Some people just can’t keep out of the public gaze (or is it
a case of ‘you can run but you can’t hide'?) Lord Winnington (aka Mr Cragg)
looks set to be telly bound yet again, which isn’t surprising considering the
gift of a house that he lives in. No sooner has he waved goodbye to the Sky TV
crew than our bon viveur is putting out the welcome mat again.
Merlyns has had more incarnations than Doctor Who and his
lordship has been responsible for his fair share of them. It’s the fab place that everyone wants to
live in – conjures up all the adjectives: Large, white, airy, dreamy, loads of
interior woodwork, period fireplaces, views to die for - very, very Victorian
... Do I need to go on?
Yep! We’re all a little bit jealous if we’re to be honest,
but we can live with it can’t we? We love him, Ian is our favourite
philanthropist and his doors are always open, so to speak (especially now that
he’s turned the place into an arty B&B).
The place is the perfect setting for anything you can think
of: Summer School; Jazz on the lawn or opera on same, in fact any kind of
artistic pursuit because Merlyns
seems to have a natural dynamic all of its own.
It was once the childhood home of Sir Kyffin Williams, but strangely
enough he wasn’t altogether happy in that particular paradise, the house seemed
gargantuan to a little chap. It’s different now of course, there’s central
heating and loads of hot water in the Welsh slate shower rooms - a far cry from
pine wash stands and Pears soap.
So what’s this about the media? Well, here’s the thing ...
Winnington’s not a man to rest on his laurels. He whipped up a pretty
impressive art gallery a couple of years ago, which was followed immediately
after the launch by plans to build a flat-pack house in the wood at the bottom
of his garden (the fairies were all up for it) and there was some romantic talk
about the reinstatement of the original 15thcentury monastery
fishpond as a wildlife lake.
Slow down ... Slow down. Surely to God, no-one can do all
that in a couple of months, with only one male offspring? Of course they can –
it’s Ian – he’s like that.
The building was up and running in just six weeks (awesome) but
not without all the usual highs and lows inherent to this type of adventure: Flooding trenches and bad weather; Depression-and-too-much-wine;
Missing builders; Depression-and-too-much-wine; Beautiful staircase and
fabulous kitchen; Delirious-relief-and-too-much-wine. Yes, it was heavy stuff
and Sky tv were there.
But it’s all over now
... done with ... water under the bridge ... quiet evenings at the bridge club
... a laugh and a pint at The Bull and a stress free life ...
Well, actually, no. That doesn’t sound a bit like
Winnington. Word on the grapevine has it
that there’s another tv programme in the offing: Different channel, different
subject, same intrepid characters.
Can’t wait!
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