The house has been in my family for more than 70 years. My mother moved in with her mother when they were evacuated to the Rhondda from London during the second world war. Together they bought the house and my mother lived there until she passed away in 2019 at the grand old age of 93. She married a local boy and had 6 children, all of which still live locally except me. My childhood was full of love and laughter, which can still be felt in the house today.
The house also has a wonderfully peaceful quality, and so has always been my retreat whenever I have felt the stresses of everyday life.
My mother passed away exactly 3 weeks after my father and I couldn't bear to think that I would never again be able to enjoy the wonderful view from the middle bedroom window. So Mike and I purchased the house and set about renovating it. We stripped it back to brick (or in this case, stone), installed gas central heating, moved the kitchen from where the dining room is today, and added the utility room and ground floor shower room. We also put in French doors where a window once was and added a patio to enhance the garden.
My parents loved to have visitors (my mother's 6 brothers and their families all used to visit from England), and I know they would be delighted to see so many people enjoy the house today. I think they would also be pleased with what we have done with the house - if only it had been this comfortable when they lived there.