanelly House Monthly Newsletter. As we stated in our first Llanelly House Companion, this newsletter will deliver the latest news on the project, ensuring that you receive first hand information throughout the restoration process and the growing development of this national treasure, as it transforms into a unique visitor attraction. Llanelly House is one of the five major projects within the town of Llanelli and is running on target.
As you have probably noticed, the hoardings have been erected around the House creating quite a stir within the town. The next visual development will be the scaffolding which will be put in place over the next few weeks. April has been quite an exciting month for the Llanelly House Team with the latest news shared with you below. Why not help us deliver this exclusive information by sharing your newsletters with your friends, family and co-workers, alternatively if you know of someone who would like to subscribe then please send their email address to jonathan.williams@chrt.org.uk.
Time lapse camera
To give you the best, updated visual developments of the project, there will be a series of time lapse cameras inside and outside the House to record the restoration over the next two years. The Project Team will be working with Black Box AV and Atlas AV who have begun recording the enabling works, such as the initial hoardings being erected. The House will be captured from various points, including the St Elli church tower, giving you the opportunity to view the gradual restoration process. Project Director Craig Hatto said; “It is vital that we acquire images of Llanelly House in its final state of disrepair with nothing but the townsfolk walking by, and then the first signs of John Weaver, the Principal Contractors, moving in and hoardings being erected. This is the one chance we will have to capture and record the House prior to its transformation. The material created from this period will form some great PR and will be used for interpretation and archive material.”
Meet the Team: Paint Analyst
Lisa Oestreicher is an Architectural Paint Researcher who trained at the Victoria & Albert Museum and has over 20 years experience working with historic buildings. She originally became involved in the Llanelly House Project in 2003 when she undertook a survey of the building’s historic interiors. Working alongside the building Archaeologist, Dr. Warwick Rodwell, paint research was a success in establishing an understanding of the building’s architectural and decorative history.
One exciting discovery was the identification under later layers of paint, a set of rare mid-eighteenth century grisaille paintings in the Best Antechamber. These paintings are considered not only to be of international significance but are thought to be unique in Wales. As is often the case, this initial research answered many questions whilst stirring up even more. Lisa returned to the property in the autumn of 2010 to undertake paint investigations and to develop a range of historic paint colours which relate specifically to the interiors of Llanelly House.
Call for volunteers
What do you remember?
The Community Engagement Team for Llanelly House is waiting in anticipation for your memories and stories of Llanelly House and of the Llanelli area in general. There is so much knowledge out in the Llanelli area and further afield, the Community Team wish to capture this knowledge for future generations.
Would my memories be relevant?
In a word, ‘Yes’. All the information, memories and artefacts collected during this time will be collated and added to the in-house exhibition and also, as a research tool, will be on the Llanelly House website. Llanelli town is undergoing redevelopment and the revival of Llanelly House has acted as a stimulus for gathering memorabilia from its colourful past. Many inhabitants have memories of the town as being a lively and exciting venue from their youth.
How do I get involved?
If you’d like to share your memories and information, contact Estelle Evans on 01554 772857 or email: estelle.evans@chrt.org.uk. The Community Team will be developing many ways to record this information, from personal interviews to oral history workshops. The workshops will give residents, past and present, the opportunity to tell their stories of how life in Llanelli has changed.
Exploring the Archives
Lisa Bancroft and Estelle Evans from the Llanelly House Community Engagement Team have been working closely with John Davies from Carmarthen Archive Service, picking up valuable information associated with the history of Llanelly House. The most interesting find at the archives has been the 1764 inventory for Llanelly House. Part of it is written in Lady Stepney’s hand, ‘In my maid’s charge 1764’. The Stepney Armorial Dinner Service is listed in Sir Thomas Stepney’s handwriting. The inventory lists various items in the kitchen, brew house and dairy, giving us a brief visual interpretation of the content within the rooms.
Another fascinating find was a document from the 1780’s ‘Calculation on Coals’. It may not sound particularly scintillating at first glance, but when we delved deeper, we found a detailed assessment of the value of coal on Sir John Stepney’s demesne lands in Llanelli in two respective areas. There is also a detailed breakdown of all the lands with coal on them and the value, including Llanelly House itself.
Hidden history found behind secret panel
An interesting historic find has spread excitement within the project recently as the gradual restoration unravels more hidden artefacts. As the builders were stripping away the walls within the House, a panel was revealed with a hidden cupboard behind. Inside the cupboard, above the safe in Sir Thomas Stepney’s Study, a book was found. It’s believed to be the first Letter Book for the Margrave Brothers, who were a wine and spirit merchant, established in 1871 and traded for over 100 years in the House. The book is handwritten in copperplate and includes letters of various personal and business correspondences. The book is currently being investigated by the team who believe it will unravel some interesting history on the people who once lived at the House.
Ghostly goings on
Llanelly House is steeped with history and has been the home to many different characters; it’s no surprise that the Llanelly House Team have experienced some strange encounters. From cold spots to loss of mobile phone signal, to cameras refusing to take photographs of certain parts of the House, it does make you wonder whether or not Llanelly House is still the home of certain past characters. Recently, a discovery was found, the name Jhon Ormond Ebeneser naively scrawled on a timber frame upright had miraculously appeared overnight after stripping away one of the panels. Perhaps one of our readers could shed some light onto the identity of this mysterious person?
The writing’s on the wall…
The hoardings for the House were erected a couple of weeks ago and have already grabbed the attention of an amateur doodle artist; this has sparked an idea amongst the project team! Llanelly House have decided to run a competition for local, aspiring artists to show case their talent on the wall with art work relating to Llanelly House and the connections with the town’s history. The House really does belong to the community and the team is organising the creative competition and workshop with a resident artist. Further information about this project will be made public over the coming weeks and is open to all.
Latest Imagery
Whilst busy unpacking boxes over the past few weeks at our new offices, we have come across various photos and slides in our archives, many of which will be of interest to you. We have added these findings to our flickr account here.
The new photos added include Dr Warwick Rodwell’s photos from 2003 of exterior views, artwork, panelling and architecture. We have also added photographs of the hoardings being erected, so people can keep up to date with the work being carried out.
Our volunteer photographer, Arthur Mallett, has kindly offered to capture the work that John Weaver will be carrying out on the House. He will be present on important dates throughout the project taking photographs of developments. Arthur has also been able to capture some rare images of Llanelly House, including a panoramic shot of the roof from the top of the church tower after permission from Reverend Sian Jones; these can also be viewed on our flickr page above.
