The Story of Yesterdays

One of the best finds during my research was the story of the B&B I stayed in.

Photo: J Owen, 1883. Collection of Moyra Aston

In the late 1800s the building was a Temperance Hotel.
It changed owners various times, becoming a dwelling house with small workshops on the ground floor and a storage house for a furnishers.

In 1947 it was bought by Mid Wales Motorways Ltd and became Transport House. The square in front was used as the bus terminus. This lasted for around 40 years.

Jim and Moyra bought Transport House in January 1990 with a view to renovating the now Grade II listed building and opening it as a guest house. These plans were quickly altered after one of the strongest earthquakes of recent years caused structural damage to the building. The walls had to be completely rebuilt.

Photo: Moyra Aston

Photo: Moyra Aston

I love this image of the roof held up by all the scaffolding. Jim and Moyra wanted to keep all the original timber beams inside the building so these are also held, suspended in their original positions.

Because of the extent of the damage the cost of the rebuild spiralled. There wasn’t really very much of a building to foreclose on so the bank agreed to let Jim and Moyra continue the build and get their business going.

When the build was finished they opened as a restaurant and take-away, with the restaurant covering the ground and first floors of the building. Gradually (and this is the bit that interests me), as they recouped their losses and paid off the bank, they scaled down the restaurant and converted the space to bedrooms. Over several years the internal walls shifted as the B&B emerged.

I really like the idea of the building changing as their needs altered.

Posted by Rich
Be Our Guest,  Research,