Standing high on The Parrog on Newport sea front, Bryn Y Mor is a large solid stone built late Victorian “sea captain’s” house having its own slipway and wonderful views over Newport Bay. My clients asked me to completely renovate the dilapidated and badly altered house, after their purchase, restoring it as a large five bedroom family home, also opening up the large attic as an open plan children’s dormitory for their holiday use. This house is within The Parrog Conservation area. A new pair of traditional dormer windows, but built with glazed cheeks, were constructed, to give light and view to this space, replacing the poorly located and badly built, single dormer constructed in the 1980s.
The original stone faced tiered retaining walls were rebuilt externally and repaired where they had been ‘built up higher’ in poor inappropriate construction and the dense overgrown Leylandii planting was removed. Landscaping and opening up to the rear allowed all cars to be removed from the tidal parking area on the original slipway, open to the public view at the front. Roof, walls ,windows and floors are all well insulated to reduce CO2 emissions. The interior is now light and airy with good views to the north and south with good solar gains contributing to its efficient heating system. To the rear a solid stone outbuilding was converted and now houses a large utility room with a wc and shower area for washing off after boating or beach activities. The original lean to vine house that had completely disintegrated, was reformed as a single glazed conservatory around the original vine that had just survived, to the southern wall of this building. It is now thriving and productive.
This house is one of the buildings which give The Parrog its strong individual character and features in most photographic views or paintings by local artists.