Brithdir Mawr
Encyclopedia
Brithdir Mawr is an Intentional Community
in Pembrokeshire
, Wales
. The name is Welsh
for "Great Speckled Land".
, Pembrokeshire
within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
without permission or publicity. The Orbachs initially renovated a rundown farmhouse and moved in with their three children. Other building including a roundhouse
, later to become known as That Roundhouse with a turf roof, a wooden marquee, wood store and workshop had been built. The community in 1998 consisted of 12 adults and 10 children who were mainly vegetarian, grew their own crops and lived off the land. The settlement of six wooden buildings was spotted from the air in 1998 and was reported to the authorities. The authorities identified fourteen infringements of the planning regulations, including the lake, the cycle shed, the Dome, the roundhouse and many more and all infringements, except those relating to the Roundhouse were solved or resolved.
In about 2001 the land was split in three parts with ownership of the land around the disputed roundhouse being transferred to the Roundhouse Trust. Julian moved into town, but retained ownership of about 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) including the old farmhouse and outbuildings, which was leased to the Brithdir Mawr Housing Co-op. Emma adopted the rest, which is known as Tir Ysbrydol (sprit land), which also became involved in planning negotiations in relation to new and existing strawbale round huts and structures.
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The name is Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
for "Great Speckled Land".
Community
The community is based on a 85 acre (0.3439831 km²) farm. It is home to 10 adults and 4 children who live in individual family flats around the farmyard. The land is farmed organically and the community is off-grid for supplies of water, electricity and fuelwood. People work both locally and on-site to manage the farm and earn a living. The aim of the community is to live an environmentally sustainable and ethical lifestyle.History
The village had been quietly set up by architectural historian Julian and Emma Orbach in 1993 in the foothills of Mount Carningli, near NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...
without permission or publicity. The Orbachs initially renovated a rundown farmhouse and moved in with their three children. Other building including a roundhouse
Roundhouse (dwelling)
The roundhouse is a type of house with a circular plan, originally built in western Europe before the Roman occupation using walls made either of stone or of wooden posts joined by wattle-and-daub panels and a conical thatched roof. Roundhouses ranged in size from less than 5m in diameter to over 15m...
, later to become known as That Roundhouse with a turf roof, a wooden marquee, wood store and workshop had been built. The community in 1998 consisted of 12 adults and 10 children who were mainly vegetarian, grew their own crops and lived off the land. The settlement of six wooden buildings was spotted from the air in 1998 and was reported to the authorities. The authorities identified fourteen infringements of the planning regulations, including the lake, the cycle shed, the Dome, the roundhouse and many more and all infringements, except those relating to the Roundhouse were solved or resolved.
In about 2001 the land was split in three parts with ownership of the land around the disputed roundhouse being transferred to the Roundhouse Trust. Julian moved into town, but retained ownership of about 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) including the old farmhouse and outbuildings, which was leased to the Brithdir Mawr Housing Co-op. Emma adopted the rest, which is known as Tir Ysbrydol (sprit land), which also became involved in planning negotiations in relation to new and existing strawbale round huts and structures.