Wynn Hall for Marco towers?

[Marco]

This is mainly for Alex (UK), Jonboy and others who were following the snowy pictures thread before Christmas where I was discussing where we might be moving to.

Alex had enquired if we'd taken our interest in buying Wynn Hall any further, so we went for a viewing today and took some pictures. Wynn Hall is a Jacobean Grade 2 listed building built in 1649.

There is undoubtedly some work needing done to the property, but it doesn't seem like anything too major, subject to a full structural survey which we'll be having carried out next :cool:


Where the hi-fi potentially would go:


http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/424/img0198q.jpg (http://img593.imageshack.us/i/img0198q.jpg/)


http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6995/img0199vv.jpg (http://img534.imageshack.us/i/img0199vv.jpg/)


http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2488/img0200sr.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/img0200sr.jpg/)


I can just see the Lockwoods slotting in there nicely! :eyebrows:


Kitchen:


http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/9687/img0201o.jpg (http://img573.imageshack.us/i/img0201o.jpg/)


Small fire in kitchen:


http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/4959/img0210bd.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/img0210bd.jpg/)


One on the other side of kitchen:


http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/7843/img0202gv.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/i/img0202gv.jpg/)


Some of the lovely inglenook fireplaces in various rooms:


http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/6358/img0222p.jpg (http://img34.imageshack.us/i/img0222p.jpg/)


http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8814/img0208nt.jpg (http://img404.imageshack.us/i/img0208nt.jpg/)


What cretin put a bloody radiator on there! :mental: :rolleyes:


http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/513/img0217adn.jpg (http://img202.imageshack.us/i/img0217adn.jpg/)


One of the six bedrooms. This one had previously been used as a nursery:


http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6175/img0220nf.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/i/img0220nf.jpg/)


And another:


http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/6618/img0224t.jpg (http://img560.imageshack.us/i/img0224t.jpg/)


http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5722/img0214x.jpg (http://img812.imageshack.us/i/img0214x.jpg/)


Wonder what's lurking up in the attic? :eyebrows:


Entrance Hall:

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6075/img0225v.jpg (http://img829.imageshack.us/i/img0225v.jpg/)


Front Door:

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4571/img0226gb.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/img0226gb.jpg/)


Outside:

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2161/img0229cn.jpg (http://img408.imageshack.us/i/img0229cn.jpg/)



http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4648/img0230qo.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/i/img0230qo.jpg/)


Side of house, showing double garage:


http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/5849/img0228qo.jpg (http://img703.imageshack.us/i/img0228qo.jpg/)


Some magnificent chimneys (spoiled by a f*cking satellite dish :rolleyes:):


http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1952/img0227f.jpg (http://img510.imageshack.us/i/img0227f.jpg/)


Part of the garden:

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/3716/img0232q.jpg (http://img690.imageshack.us/i/img0232q.jpg/)


For a current street view of the property, showing the house from the side of the road in the village, see here (there are also a couple of extra photos taken of the property a couple of years ago on the website):


http://www.streetvi.com/en/map/point/52.995821/-3.05863/190.97686699999997/-2.408312/0/#/point/52.995821/-3.05863/280.98/-2.41/0/


Some historical info on Wynn Hall: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynn_Hall

Marco.

[Tarzan]

Very nice Marco- that has to have resident ghoul!;)

[Sand Dancin Donkey Walker]

Very nice in deed Marco.
Your Tannoy's will really work well in that larger room.
Bet you can't wait.

Andy - SDDW

[Alex_UK]

Looks like a lot of potential Marco, and if not too much structural work then I reckon a bargain - certainly compared to what us Southerners have to stump up for property! Good luck if you decide to go for it.

[Marco]

Cheers, guys. It's far from being a definite yet, as much will depend on the results of the structural survey. There are a couple of damp areas inside which require some further investigating.

We're certainly very interested, though, so it's just a case of taking one step at a time :cool:

There's even a wine cellar, too (yaaay!), but we couldn't get down to that today.

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Alex,


Looks like a lot of potential Marco, and if not too much structural work then I reckon a bargain - certainly compared to what us Southerners have to stump up for property! Good luck if you decide to go for it.


Cheers, mate!

Indeed - it's one of the reasons why we would never move down south. I agree, though, there is some serious potential, especially in terms of an investment for the future when the property market is in rather better shape!

We found out that the hall was repossessed, as the previous owner (a vet and property developer) went bankrupt, so the estate agent told us that there's a fair bit of room for negotiation on price ;)

Del loves it, too, but we won't get too excited yet until we know the results of the structural survey :)

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

Cheers, guys. It's far from being a definite yet, as much will depend on the results of the structural survey. There are a couple of damp areas inside which require some further investigating.

We're certainly very interested, though, so it's just a case of taking one step at a time :cool:

There's even a wine cellar, too (yaaay!), but we couldn't get down to that today.

Marco.

He means potential dungeon ;):eyebrows::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: No more to see the little white door......:lol::lol::lol::lol:


Looks interesting but a tad creepy :eek:


Regards D S D L

[Jonboy]

too pissed to comment fully at the mo mate brains gone foggy but i like what i see, there's a lot of history there, just make sure you can stand up fully in the rooms or you will develop a stoop

[Alex_UK]

Looks interesting but a tad creepy :eek:

Still talking about the property or it's potential new Lord of The Manor? :)

[Jonboy]

Still talking about the property or it's potential new Lord of The Manor? :)

:lolsign:

[Spectral Morn]

Still talking about the property or it's potential new Lord of The Manor? :)


Alex !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the property of course. I tell you what you will need extra long spikes to get your stands level :eek:


Regards D S D L

[Marco]

He means potential dungeon ;):eyebrows::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: No more to see the little white door......:lol::lol::lol::lol:


Oh there are plenty of secret wee places to carry out all manner of naughtiness......! :eyebrows:



Looks interesting but a tad creepy...


Indeed - that's part of the attraction for Lily and Herman Munster! ;)

Marco.

[Marco]

too pissed to comment fully at the mo mate brains gone foggy but i like what i see, there's a lot of history there, just make sure you can stand up fully in the rooms or you will develop a stoop

Lol - hope yer enjoying yer sesh!

No worries about that - most of the rooms are huge. I'm 6ft2 ins and had no problem standing up anywhere.

It might be different in my killer heels or bondage boots, though! :lol:

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

.......flash of lightening and crash of thunder.........:lol::lol::lol::lol:



Regards D S D L

[Marco]

I could employ you in your Dalek guise to guard the grounds! :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Jonboy]

my yard landlord has a dwelling that is mentioned in the doomsday book, when he buys a new bit of furniture ie bed or wardrobe you plonk it on the bedroom floor and it rocks up and down, no level floors or the like so you have to either cut bits off the legs or pack them up or your on the wobble all the time, i cant stand up in his lounge properly i have to stand between the beams i'm 5ft 11 so not over tall, the whole house is built on sandstone blocks, no proper footings are all but if it has lasted this long i don't think it will have to many problems in the future, it really is a living thing, it is a facinating thing looking into the history of a building and how they evolved over the centuries, we have the Weald and Downland museum to remind us locally of how we lived, link here (http://www.wealddown.co.uk/), a family and its animals all lived under the same roof in some situations, i'm rambling again i know.
Time for bed soon

[Techno Commander]

He means potential dungeon ;)

My thoughts exactly.:lol:

[Marco]

Well the house warming will undoubtedly be an S&M party, so start practicing your barking - woof, woof!! :lol: :eyebrows:

Marco.

[MartinT]

Very nice, Marco. What's the floor, is it stone or covered floor boards? Will make a difference to how the Lockwoods behave.

[John]

Looks awesome all kinds of memories and ghosts
The Tannoys would like the extra space too

[Beechwoods]

Wow, looks great Marco! Definitely a lot of character, and loads of storage for the ever-expanding record collection. Will you purchasing some tweeds for the grand-opening, if it all comes off :eyebrows: :lolsign:

[Marco]

Cheers, John and Nick. There may well indeed be some ghosts! Tweeds? Lol - maybe! I wonder what chaps wore in those days?

I'm rather liking Oliver Cromwell's dandy and quaintly fetishist little number here:


http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/7843/olivercromwell.jpg (http://img808.imageshack.us/i/olivercromwell.jpg/)

Nice 'truncheon', too! :eyebrows:


Hi Martin,


Very nice, Marco. What's the floor, is it stone or covered floor boards? Will make a difference to how the Lockwoods behave.

Indeed. I think the floor in that room is tiled :)

It would certainly be interesting discovering how the Lockwoods behave in there. I've heard them before in a much bigger room than mine at Scalford Hall, but the walls there were mostly plasterboard, and the Lockwoods still sounded great, so one would hope they would work really well in the proposed room in Wynn Hall :cool:

However, the structural survey might come back saying that the place is falling down, so we're not counting any chickens yet!

Marco.

[aquapiranha]

Very nice, lots of character. I am sure if you go for it yourself and Del would love living there, as would the cats!

:)

[Macca]

Looks fantastic Marco - forget Scalford Hall looks like you could host a hi-fi show in the place yourself it is that big. Interesting history too - not shure what the ghost of Wiliam Wynn will make of Papists moving in, though;)

[Ian Walker]

We found out that the hall was repossessed, as the previous owner (a vet and property developer) went bankrupt.

Marco.

Bloodyell Squire i dunno about repossessed...i reckon it looks POSSESSED:lol:

[aquapiranha]

With all those fireplaces Ian, I reckon he is going to be after some freebies from you!

[Marco]

Yesh, he's already volunteered to fiddle with me flues! :lol:

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

Nice & very interesting looking abode Marco ;) Lets hope the structural report is favourable :)

Plenty of room for sure with 6 bedrooms :lol:

Fingers crossed for you chap :cool:

[Ian Walker]

With all those fireplaces Ian, I reckon he is going to be after some freebies from you!

If he can afford to buy that mate he'll be payin double!;)

[Tony Moore]

Hi Marco,

I don't know if you've read this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Castles-Air-Restoration-Adventures-Optimists/dp/0091897319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294577568&sr=8-1

It's a good read in itself but the house they (partially) renovate is Gwydir Castle near Llanwrst which was also a house owned by an earlier branch of the Wynn family.

http://www.gwydircastle.co.uk/history.htm

The Wynns were certainly big in North Wales!

Very nice house btw!

Cheers,
Tony

[Mark Grant]

Looks great :)

Must be too expensive or a developer would have bought it.

If all is OK with it and you agree a good price then I say go for it :)
It would be a great investment if the price is OK.

Plenty of garden to grow some veg.

[aquapiranha]

If he can afford to buy that mate he'll be payin double!;)

Indeed, I am wondering if Marco has won the lottery! :lol:


nice......

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-17218245.html/svr/3112;jsessionid=33978D9A29332441E8C37089936A0B65

[Marco]

Hi Steve,

Lol - moving to a bigger house is something we've wanted to do for a while, and there is a lot of potential with this property (particularly if we decide to do B&B) *if* it doesn't need a fortune spending on it on a new roof or something.... We'll know soon enough :)

How are you settling into life in N. Ireland? I believe that you're not exactly living in a bedsit yourself? ;)

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the links - most interesting! We're planning to go to the main library in Wrexham to find some records of what the property looked like when it was originally built in 1649.

I suspect that the current entrance to Wynn Hall (via the gate now used) is not how it originally was (I have a feeling that the original main entrance would've been bigger and somewhat grander), and also that there may once have been more land around the property, to the right, before the road that runs past it currently was built.

You'll see what I mean by observing the current layout, 'live' on this link (give it a few seconds to load - you can move up and down using the arrows on the road and also further adjustment with the cursors):

http://www.streetvi.com/en/map/point/52.995821/-3.05863/280.98/-2.41/0/#/point/52.995821/-3.05863/225.61/1.31/0/

I may be wrong, but it'll be interesting looking at some old photographs of the layout when the property was first built :cool:

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

I may be wrong, but it'll be interesting looking at some old photographs of the layout when the property was first built :cool:

Marco.
You had better have a chat with Leonardo Da Vinci then Marco :lolsign:

Did they have cameras way back then? Camera Obscura maybe :eyebrows:

[Jonboy]

Just been having a play with the street view link you can go around the place a bit, love those chimneys, i think you might need a gardner as well, definately an excuse to buy a ride on tractor mower, you can while away the time on one of those and get lost in your own thoughts.

[aquapiranha]

Hi Steve,

L

How are you settling into life in N. Ireland? I believe that you're not exactly living in a bedsit yourself? ;)



Marco.

Hi Marco! I hope you are both well? I have settled in great but no job yet, I am working on that. I am lucky enough to live in a nice house in a nice village in a semi rural location.

Steve

[Marco]

You had better have a chat with Leonardo Da Vinci then Marco :lolsign:

Did they have cameras way back then? Camera Obscura maybe :eyebrows:

Hahaha... Indeed. Blame the fact that I'm loaded with the cold at the moment! :doh:

There would've certainly been some paintings or drawings, though... Or perhaps we could find some pics from 100 or so years ago, or if possible sometime before that road was built to see what the layout of the grounds was like then? :)

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Steve,


Hi Marco! I hope you are both well? I have settled in great but no job yet, I am working on that. I am lucky enough to live in a nice house in a nice village in a semi rural location.


Apart from us both being loaded with the cold, we're fine, thanks! :)

Good luck with the job hunting, or perhaps you're destined to be a kept man? ;)

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

There would've certainly been some paintings or drawings, though... Or perhaps we could find some pics from 100 or so years ago, or if possible sometime before that road was built to see what the layout of the grounds was like then? :)
Yep, i'm guessing with a place that size & with the title & previous owners there will be something ;) Pretty sure i have all the deeds of this house including drawings etc going back to when it was built in the 1800s & it's claim to fame is it was a coal merchants house :eyebrows: First house in this road though...

Hope you get better soon fella & Del (having just seen the previous post) :)

[Jac Hawk]

Not wanting to be a damp squib mate, but i bought a listed building once, the survey didn't come back too bad, you know new roof, damp proofing etc, but it was like a bloody money pit, it ended up needing wall ties and then all the extra red tape, and then the extra cost because you need to get the right matierials and then somethings can't be done the modern way, ohhh and forget about changing anything, and then the bloody contractors seem to charge double cos it's listed.

It is a beautiful house though, with some realy nice features, i especially like the hallway floor, and those big fireplaces. My advice is to make sure the surveyor has expierience in surveying listed buildings, as it realy knocks the shine off when you need to spend £50k that you hadn't planned on.

Anyway good luck, i hope it's in great condition and you get it for a song, i've got my rubber suit and testical leash ready for the house warming party:lol::lol:

[Spectral Morn]

Listed means that you can change nothing without loads of red tape....depending on the listing status it gets worse. English/Welsh Heritage get called in and they have your nuts in their hands...yes or no and what degree or level of materials they will order (yes order) you to use :eek:

Listed buildings are nice to look at but buy one :doh:.......run imho


Regards D S D L

[Reid Malenfant]

yes or no and what degree or level of materials they will order (yes order) you to use :eek:

Now you come to mention it... A friend of mine lives in a listed building & if he want's to re-paint it he has to get an exact match (& i mean exact) for the colour of the paint already on the wooden windows. This costs a bloody fortune as Dulux & all other paint manufacturers don't stock this colour so it has to be mixed up specially for the job :rolleyes:

[anthonyTD]

I think there are big diffrences in what you can and cant do depending on the grade listings.

Anthony.

[Marco]

Lol - you're not wrong, chaps, but remember our current house is Grade 2 listed, so we already know the score on that front!

Also, it helps just a tad when one's wife used to work in the local council and so is familiar with, shall we say, the 'necessary protocol' ;)

Marco.

[Ian Walker]

I think there are big diffrences in what you can and cant do depending on the grade listings.

Anthony.

Yes all i know is , if i'm sweeping his chimneys...i'm taking the local vicar with me:lol:

[chris@panteg]

Hi Marco

Looks a wonderful house , love it but yet again it reminds me of one of those Hammer house of horror film's :) remember the one where a young couple broke down or crashed ? ended up at this spooky old house and they all turned out to be werewolves :sofa:.

Yes that rad does look a touch out of place :eyebrows: some people eh .

[Jac Hawk]

Lol - you're not wrong, chaps, but remember our current house is Grade 2 listed, so we already know the score on that front!

Also, it helps just a tad when one's wife used to work in the local council and so is familiar with, shall we say, the 'necessary protocol' ;)

Marco.

Say no more mate :eyebrows: i can see you're man who knows how to grease the appropriate wheels i guess;)

[Marco]

As the old saying goes, Mike, it's not what you know, but who you know.... ;)

We'll be visiting Wynn Hall again soon to have another, closer, look at the interior work that will need done if we go ahead and buy the property, whilst we await the results of the structural survey.

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Chris,


Looks a wonderful house , love it but yet again it reminds me of one of those Hammer house of horror film's :) remember the one where a young couple broke down or crashed ? ended up at this spooky old house and they all turned out to be werewolves :sofa:.


Lol - I loved the Hammer House of Horror films, and that was one of my favourite stories! I also liked the episode where it was the annual gathering of people who survived a plane crash and had turned into cannibals - remember that one? And 'The House That Bled to Death' was also another classic...

The spooky nature of Wynn Hall is actually part of the appeal! ;)

If we do buy it, I'll definitely be taking a torch and going ghost hunting alone in the depths of the night to see if anything is lurking in the inky darkness in the most secluded areas of the house, like down in the recesses of the cellar, or finding out what lies behind that dusty old black door next to the servants quarters on the east wing............. :eyebrows:

It might even prompt me to start writing some of the horror novels I used to enjoy doing a few years back. Living in Wynn Hall would certainly put me in the mood!

Marco.

[Techno Commander]

Can you combine gothic horror and gimping? :)

[Marco]

Yesh, it's called a normal weekend in our house! :eyebrows:

Marco.

[anthonyTD]

I wouldnt class what happens at your house as anywhere near normal!:lol:
A...

[Techno Commander]

:lolsign:

[Marco]

Indeed - 'normal' is very overrated! :chainsaw:

Marco.

[Dave Hewitt]

Get the place bought, knock it into an old folks home,put me down for aroom and any other old folks on here.:lol:
Ex disco Dave.

[anthonyTD]

Get the place bought, knock it into an old folks home,put me down for aroom and any other old folks on here.:lol:
Ex disco Dave.

hey,
get in line!!!:lol::lol::lol::lolsign:

[Marco]

Get the place bought, knock it into an old folks home,put me down for aroom and any other old folks on here.:lol:
Ex disco Dave.

Would you like the room next to Vinnie? :lol: :lol:

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

Get the place bought, knock it into an old folks home,put me down for aroom and any other old folks on here.:lol:
Ex disco Dave.

I think you could be onto something there - an old folks home for audiophiles is a brilliant idea! We can all sit around dribbling, languishing in puddles of our own wee whilst listening to crusty old music through our ageing cloth ears and talking gibberish. It would be a seamless transfer for most of us! :lol:

[Marco]

Ha - you've just described my house warming party!!

Marco.

[Barry]

I think you could be onto something there - an old folks home for audiophiles is a brilliant idea! We can all sit around dribbling, languishing in puddles of our own wee whilst listening to crusty old music through our ageing cloth ears and talking gibberish. It would be a seamless transfer for most of us! :lol:

Put me down for a residency! Just think of the system we could all put together! :)

Talking gibberish? - Don't we do that already?

Mind you, my thoughts are mostly directed towards thinking of Del's marvellous cooking and the contents of Marco's wine cellar! :eyebrows:

[Marco]

Why Barry, old chap, I was thinking of employing you as our sommelier :)

I'm undecided between Anthony and Alex for the position of butler... Dave H will definitely be our chauffeur, as I know he'll dig the uniform :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Jonboy]

i'm a must engage brain before opening mouth at times

[Wilbur]

What an absolutely FANTASTIC place!! The proposed hifi room....wow:)Can just imagine sitting there,fire blazing,and some nice tunes going...Hope it all goes smoothly for you!

[DSJR]

How many rooms will you be using Marco? At first, I thought there'd just be the two of you, but I believe there are three, so maybe you can all spread out a bit?

Good luck with whatever you do. I hope we don't have to move again for a very long time yet ;)

[Marco]

Hi Paul,

Cheers, mate. That would undoubtedly be fab, but as I've said before, there's a long way to go before we get the keys!

First of all, there are the results of the structural survey to consider, and then we need to sell two of the properties we currently own to fund the purchase of Wynn Hall. Having been mortgage-free now for 11 years, there's no way we would want to saddle ourselves with a huge debt!

The businessman in me, too, sees it as a very good investment for the future, if we can get it for the right price. I shudder to think how much the property would be worth once fully restored and when the market is rather more buoyant..... :eek:

So it could make a nice little nest-egg for our future dotage, if we sold up and moved to Italy ;)

However, much has to be done to make the move a reality... Fortunately the property has been on the market now for two years, and with it needing a fair bit of restoration, it's unlikely to be sold anytime soon, so we have some time to get our affairs in place :cool:

Hi Dave,

Cheers, dude. Yes, there are only three of us, but the extra bedrooms would be very useful for when people visit. As you know, we love entertaining, and so there's always some bugger staying overnight after a session of listening to tunes... :eyebrows:

At the moment, we have to faff around with sofa beds, as we have no spare bedrooms for guests staying, so the four spare bedrooms in Wynn Hall will I'm sure come in handy!

The other spare rooms throughout the house will, amongst others, be turned into a dedicated music room for my system. I may also look at constructing a cinema room, and there will also be an office for Del, which she badly needs with all the paperwork she does for college, and a large separate dining room, which we would like to decorate in traditional Jacobean style for dinner parties.

Jacobean banquets with fancy dress at Wynn Hall would be a fun concept! Who fancies coming? :cheers:

Anyway, it's very much one step at a time at the moment, so we're not getting too excited about things yet!

Marco.

[DSJR]

I've just looked at the location - nearer to "home" than ever :) I believe there used to be a great barbers in the Acrefair vicinity where all the Wrexham football players used to go to in past decades (along with my cousins in past years when they lived not far away).

David Sylvian's "The Healing Place" comes to mind - he says, whistfully dreaming of times gone by........

[Marco]

Yes it's very near to Llangollen, which is another bonus! Do you think you'll ever make it up this way again? :)

You'll have to come to our house warming party if we do buy Wynn Hall, as if it happens we're planning on doing a big AoS bash to celebrate :cool:

Marco.

[colinB]

Good luck Marco , it looks magnificent.

You have to laugh at the radiator, some people.

[Welder]

That looks like an interesting pile of antiquity Marco ;)
I can’t help but ask why you would want to live in England when from what I gather you could be living in Italy, especially if you can afford not to work. Not that I’m trying to get rid of you or anything…..

I certainly don’t plan to stay in England once a few legal matters are sorted :steam:

Anyway, good luck with the purchase. Listed buildings aren’t the easiest places to live in with regard to comfort and convenience but I imagine you’ve considered this ;)

[Marco]

Hi John,

I'm only semi-retired, not fully retired yet, so I still need to run a business from home here in the UK, and of course my parents, the rest of my family, and all my friends are still in the UK (not to mention those of my wife)... Is that reason enough? ;)

England? Who mentioned bloody England? Wash thy mouth out (:eyebrows:) Wynn Hall is in North Wales, dear boy; indeed only 8 miles from where we are now in North Wales!

We will move to Italy when we're both fully retired, and that'll likely be after some years of running Wynn Hall as an upmarket B&B, if we buy it. It won't stop us, though, having holidays in Tuscany until then....

On that subject, how did your recent sojourn go to La Bella Italia? I hope you had a nice time :cool:

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

Looks a cracking place Marco. Best of luck mate, hope it all goes well.

[Marco]

Cheers, Ali - you'll have to come and visit! :)

Come and have a wee holiday sometime and bring yer statics with you - it would be interesting to hear what they'd sound like there :eyebrows: ;)

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

Funny, I was thinking the same thing! I'll bring them when the direct coupled amps are finished.

[Marco]

Hehehe... nice one, dude. Is it a case of great minds think alike or daftees never differ, I wonder? :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

The latter I think!

[Marco]

I'm inclined to agree! :lol:

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

:lolsign:

[Welder]

”England? Who mentioned bloody England? Wash thy mouth out ( ) Wynn Hall is in North Wales, dear boy; indeed only 8 miles from where we are now in North Wales!”

Oooops sry mate; gargling disinfectant and soap as I type (Forgot about the rather sensitive Welsh issue for moment there :doh:)
Course, slowly being integrated into the great Brizol culture isn’t helping; no doubt you’ve heard all the “why did God make the River Severn” jokes. (just checking to see if North Wales has declared independence over the Christmas period :sofa:

Oh arr, more than satisfactory explanation thank you………none of my bloody business anyway :cool:

“On that subject, how did your recent sojourn go to La Bella Italia? I hope you had a nice time “

Yep, lovely as usual thank you :)

[Marco]

Lol - no worries... My wife is Welsh, and rather patriotic with it. Had you said Britain, instead of England, that would've been a different matter ;)

Glad you had a good time in Italy. Do you have family there, or something - and if so, where? :)

Marco.

[chris@panteg]

The folk in north wales are none to fond of the English are they , i've also heard (from a Swansea man) their not so keen on the southern welsh either ? they don't speak cymraeg as much .

[Marco]

Hi Chris,

I think it's because where we are in Wrexham, you're in and out of the English border a lot, so both the English and Welsh are fiercely protective of their national identity, particularly the Welsh in this area, as like it or not, they often get lumped in as being part of England! :rolleyes:

You can understand their frustration, so therefore the rivalry can be quite intense....

If you ever want to see hatred at its worst at a football match, then go to a local derby here such as Wrexham vs. Chester, or Wrexham vs. Shrewsbury. Some of the invective they aim at each other is shocking in the extreme (far worse than at a Rangers vs. Celtic game these days)! :eek:

Del and I are certainly not like that, though, as we have many friends who are English, and also all sorts of other nationalities. The best policy is to take people as you find them, regardless of where they were born :)

We do love Wales, though, and so if we were moving house (as looks likely at some point, whether it's to Wynn Hall or not) it would definitely be to somewhere else in Wales, hence my comment earlier :cool:

Although, I have to admit it does piss me off when sometimes Britain is referrred to as 'England' by our friends on the other side of the pond. I think it's important to always recognise that Britain is made up of four separate countries, each with their own identity and history.

Hey, apparently the home international football tournament is making a comeback for one year to mark the tournament's 40th anniversary, (or something like that), so that should be fun!!

Marco.

[chris@panteg]

I know what you mean , i try an explain the differences to some polish folk here and they just don't get it :doh: were all English , lazy and soft :steam:.

My Dad was a very proud welshman but was never anti English and always wanted to see England do well at football , cricket etc , however when it came to Rugby union , i remember once back in the 70's , Wales were trailing England with about 15 mins to go and my old dad was pacing up and down , getting very ratty ! then Gareth Edwards or JPR scored a try and all was well again :pat: .

Yeah stay in Wales , the Wife and i have made up our minds to move there one day , just not sure when .

[anthonyTD]

Just let us know when we can choose the fixtures and fittings!!!
my room's a hint of green with pink drapes and a four post'a.;)

Anthony,TD...

[Welder]

Marco wrote;
“Glad you had a good time in Italy. Do you have family there, or something - and if so, where? ”

I have yes, not far from Brindisi and some more near Catania in Sicily and still more in St Esteve de Palautordera Catalonia. I used to get out to see them reasonably frequently, but these days finances don’t permit regular visits. While air travel is relatively inexpensive, daughters aren’t :eek:

[Ali Tait]

I can relate to that!

[MartinT]

Although, I have to admit it does piss me off when sometimes Britain is referrred to as 'England' by our friends on the other side of the pond. I think it's important to always recognise that Britain is made up of four separate countries, each with their own identity and history.

It's an interesting exercise asking people to define the United Kingdom, Great Britain and the British Isles, all of which are different. Many get it wrong.

Personally, I'm British and don't care for the jingoistic nationalism between our sovereign nations.

[DSJR]

No wonder I'm the way I am :mental:.. Physically my English father from the Chilterns, yet spiritually belonging in the Clwyd Valley and able to trace ancestry a good few hundred years on both sides.

I've never come across the anti-English vibe, but when we were desperate to get away fron East Northants, I was advised by a cousin on the Welsh side not to move to Nth Wales as although I may be accepted, my wife would have terrible trouble apparently, a then five year old son or not - so we ran away to her spiritual roots here in Suffolk instead :lol:

[Marco]

Hi Martin,


It's an interesting exercise asking people to define the United Kingdom, Great Britain and the British Isles, all of which are different. Many get it wrong.


Indeed. However, to some people out with of the UK, Britain is simply 'England'. It's this ridiculous ignorance in this day and age that pisses me off, as it superficially (and rather rudely) dismisses the existence of three other fiercely proud independant nations.


Personally, I'm British and don't care for the jingoistic nationalism between our sovereign nations.

I get that, although it's rather different for me, as I consider myself Italian (my ancestry going back many generations is Italian), even though I was born in Scotland. I therefore don't really consider myself British.

I love Scotland, though, and have a great affinity for the country, as I do for Wales, after having lived here for nearly 11 years. I have no real connection with England or Ireland, and so I guess that reflects in my way of thinking :)

I do get though why the Welsh seek to remain fiercely independent from England (as indeed I'm sure would the Scots and Irish if they were situated as close to England, geographically, in so many areas of their country), because there is the tendency for their way of life to become governed (and somewhat dominated) by an English mentality.

Marco.

[Jonboy]

I've never come across the anti-English vibe,

I lived in Wales for 2 years when we were Farming back in the seventies down in Dyfed, plenty of anti English vibes at the Village School, they would stop talking english just to wind you up, we always had to play rugby at break times, never football and it was always the Welsh against the English as there were a few of us mere English, one little Welsh shit i specifically remember his name was Haden (biggest farm in the valley) used to wind me up most days until i retaliated, we got on ok after that, the lessons were taught in English and Welsh all this when i was a 9 year old English boy in a very Welsh speaking Village School, i can still count in Welsh and remember the odd word most of which i learned from our lovely Welsh neighbours, as with anywhere i suppose there are nice and no so nice people

Lovely place to live but the people are a bit cranky even with each other, oh yer and inbread :ner:



Must go and talk to my shrink again about my Anxiety problems again as they mess with my head :mental:

[Marco]

Lol!!


I lived in Wales for 2 years when we were Farming back in the seventies down in Dyfed, plenty of anti English vibes at the Village School, they would stop talking english just to wind you up, we always had to play rugby at break times, never football and it was always the Welsh against the English as there were a few of us mere English...


I sympathise, but how do you think it feels when the boot is on the other foot, which it so often is in the UK (as England is by far the biggest of our home countries, land and population-wise), being a Scotsman, Irishman or Welshman living in England?? ;)

Marco.

[Jonboy]

Lol!!



I sympathise, but how do you think it feels when the boot is on the other foot, which it so often is in the UK (as England is by far the biggest of our home countries, land and population-wise), being a Scotsman, Irishman or Welshman living in England?? ;)

Marco.


They could always go home, after all they don't need a passport


:sofa: :uhho:

[Ali Tait]

I did!!

[Marco]

They could always go home, after all they don't need a passport...


:lolsign:

Well, I guess they would if the English hadn't bought up all their bloody houses!! :lol:

;)

Marco.

[Marco]

Just let us know when we can choose the fixtures and fittings!!!
my room's a hint of green with pink drapes and a four post'a.;)


Noted, dahling... Would you also like a full-length mirror in your bedroom so you can admire yourself fully in your favourite frocks! :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Jonboy]

:lolsign:

Well, I guess they would if the English hadn't bought up all their bloody houses!! :lol:

;)

Marco.


The property prices were a draw for my parents back in the seventies with a lot of English folk buying farms, this caused a lot of resentment from some of the Welsh even back then with English houses getting torched, we trebled the size of our farm for the same money as the one we sold in Kent, it made good business sence back then, it all went tits up anyway but thats another story and not related.
Unfortuanately now down to second homes and holiday lets in a lot of rurul and picturesque areas around the country the locals have been priced out of the markets with some villages becoming virtual ghost towns in the winter months, pubs and village shops all going pop as a knock on effect

[Marco]

Hi John,


Marco wrote;
“Glad you had a good time in Italy. Do you have family there, or something - and if so, where? ”

I have yes, not far from Brindisi and some more near Catania in Sicily and still more in St Esteve de Palautordera Catalonia. I used to get out to see them reasonably frequently, but these days finances don’t permit regular visits. While air travel is relatively inexpensive, daughters aren’t :eek:

Ah, that's a nice part of Italy, but a totally different end of the country to where my family come from, which is Tuscany - in a small mountain village in the hills, called Barga, near Lucca.

I've never visited the south of Italy, but one day will :)

Marco.

[Barry]

I've never visited the south of Italy, but one day will.

"Vedi Napoli e poi muori"? :eek:

I trust not. :)

[Jonboy]

In the grand scheme of things we, thats Vicky and me intend to do a big tour of Italy in a camper van and spend a few months just enjoying all it has to offer and with out the kids in tow, one day perhaps

[Welder]

You should Marco. Tuscany is extraordinarily beautiful. Southern Italy doesn’t have the same lushness of Tuscany but pick the right places and I’m sure you would find it as beautiful in its way. Sicily is lovely as well. The problem with the South of Italy is the economic divide is as noticeable there as it is here in Gt Britain (phew, almost wrote England again :doh:) :)

[Dave Hewitt]

Hi Marco,theres a top notch hifi dealer in Lucca, saw some amazing turntables there.;)Dave.

[Marco]

Nice one... When were you in Lucca, old chap? :)

Marco.

[Dave Hewitt]

Hi,went there on my honeymoon,four years ago.Liked it that much went back the year after,also Pisa and Florence.Always been impressed with the Italian way of life and their take on things mechanical,where else would you see a bread van with a twin cam engine.dave.:)

[DSJR]

Lol!!



I sympathise, but how do you think it feels when the boot is on the other foot, which it so often is in the UK (as England is by far the biggest of our home countries, land and population-wise), being a Scotsman, Irishman or Welshman living in England?? ;)

Marco.


Marco, you're already at least bi-lingual? - tri-lingual with the Scots version of English -ouch. Why not learn to speak Welsh too???

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

Lol - you never know, I might just do that to fit into the local community better as the new 'Lord of Wynn Hall'! :eyebrows:

I'm already trilingual, however, as I can write and speak in reasonable French, as well as of course being fluent in English and Italian :)

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Dave,


Hi,went there on my honeymoon,four years ago.Liked it that much went back the year after,also Pisa and Florence.Always been impressed with the Italian way of life and their take on things mechanical,where else would you see a bread van with a twin cam engine.dave.:)

Hehehe... I know exactly where you're coming from. Yes, all the areas you mention are stunning. I think you'd love where our family home is in Tuscany. The picturesque little mountain village of Barga is quite beautiful and unspoiled:


http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/4083/hilltownbarga.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/hilltownbarga.jpg/)


http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2364/viewfrombargachurch.jpg (http://img840.imageshack.us/i/viewfrombargachurch.jpg/)


Our family home is situated in the 'Piangrande' area of the town. We have our own small vineyard and fruit trees in the grounds. It's a lovely place to be in the summer.

I must see if I can find any pictures. My mum and dad certainly have plenty :cool:

Marco.