Our Welsh Chapel Dream follows The Great Pottery Throw Down’s judge Keith Brymer Jones and his partner Marj Hogarth as they embark on an epic mission to try to create their new home.
The four-part show, airing on Channel 4, follows the couple as they attempt to transform the run-down former chapel that they bought in Pwllheli, North Wales, in 2022, into a comfortable living space. But the rookie renovators face plenty of challenges as their ambitious project gets underway.
Here’s everything you need to know about Our Welsh Chapel Dream…
Our Welsh Chapel Dream release date
Our Welsh Chapel Dream is a four-part series that started on Sunday, May 5 on Channel 4 at 8pm and the final episode aired on Monday, May 27.
The whole series is now available as a box set on Channel 4’s streaming site.
Our Welsh Chapel Dream — what is it about?
The show centres on master potter Keith Brymer Jones and his other half, actor and textile designer Marj Hogarth, whose credits include Still Game, as they move from Kent to North Wales, where they have purchased a former Victorian chapel, Capel Salem, in Pwllheli.
Their plan is to turn it into a home complete with a pottery studio, while they will also use part of the site as a community hub for the locals, and Keith will take on apprentices in the pottery.
Cameras reveal the obstacles in their way, however, as the 160-year-old listed building has no power or hot water and they need to obtain change of use planning permission. They also have to deal with some unpleasant surprises including dry rot, as well as pigeon poo in the rafters. But, as they get stuck in with the help of builders, an architect and the support of the community, their dream gradually starts to come to fruition.
Our Welsh Chapel Dream — interview with Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth
What was your thinking behind the move?
Keith Brymer Jones: “We wanted to start afresh and we were looking at anything that was sizable. We came across this chapel and it’s just what we needed. But I could live anywhere where Marj is! The project has been a world of pain, but Marj gives me inspiration.”
Marj Hogarth: “Plus it was big and cheap!”
Tell us about your plans for the chapel…
Keith Brymer Jones: “We want to keep the building’s heritage and skeleton. But we're both theatrical, so we’re going for drama. We even found this bizarre doll under the hall’s stage with flowers round it like in a tomb. She's going in a glass case as homage to the building.”
Marj Hogarth: “I’d just like some glass in the windows! But I'm looking forward to adapting to living in that space. Everything will be the way we want it.”
Does the project feel daunting?
Marj Hogarth: “Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the amount that needs to be done and the money we haven't got to do it! Initially, we’d pull into the car park and I couldn't open my door because I was so frightened. But I’m also overwhelmed that we are creating this opportunity against all odds.”
Keith Brymer Jones: “There's quite a bit of crying. I cry at positive things! But when something's challenging, I’m a tough nut, I just get on with it. Although in winter, with no lighting, and cold in your bones, there's only so much you can take, it can get you down.”
What have been the biggest challenges?
Marj Hogarth: “One Christmas Eve when I was up a ladder and I realised it had been eaten by woodworm, I had a mini breakdown! But our architect Rhodri’s fabulous. When we weren't feeling positive, he emailed us saying, ‘This is the right place for you to come to.’ You have to keep remembering that.”
Keith Brymer Jones: “The minute you start anything, another issue arises and you have to deviate from your plans. There were pigeons in the old Sunday School hall and Rhodri said, ‘This is a health hazard.’ We ended up with two skips of pigeon guano, it was disgusting. But it’s about baby steps.”
Do you work together well?
Marj Hogarth: “I’ve learnt that I'm probably better at things than Keith and he's learnt that too! I think about the most effective way to do something, both with time and money. Whereas he’s a broad brushstrokes person.”
Keith Brymer Jones: “Yes, I’ll be doing something and Marj goes, ‘Wouldn’t it be better if you did it this way?’ But I carry on and then halfway through, I go, ‘I ought to do it that other way’. Typical bloke! Marj is incredible with fine detail. But give me a sledgehammer and I'm away. I'm looking forward to getting physical with the building.”
Have the locals been supportive?
Keith Brymer Jones: “Yes, it’s a community where everyone knows and helps each other, it’s wonderful. People had funerals, weddings and christenings there; their history is invested in that building. Now, we'll be creative there for ourselves, but also for the community, which we love and want to be part of.”
Marj Hogarth: “ The people see what you need and how they might help. We’ve had an extraordinary welcome. It’s a massive responsibility because so many people love the building and we need to honour that, reinvent it and take it forward. And we hope people come with us on that journey.”
