Monday, March 19, 2007

Writing Course Venues - The Chapel

Over the last two years I've run a few intensive weekend and long-weekend courses. Some have been in Newbury, Berkshire, at Kingfisher Barn.

Here




and some were held in North Wales where we used three log cabins


LIKE THESE








the evenings were cosy, the teaching was cramped!


But some may know that we sold the three chalets and invested in a delightful chapel in the small village of Llwyngwril, in Snowdonia, but on a train line to Macyntleth, Shrewsbury, Birmingham!

My dream was to convert the chapel and save it from ruin, to rent it out and run courses there for a few years and then settle there with no mortgage etc and write a few novels in my dotage.

FINALLY, we have Planning Permission AND the go-ahead from the Environmental Agency AND Snowdonia National Parks.

Who said dreams were easy?

The chapel came with all the fitments, even a pulpit (very handy Alex) and two Welsh Bibles. We've stripped out 90% of the fittings but hope to use them all, to re-invest using local craftsmen and to use the original wood as far as possible.

It is going to be FANTASTIC!



The internal measurements are 22' x 37' but the middle floor (of three floors) will "only" be 22 x 29 with a minstrel's gallery (incorporating the pulpit which will stick out like a ship's bow - perfect for doing "Titanic" scenes) looking down onto a beautiful kitchen-diner.




We've had the roof fixed, new gutterings, and had the front done up (great local man did this) but now we have planning to put in a new roof and an extra floor.

It will have 5 or 6 double bedrooms, a table for 12 diners, a great kitchen (we live in the kitchen) a small office area in each bedroom and that 22' x 29' lounge/study/teaching area.





Alex

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