Hello and welcome…
Last month saw some important developments in the Llanelly House programme, with promotional and Community Engagement activities being ramped up and works at the House taking shape.
The House is now entirely covered by scaffolding and, at street level, hoardings surround the property. The roof is being refurbished under the scaffolding cover and work is progressing throughout the House. Read all about it in the Works Update.
New exhibition panels and displays have been delivered and used at events; these are now displayed in the exhibition room at our main office in West End.
Building Works Update
As you will have noticed if you have driven through the town recently, Llanelly House is completely covered in a ‘tent’ of scaffolding and plastic, to enable the vital renovations and restoration work to take place.
The roof of the building has been taken off ready for the removal of the top of the House. This month, the scaffolding graphic design will be applied, as well as a storyboard-design for the hoardings around the building.
Other works in progress include the reinstatement of all the windows facing Vaughan Street and the fireplace in the Great Hall.
Celebrated Local Photographer Engaged
Well-known local photographer,Terry Morris, has offered his expertise and services to Llanelly House to work on a series of exciting and innovative projects.
Terry is the Art Ambassador for Carmarthenshire and is famous for his photographic treatments of Sir Alex Ferguson, Shirley Bassey, members of the Stereophonics and many more. Terry commented on Twitter, “Had a great insight into the Llanelly House project today. Incredibly exciting venture which I can’t wait to be part of”. He will be shooting the faces of a number of people for our new campaign, ‘Be a Face of Llanelly House’.
Meet the Team – John Weaver
John Weaver is the Principal Contractor for Llanelly House and has undertaken specialist conservation projects for many years, growing in size and standing since the 1990s.
The company has worked on a number of Grade 2 and Grade 1 listed buildings, including Llwynywermod Estate for the Duchy of Cornwall, Bedwellty House and the Restoration of Big Pit Mine at Blaenavon to form a museum. Using local labour and supply chains, John Weaver has the expertise to carry out most of the specialist work themselves, with the experience to match skills and materials to the job without sacrificing its conservation values.
Opening Doors to the Past
A project that is running in conjunction with Civic Trust Wales, Open Doors Days, comes to the Llanelly House project in September on 10th, 11th, 16th and 21st. These open days offer free places for presentations about the Llanelly House project, looking at ‘Progress of Llanelly House’ and including ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions, which involve contractors at Llanelly House.
After the success of last year’s Open Doors Days event, a further programme had to be added to the calendar, in order to accommodate the number of people interested in learning about the House. This year’s sessions will be held at the Project Offices at West End.
On 16th September, the expert views will come from Graham Kelly and Neal Griffiths, from the construction contractor John Weaver. The 21st September presentation will see Richard Scott Jones, architect, answering questions and speaking about the sights uncovered at the House.
Space is strictly limited, so booking is essential to avoid disappointment – Contact Estelle Evans to reserve your space on 01554 772857 or email estelle.evans@chrt.org.uk
Be a face of Llanelly House
Many people have been surprised to learn about some of the personalities born in Llanelli, including The Edge from U2, artist James Dickson Innes, photographer Terry Morris and entertainer Keith Allen. What characters would you like to see featured at Llanelly House?
If you know of anyone, past or present, who has made some contribution to the world and hails from the Llanelli area, please email jonathan.williams@chrt.org.uk, ring the office 01554 772857 or message us on facebook.
‘Face of Llanelli’ characters are being sought for a campaign featuring past and present images, with people from the arts, entertainment, sport, industry and society. A facebook campaign, encouraging people to tell their stories and volunteer has been launched and any ideas for the ‘Face of Llanelli’ will be gratefully received.
Welsh TV Coverage
A number of press and media opportunities have arisen recently, with Llanelly House featured in newspapers, radio shows and TV productions.
The Tinopolis production company brought a team to the House to film a piece for Wedi 7 on S4C. Local historian, John Edwards and Town Clerk, Mel Edwards, both Welsh speakers and Project Director, Craig Hatto were interviewed. The programme showed footage of traditional building skills being used at the House during the rebuilding of internal walls, whilst John Edwards discussed the building’s history, including the period of occupation by the Stepney family and the story of Mira Turner.
BBC Wales has continued to film the project’s progress and is in the process of putting together a programme featuring a high-profile personality; also during the month, Flic filmed a feature for its production ’100 places to visit in Wales’.
Volunteer Opportunities at Llanelly House
A variety of volunteer opportunities exists at the House, from taking part in the project’s ‘digital heritage’ activities to attending workshops aimed at extending skills.
If you would like to learn about scanning and digitising images, setting up online family histories and recording memories, we have the opportunity for you. Free digitisation workshops are running at the project main office, in West End, on 7th, 14th and 28th September. Call or email for details.
Llanelly House is partnering with Culturenet to deliver ‘Digital Heritage in the Community. Using scanners, flip cameras, digital kit and laptop computers, the project involves training that is both fun and practical, with activities for everyone.
Reminiscence workshops will be running on 8th, 15th and 27th September, operating from the West End office but including time out in the Llanelli community, with organisations involved in the scheme.
If you have an artefact, document or image that you would like us to scan for you – or a story to tell – then please contact Estelle on estelle.evans@chrt.org.uk or 01554 772857. All training is delivered at Llanelly House project office 21-25 West End, Llanelli.
Latest Imagery
This month’s photography update comes with some unique shots from underneath the scaffolding roof at Llanelly House. We have uploaded photos of the Stepney family crest on the lead down pipes and photos of the rebuilding of the windows on the ground floor. These photos can be viewed on either our facebook page or flickr.
