Bilbo Baggins shines a light
TONY Wrench and his partner Jane Faith are well known in certain circles. They live in a pioneering roundhouse near Newport in Wales, a picturesque Bilbo Baggins-style property with a frame made of Douglas fir and a roof made of straw which has a chimney poking through. It is called That Roundhouse.
Inside, the wood floors are laid with rugs and sofas, and chairs have sheepskins thrown over them. A black kettle sits on the woodburner and a washing line close to the chimney is hung with laundry. Upstairs is a sleeping platform. The house is carefully thought through, and would appeal to anyone who has the spirit of the wildwood in them.
Tony makes his living off the land as much as possible but also runs courses on how to build roundhouses and has recently published a new edition of his book, Building a Low Impact Roundhouse.
"This is an eco home of wood frame, cob wood and recycled windows, with a straw insulated turf roof, solar power, compost toilet and reed beds for grey water," he says. "We designed and built it over the winter of 1997 and 1998." But the planners didn't like it, especially as he didn't have planning permission. Was it temporary or permanent? Were they travellers or settlers? Tony applied for retrospective planning permission but it was turned down. There followed a 10-year legal battle and That Roundhouse became a cause célèbre as Tony agreed to demolish it over Easter 2004. There was public outcry and the demolition was postponed.
Since then, as fears of global warming and interest in sustainability have grown, the thinking about these kinds of buildings has changed. In 2006, Tony reapplied to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, arguing that it complied with a need for new low-impact development. It was turned down again but he joined forces with a friend who had built a roundhouse across the field. They finally persuaded the planning committee to grant temporary permission.
More recently, other communities have sprung up, building their own eco homes. And from the Orkneys to Somerset, many people have experimented with straw-bale houses. The Sustainability Centre near Petersfield in Hampshire promotes the light-footprint lifestyle and forest school skills to thousands of adults and children each year.
That Roundhouse may have taken 1500 man hours to build but it cost only £3000 (R54191). For Maddy Harland, editor of Permaculture Magazine, it suggests that alternative thinking might help the current housing crisis. "This kind of house is energy efficient and almost biodegradable," she says, "so it fits the need for low-impact development and for young families to have somewhere affordable to live." – The Telegraph
