Penny Slain Vintage

17/09/2026

Two of our faves have worked on this outside area! Paul- our VERY local builder extraordinaire of P & S Builders and Martin Williams’ Stonecraft with the dressing in Forest of Dean pennant. They’re cut to follow the curve of the driveway but faceted to match the faces of the building and it looks soooo much better already! We’ve elevated the slabs over the top of the stone kerb to encourage all water run off away from the cellar to these two elevations. We’ve no immediate plans (I mean, I wouldn’t trust us not to tackle it later tbh) for the cellar but are determined to manage the conditions that caused the dry rot. Beautiful things are currently underway with another fantastic local trade- but more of that very soon

11/09/2026

who else loves a house tour? Popping across to London for some highlights in beautifully designed homes is always aided by glorious weather and lots of little stop off points- this time around beautiful neighbourhoods in Clapham! These are highlights from the first two homes of four…. And I’ve managed to sneak in an extra something a little special which I’ll be sharing too- the talented son of a bricklayer in London. Any guesses??

28/06/2026

28/06/2026

CURVEBALL- more rot and structural issues! It’s the house that keeps on giving… and it’s disappointing when we’ve done so much already, working from outside in and top to bottom. It could always be worse though- someone could’ve come in expecting to patch up and paint and missed it!

25/06/2026

We’re melting on site- glad to get the windows out to boost the breeze! Perfect view out over Ponty town and beyond in the sunshine though- whoop whoop!

20/06/2026

Saturday’s job- completing the portico with Forest of Dean pennant 🥰 to the floor. I always thought blue pennant was the name of the stone in the Valleys. I was happily introduced to the difference by Martin- Forest of Dean pennant enables us to have all the tones of browns, coppers and greys that make me feel like I’m home and the aggregate, Blaenavon- courtesy of Tymawr Lime in Brecon,
will help seal the deal. This week has been really challenging- unearthing more rot internally. It’s incredibly annoying to still be discovering it, and especially difficult given some of the decisions and work undertaken in previous attempts to remedy this girl of her ailments by previous owners. More of that tomorrow or next week- for now we’re going to enjoy this little final hurdle of the portico’s completion.

15/06/2026

I know I’m biased, but doesn’t she look beautiful in the morning light! She’s having another update to the exterior- this time, it’s the windows. It’s difficult to share with you the colour as the windows are being swapped out from plastic to aluminium in the most beautiful shade! It’s based on the colour used on the oak dormer, a Farrow and Ball shade called Pantalon. Our roofer wasn’t keen at all, so it may be marmite, but we love it and it absolutely respects the shades of the Forest of Dean pennant and bathstone. Did you manage to guess the number of windows from my story? Nobody mention to me about the window cleaning in the future 😜

24/03/2026

Please, if you love what we’re doing here, show some love with likes and comments! The stonemason is off to get himself a dickie bow for a photoshoot between the columns 😂 worth some Guinness for him, I reckon! And a big shout out to Peter Whoop whoop at Plas despite this crazy weather!

23/03/2026

It has been a long time coming- this reel as well as the resurrection of a portico at Plas! My fall at the New Year has me going for an MRI today 🫣 and we’re finding a new normal following our youngest having a 5 hour long major surgery so forgive the break. At last, after several decades without, Plasydderwen HAS her portico back! We cannot wait to see it in all its glory when the scaffold descends this week. The has been loads going on inside too- not all of it great, but all of it very necessary. Before I explain that, what do you think of this stone masterpiece, carved in Cheddar and single-handedly built by our stone artisan, Martin! Absolute legend from Barry and he’s a diamond! If you ever need stonework, Martin Williams Stonecraft. He’s not big on social media but with 40 years of life on the tools, he doesn’t really need it, does he?! We’re not letting him leave just yet- we’ve got another job for him 😜

17/01/2026

Like a phoenix out of the ashes, she rises! Stonemasonry is an absolute craft! We’ve absolutely found a diamond in the rough getting Martin of William’s Stonecraft single-handedly bringing this beauty to life with the very competent Wells Cathedral Stonemasons having supported us with the details of the design and cutting/carving the components from bathstone, the very distinctive limestone used for the original building. The stone has been quarried and the next phase is the beam across the top of the columns. I’ve more to share but if ever there was a way to start the year for this neglected house, this is it!