A building’s genetic make-up is sometimes disguised behind smooth, perfect finishes. At Dre’ Newydd, the barracks’ original designation meaning ‘New Town’, nothing could be further from the truth. The effects of time, albeit unstoppable, give way to a purity and deceptive honesty that transcends more than two centuries of grind, toil, and sacrifice. If architecture embodies culture, the brisk vacancy and beautiful decay of these once rudimentary yet crucial structures open our eyes to a bygone age when this sacred part of Wales, quite literally, roofed the world, igniting a cultural passion that survives to this day.
My manifesto is one mainly of conservation and should be a robust, acceptable resource that finds common ground between stakeholders providing a definitive backbone for long-term conservation planning, and by being mindful of each other’s pasts we can begin to form a more consolidated future.
