Train The Trainers!

We were delighted to organise and host five days at Ty-Mawr as part of a course in conjunction with Coleg Powys and Construction Skills. We welcomed college tutors from all over Wales to the farm for an exciting programme of courses designed to up-skill the tutors in traditional and sustainable building crafts. The intention is they take this knowledge back to their students and integrate these skills into their own courses.

In October we joined course delegates on a site visit to Raglan Castle to discuss solid stone wall construction, conservation philosophy and the consolidation and repair of ruins. It was fantastic to see remnants of historic plasterwork still in-situ, it would have been a dramatic sight with its grand rooms with decorative plasterwork – in what was remodelled as a sumptuous mansion in the 16th century, its exterior entirely painted in limewash! We moved on to Raglan Castle Farm – built in the 1630s it is one of the earliest brick buildings in Monmouthshire and South Wales. Maintenance issues were debated as well as the changing attitudes to repair techniques.

On the following two days we arranged a series of talks and lectures for all attendees on conservation philosophy, the use of lime, historic brickwork, structural timber framing and repair and conservation painting. We welcomed specialists from England and Wales to provide an insight into historic building conservation and Nigel gave his ever popular introduction to lime. Tours were taken around the farm to view the house and barns enabling delegates to see an on going conservation project in action with discussions on solid wall construction, timber-framing techniques and structural roof repairs. Attendees were intrigued to watch students from the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment constructing a timber-frame. They are currently working onsite building a new bird hide on the south shore of Llangorse Lake.

Delegates were treated to a trip, organised by Coleg Powys, to St Fagans. Our brickwork tutor with a representative from the college showed delegates around the varied array of vernacular Welsh buildings reinforcing the week’s lectures and enabling them to see Ty-Mawr’s products in-situ from the deep red limewash on Kennixton Farmhouse to the limecrete floor in St Teilo’s Church.

The college tutors returned in November to take part in three intensive days practical in their chosen fields. Nigel fired a kiln to show the process of a lime burn and delegates crowded around to see the limestone slaked in water to create a lime putty – lots of bubbling and heat!

James Price took the timber framing course looking at basic framing techniques with oak pegged mortice and tenon joints – the delegates enjoyed cleaving and drawing oak pegs on a shave horse. Slip tenons were constructed as well as scarf joints secured with the ingenious creation of oak ‘bolts’. Butterfly scarfs proved a challenging task, but the end result was a huge success! The carpenters had the opportunity to go down to the lakeside to view the progress of the bird hide they had seen in its initial phase of construction a month earlier.

The brickies were taken by Kevin Stubbs who took them through the appropriate choice of limes and aggregates, laying techniques and brick bonds. Conservation pointing, colour-washing, pigmenting mortars and tuck pointing were all covered as well as rubbing bricks – finishing with the creation of a well-executed rubbed brick arch.

Cath Lloyd Haslam and Sarah Warburton took the painters through limewashes, distempers, marbling and gilding, producing some stunning glided plasterwork decoration.

The course proved to be a great success and will hopefully contibute to the development of the heritage skills base in Wales.

‘a very enjoyable course and lots of information. Thank you for allowing us into your home to enjoy your company and food!’

‘really enjoyed the course, the providers and host have been absolutely fantastic. Thank you for this opportunity, I will be back’

‘very good discussions between group and tutor…very different from college’

‘very well informed talks, good mix of traditional methods and modern…hard work but results were worthwhile’

‘all aspects of the course were very good and I would recommend anyone with interest in heritage to do it’

‘an excellent course with informed tutors. Every opportunity to develop skills, techniques and understanding…first class catering!’