best for conservation of cultural heritage
highly commended Under the Thatch, UK
Thatch the way to do it!
Back in 2001, architectural historian Greg Stevenson was living in a house in West Wales that was actually two cottages – one habitable and the other, Ffynnon-Oer Isaf, a wreck. To restore it properly meant a lot of research as it was built out of clom, a Welsh form of cob. The project was a success, incorporating the first clom walls to be built in Wales for over a century – but it cost £85,000, way over budget. To recoup some of that outlay, Greg decided to let out Isaf as an authentic holiday let. Meanwhile he moved on to the next project…and the next. And so Under the Thatch was born – a niche self-catering cottage agency, in which the profits are used to buy and restore historic buildings in Wales, saving many from almost certain demolition. ‘That first house was full from day one, so we realised there was a huge demand for a historically interesting house,’ Greg says. In 2005 Greg took on his first ‘agency’ cottage, using the profits to help fund the restoration work. Under
the Thatch now has a roster of 75 properties, ranging from the luxury to the quirky – including shepherds’ huts, show-wagons, gypsy caravans and even Wendy, a restored Edwardian railway carriage perched on a clifftop at Aberporth overlooking Cardigan Bay. All are run in a sustainable way; some are off-grid, others have low-carbon heating systems, solar power and compost toilets. A flexible pricing policy ensures one of the highest year-round occupancy rates (between 80 to 100 per cent) of any self-catering letting agency. ‘In low season this means some people get holidays at cost price – such as a whole cottage for £50 a week.’ Greg is scornful of what he calls the ‘greed’ of many owners of selfcatering properties. ‘People try to join our agency every day, and one reason they get turned down is that the owners are too greedy. Our high occupancy rates help to minimise second-home syndrome, and communities benefit.’ One property Greg did take on
belongs to comedian and presenter Griff Rhys Jones, who asked Greg to renovate his cottage Trehilyn Uchaf, near the Strumble Head peninsula in Pembrokeshire. It became the subject of a BBC4 TV series A Pembrokeshire Farm, and is let through Under the Thatch whenever Rhys Jones is away. Ideally, Greg would like his restored properties (around 12 so far) to become full-time homes. But the costs invariably run to more than the buildings are worth. Wendy, for example, cost £70,000 to restore – nearly three times the projected cost. Fortunately for Greg, his ‘proper job’ as an architectural historian – he was an adviser on the BBC TV series Restoration – and a lecturer at the University of Wales, has meant he has not had to rely on Under the Thatch for an income. ‘It may sound odd for a tourism company to say so, but the fundamental reason for our business isn’t to sell holidays – it’s to raise funds for building conservation.’ However, the higher costs of even derelict properties means Greg is now looking abroad for his next restoration – a log-built house near Tarnow in Poland. www.underthethatch.com what the judges said While many holiday property booms have been at the expense of local communities, Under the Thatch have ensured no permanent homes have changed use and no one forced out of the community. All their rental properties in Wales were once derelict cottages or neglected outbuildings. Flexible year-round pricing means local staff are employed even through quiet times – boosting and sustaining the local economy.
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