OK, this is just to establish the brief, the web site and, indeed, the physical site. Three acres, a caravan, a steel container box and, oh yes, "little more than a pile of stones". Yes, you guessed, a building plot. To renovate my dream home. Set in paradise, near to the Irish Sea coast of North Gwynedd. Even got plans passed by the local council to build the dwelling.
It's an old location with lots of history. Romans were in the area and there's a raised roadway of glacial stones (grey, of course!) retained between well laid and large edging stones. It is five metres wide and runs a long way through two of the fields. I call it the Roman road - it's certainly atypical of the standard local approach which is two parallel deep ruts cut out of ever deepening mud. Tractor roads. A local girl. Helen, married a Centurion based at Segontium, the regional headquarters of the Romans - in fact their North West frontier. Her name is celebrated to this day, and the local area is called "Penfforddhelen" - the top of Helen's road.
There is a well in one of the fields and the road leads towards it. Some say the road from Segontium down to the South of Wales passed along this route and the well was a useful stopping off point. Certainly, more recently, it fed pipes to several local houses, used until very recently for household water supplies.
There's fabulous views - over the sea to Ireland on a clear day - but also lots of trees on the holding. Of these a good number are fruit trees, especially apples. Also a few thousand native deciduous and a few Scots Pine. These latter should cut to useful timber as they're some eighty years old.
Otherwise most stems are twelve years old and will provide useful coppice material. If you find this space and are interested then I'll be back soon. Watch this blog!
Longhouse. These are found a lot locally and I'd like to build the predating structure, as built by the pre-Roman Celts. Up in the hills there are ruins of such dwellings as well as the more described roundhouses. So, using the masses of stone held in the neat-ish 19th century dry stone walls and the alder, ash, birch and aspen stems, I'm determined to build a serviceable bronze age Celtic Longhouse. The main house will be the subsequent project, I'll start here.
If I can sort a few details then this could become a "please come and join in" type project. There's loads to do. Such as the Amphitheatre. There will be camping, for sure, and potential for more but I've got to get some services sorted.
