Creating The Dreamatorium - Lavinia Stamps

May 1, 2025

The time arrived for the ribbon to be cut, the doors to open and to show everyone the wonders inside The Dreamatorium. I remember being outside The Dreamatorium and seeing smiling faces full of joy and anticipation... there were even a couple of fairies too! As the Grandfairy clock inside The Dreamatorium chimed nine o'clock, […]

Taking Shape

May 1, 2025

With the date for the Grand Opening of The Dreamatorium set for Friday April 4th 2025 preparations changed gear. The original shop had closed and all our goodies were being whisked away to their new home. So with big smiles on our faces we transported all our beautiful wares over to our magical new shop. […]

Making a Magical Entrance

April 10, 2025

Tracey wanted to make the entrance to the Dreamatorium magical and what is more magical than ...mushrooms! These mushrooms would need to be weather resistant and immediately add a touch of whimsical charm to the front doorway of the Lavinia Stamps Dreamatorium. It's fair to say that this creating mushrooms malarkey started a while ago. […]

The Dreamatorium is in Bloom!

March 27, 2025

The Dreamatorium is in bloom as the flowers are planted bringing the first, unexpected but not unwelcome, visitors to the carpark. As you can see here the bees have already been visiting and helping the flowers to settle into their new home. There is no doubt that a burst of floral colour is the perfect […]

A Golden Touch

March 26, 2025

We often wondered how the plaque on the outside of Plas Coch found its way onto the wall. Well...now we know. Apparently many moons ago the plaque was discovered inside the building and one member of the club offered to gold leaf the lettering before it was put up. This was no ordinary member of […]

Little touches of Lavinia Magic!

March 25, 2025

As we get closer to the opening day at The Dreamatorium and the weather is warming up, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the sunshine is part of the magic! With the opening of the new premises there are many jobs still on the Lavinia Stamps tick list. However, thankfully there are some that can […]

The Making of A Mushroom...or two!

March 24, 2025

You may have noticed a lot of mushrooms starring in posts on the Lavinia Stamps page...Well in this piece we'll share with you how they were made and how they have been getting on! We had to finish the mushroom shape by creating the cap of the mushroom using foam clay. (Which is a fabulous […]

It's a sign!

February 20, 2025

It's all coming together as the Dreamatorium takes shapes inside. Outside the skies are clearing and there has been a subtle change... it's official... Plas Coch has become The Dreamatorium and is soon to become the new home of Lavinia Stamps. The sign on the building says it all!

There's light at the end of the tunnel!

February 20, 2025

With every project there is a time when you wonder when it will all end! Then... ...Someone switches the light on at the end of the tunnel. It was like this when the floor began to take shape. First the underfloor heating went in and suddenly walking into Plas Coch felt like you were struck […]

It's all go!

February 20, 2025

With the flooring in place, it's all go inside Plas Coch! With electricians fitting lights, plasterers plastering, delivery drivers delivering stock, painters painting and carpenters …carpentering (?) Plas Coch is a busy place to be. It's amazing to think of where this property started since Tracey and Kevin purchased it in 2022 and how it […]

We have a date!

February 20, 2025

The date has been set for the Grand Opening of The Dreamatorium. This magical date is... Friday 4th April 2025. I've popped your invite below. It will be full speed ahead now as everything starts to come together. What can you expect? In the lead up to the opening, you can expect lots of videos […]

All aboard the virtual Lavinia tour!

January 30, 2025

There has been a lot happening inside Plas Coch as it is slowly transformed into the new home of Lavinia Stamps. We have tried to keep you up to speed with everything that has been going on, however sometimes words and pictures don't fill in all the gaps. To give you an idea of the […]

'Shroom Zoom

January 30, 2025

In times past it was said that an artist must suffer for their art, stereotypically spending many hours honing their craft in a freezing garret with only icicles for company. Today it is a necessity to have central heating and better company where possible! So it was in the deepest darkest winter two intrepid, or […]

We've gone green...

January 30, 2025

Perhaps not in the way you think! Lavinia Stamps is always thinking of ways to put the Environment first in our business, however this is not what we're discussing here. Let me explain. While teams have been busy renovating the bones of the Dreamatorium from inside, outside has been a hive of activity too! The […]

Christmas present #3 - The shape of early Plas Coch

December 26, 2024

The floorplan of early Plas Coch was something we wanted to identify, to know the shape of the original house. On the face of it, it's quite easy. The red sandstone walls were thicker and had obviously been repurposed from the ruins of Ruthin Castle. So, we just needed to find the red stone walls. […]

Christmas Present #2 - All wrapped up for Christmas...

December 26, 2024

It's no secret we had hoped by now to be safely in The Old Conservative Club/Plas Coch/ The Dreamatorium, however things happened along the way. First of all it's a Grade 2 listed property which means there are more regulations to follow than a normal property. Tracey and Kevin of Lavinia Stamps were always going to […]

A Christmas Present #1 - Questions answered..?

December 26, 2024

It's not always straight forward when finding the answer to a question. Sometimes your initial question changes with every piece of information you learn along the way to that elusive solutuion. This is what happened with the question we asked at the beginning of the blog. The original question was : Who was the Constable […]

Early Bird Shoppers

November 28, 2024

On a routine visit in the middle of summer, Kevin had to call for help as some particularly loud potential customers had arrived and the shop was still mid-construction! This mother duck and her ten children had gone for a lovely midsummer waddle and wandered a little off course right through the car park at […]

A Gem of a find!

November 28, 2024

When looking at things in the archive that might have something to do Plas Coch, I came across a real gem. Of all places... ...on the back of a menu. This, however, was a menu with a difference. This was a menu from the 1960's when Plas Coch was a Banqueting Hall. Inside there is […]

We're going on a man hunt!

October 31, 2024

I know, it's an interesting title. However this IS what we are doing! Armed only with a mobile phone camera and a trusty pair of walking boots we are off on a manhunt. This hunt is for a very specific man and the best bit... We have no idea who they are. What we do […]

The Men in White Suits

October 31, 2024

Every morning as I drive into work I pass Plas Coch. It's a lovely view, however one morning it was made even more special by this exclamation: "Why, on earth, are there men in white suits on the roof?" This was not something I ever thought I would say! Neither did I think that the […]

The Case of the Self-Dismantling Fireplace.

October 31, 2024

I popped over to Plas Coch to take some photos of the completed work to date. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and there were birds whistling a happy tune. I'm doing this to set the scene. It was, my friends, a perfect day. I went through taking my photos in every room […]

That's a little peculiar...

October 30, 2024

At first there were some strange things going on…like the words “’ello lavinia” appearing on the darts board and nobody owning up to writing it. Then there were those water taps mysteriously starting to run when they had definitely been turned off... So what do you do when you have an old property with a […]

Is there anybody there? ...Well...is there?

October 30, 2024

On the 18th May 2023 at around 14.00 hours Tracey, Kevin and I had a meeting at Plas Coch. Not an ordinary meeting. It was a meeting with people who, unbeknownst to them, had spent many an evening in our sitting rooms. On television. So meeting them, we were nervous and excited. We really shouldn’t […]

The Writing's on the Wall

September 26, 2024

The work at Plas Coch is starting to turn a corner. Where we had been taking things away and discovering the property's hidden depths, now we are starting to put it all back together. So we weren't expecting this. First there was some flaking plaster. A little of the plaster had been removed and some […]

The Aliens have landed?

September 26, 2024

No! Everybody relax...these green people are in protective suits and cleaning the beams. The beams were stripped using a low pressure specialised soda blasting method. This gentle and non-abrasive method doesn't remove any original marks like carpenters marks and carvings. To the left you can see an example of the before and after. Once the […]

Medieval Graffiti ..?

September 26, 2024

Once this had been photographed and mulled over, we couldn't work out what these lines were? Instructions to visitors? Beware of the dog? There were many possibilities. So we contacted Matt Champion who has written a book on Medieval Graffiti, specifically those found in churches. His reply was very interesting. In his opinion : "The […]

Photographic evidence

August 15, 2024

A second trip to the archives proved even more fruitful than the first with actual photographic evidence of the previous occupants and the building. This evidence was found by searching through a couple of photograph albums. Both of these albums were full of photographs and handwritten notes by Herbert Aldrich. The Aldrich family were related […]

Interesting Finds

August 15, 2024

They say you can tell a lot about the history of a property by what you find when undertaking building works. While the renovations have continued at Plas Coch we have found: Various different wallpapers An old mini Schweppes can Carpet Slate floor tiles empty staple box empty tiger matches pack ..and plenty of empty […]

Further footings

August 8, 2024

Following the discovery of the shapely footings this gave us an idea of how to identify the true floorplan of the original building. Put simply, if the footings are like that on one side...maybe they will be like that on the other? Oh if only it were that simple! We had many a discussion. One […]

Ruthin's Hidden Gem

August 8, 2024

On a lovely Friday morning we ventured up the hill from Plas Coch to visit a heritage property called Nant Clwyd Y Dre on Castle Street in Ruthin. Oh my goodness, this property did not disappoint. Nant Clwyd Y Dre is a stunning black and white timber framed medieval property with links to the Thelwalls. […]

The Mission continues...

August 1, 2024

My mission to try and identify the person who had Plas Coch built took me in many directions. There was the archives of course, but to see archives that were relevant to this question would involve a trip to The National Archives in London or to The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. As I […]

Where does the old stop and the new begin?

August 1, 2024

Another fabulous question! There has always been something about the floorplan of the property that confuddled me. Obviously the modern floorplan was not the floorplan of the original 1608 property. The red stone of the castle was the original building with later additions in either red brick or breeze block. With all the paint and […]

The Great Question.

July 25, 2024

What, I hear you ask , is this Great Question? The Great Question has been hovering around from the start of the renovation works and gathered pace as work progressed. We researched the archives for hints on who lived at Plas Coch and the further in time we got The Great Question remained unanswered. It […]

And there's more..!

July 25, 2024

Exciting times! In the room we have been calling the store room, just off the covered walkway there have been two new additions. These windows will create light and make this room useable for more things than storage. In daylight the windows overlook the carpark to the rear of the property. They will also This […]

A Rare Sighting..!

July 18, 2024

Many questions have been raised over the course of the renovations. The most important one being: Who was the person for whom this house was built? Second to this is: Who is the cat leaving these footprints? Up until recently no feline adventurer had been spotted near Plas Coch. However...we have a result! Behold! The […]

Hints from the History Detective - Joe Saunders

July 18, 2024

To begin researching a property can be a bit confusing. Where do you start? I decided to pick the brain of Joe Saunders to see if he had any hints or tips. If you had to give anybody any tips on where to start researching their own property what would suggest? First of all, be […]

A Light in the Darkness

July 18, 2024

On one visit I was struck by how much lighter the back bar area was. There was a pocket of light where previously there had only been a timber ceiling. What was this new light source? The light source was the sky, I would say the sun, but that was absent! The space had been […]

Special Delivery!

July 11, 2024

On a routine visit Tracey and I happened to be in the right place, at the right time, for a delivery. A very exciting delivery. This delivery was going to help add natural light to the darker parts of Plas Coch...and there were some parts that would definitely benefit. We were pootling around the middle […]

Revealing a fireplace

July 11, 2024

Before work started on Plas Coch, as you entered the property via the front door, there was a door on the right. This door led to an office space. It was fully carpeted and the walls were painted magnolia. One of the walls had a vent. The picture to the left gives an idea of […]

The Chimney Fixers

June 27, 2024

The scaffolding has arrived! With the scaffolding up it was time to make a start on fixing the chimneys. Just looking at the chimney This visit Callum, the multi-skilled, was making a tray to fit in the chimney, this will help stop water from getting where it shouldn't be! My words don't do it justice […]

A Conversation with... The History Detective - Joe Saunders

June 26, 2024

When you hit a brick wall in your online and local archive investigations that's when it is time to call for some help! I knew that some of the documents we needed to check were in London. I also knew that I wasn't the best person to get to check! Some of the handwriting, although […]

Batman Returns!

June 20, 2024

Following on from the first visit Batman returned to visit Plas Coch recently in the evening. This was to observe the area around the property for any bats. He saw the occasional bat but not much activity. Just the odd Pipistrelle bat. The next day he came back to observe the lifting of the ridge […]

An archive adventure...

June 20, 2024

On a typically overcast day in Ruthin I ventured to do a little investigating in the Ruthin Archives. These can be found, only by appointment, in Ruthin Gaol. Through the grey stone arch I went and headed past a sign on the small building on the left hand side. Slightly bamboozled, as usual, I was […]

The question of accessibility.

June 13, 2024

Making sure that everyone has access to the Lavinia Stamps shop is a priority. At the start of the works there was an entrance to the property that had a step. See evidence below. As this would cause issues accessibility-wise, this had to change. So the step had a bit of a make-over....and was transformed. […]

Intruder Alert!

June 6, 2024

Following the discovery of the slate floor, a concrete floor with the necessary damp proofing was laid to ensure a smooth and level floor. However, as the concrete was setting we had an intruder. Let me put your minds at rest, the intruder was not of the burly two-legged variety wearing a balaclava and carrying […]

Under the Floor

June 6, 2024

Presented with this view...what would expect to find when you removed the floor? To be honest, we thought it would be a red and black tiled floor maybe. Followed by a concrete floor...but the house held another secret! Underneath this floor they found more than they had expected. Just below the red and black was […]

The curious case of the disappearing walls...

May 30, 2024

Its not often that you walk into a property and do a double-take. I kid ye not, that's what happened. The last time I had visited Plas Coch there had been red brick walls. Walls that had been interesting in themselves! Now this... Very open plan! There's beams galore! Its amazing to think that these […]

A Team Tour

May 30, 2024

The last time the team had been given the Tour (right at the very beginning) there had been carpets and walls here. Oh! how things have changed! The light is finding its way from the windows at the front of the property and into the snug now that the walls have disappeared. The snooker room […]

Where did those brick walls come from?

May 23, 2024

If you were familiar with the Conservatives Club layout of old, you might be looking at these photos and wondering where this is. Let me explain. Things have changed. Some walls have gone and red brick walls appeared. The red brick wall in the photo below used to be on the right hand side as […]

Message from times past...

May 16, 2024

Old Newspapers discovered by the Builders. One from 1974 and the other from 1910! It was like a message from the past! Until I ironed them... I'm pretty sure that there were no computers in 1910! Bah! Humbug!

Lath and Plaster

May 16, 2024

Following a suspicion that there was something interesting underneath some plasterboard, a different from of construction was uncovered. Yes...it was another dynamic duo! This time it was the turn of Lath and Plaster! In this picture below you can see the spy hole that made us think that something interesting was happening underneath the plasterboard.... […]

A Serendipitous Event!

May 9, 2024

Plas Coch was treated to some most unexpected visitors. A gentleman, called Gareth Blyth, and his daughter arrived armed with books. It turns out these held gems of their family history…and the best bit…their family used to rent Plas Coch! I thought I'd share some of the information I received from Gareth Blyth which tells […]

Ground-breaking time!

May 9, 2024

Things are changing at Plas Coch. The cellar opening has now been widened and the supports have been put in place ready for the RSJ to go in to take the strain! Days later and the RSJ was popped into position and WoW! what a difference! The space is well and truly opening up and […]

The results are in!

May 2, 2024

The results are back following the testing of selected timbers in July 2022 by Andy Moir. These results will help to identify the date of the build of this version of Plas Coch. The report states that the oak trees used for the beams that were sampled, were felled in the Winter of 1604/5. Which […]

Online Research: The power of the Census

May 2, 2024

I remember the last census in 2021. Little did I know at that time the power that census will have for future history hunters. Now it is becoming clear. Just by searching a name and address there is so much information to be found in a census. There are also many ways of searching, in […]

Miles and miles of purple wire...

April 25, 2024

If you walked into a house and saw a lot of purple wire...what would you think it was? It was an invasion of an alien life form perhaps..? Personally, I didn't have a clue! Luckily for me, attached to one end of the purple wire, was a man I could ask! Enter Isaac Birchall of […]

Online Research

April 25, 2024

As a title that really sounds quite dull. However bear with me. As you begin the journey of uncovering the history of the past occupants of your building, you can feel all at sea. Until...you find that first "something". That something could be a name or a passing mention of the property in a newspaper […]

Exposing the Past

April 18, 2024

Who or what is Wattle and Daub? Another dynamic duo? Good question. I did a little research to see how to describe it properly and this is what I came up with: Wattle is an arrangement of small timbers that create a framework to support mud based daub. Daub was applied from both sides in […]

Let the work...commence!

April 18, 2024

It would be lovely to think that a project such as this, in a building brimming with history, began with a grand statement like the one above...I can't guarantee it did, but sometimes the best things happen without an overture. The work on the building just seemed to suddenly be happening, after having to wait […]

The Renovators Assemble...Meet The Team!

April 11, 2024

With the preliminary investigations completed the Renovation team rumbled into position ready to crack on! As you can imagine it's a multi-disciplinary team. So let's take you around the Renovation team and introduce you. The first trade into the building and ready to get started is Pete Morgan, seen below behind the Bar. He's local […]

In Search of Bats

April 11, 2024

To ensure we are safe to proceed with building works it was important to have a survey done to see if there were any bats in the building. The team assembled to welcome the man who would be looking for bats. As you can imagine it was difficult not to drop the occasional Batman comment […]

Photography is a dangerous Sport...

April 5, 2024

Photography is a dangerous sport. Especially if you do it like this. On a dozy Sunday afternoon, I was driving back through Ruthin and was struck by how perfect the light was. It was obviously the perfect day to take photographs for the blog. So my daughter and I, in the name of all things […]

On the trail of Red Rocks

April 5, 2024

Plas Coch is built out of the same lovely deep red sandstone as Ruthin Castle. We know this. However as you drive around Ruthin you would be forgiven for thinking that the stone from Ruthin Castle was repurposed by many properties in need of building materials! So it was on a chilly Saturday, when Wales […]

Gallery

April 1, 2024

At the beginning there were carpets, curtains and there was even a darts board! Here’s a selection of photographs showing the Ground floor before work began. Just click on the picture for a larger image and also to see the changes. More photographs will be added here as changes are made.

Peeling back History

March 28, 2024

As work begins and layers are peeled away from each room, hidden gems are slowly being revealed. This is a quick tour around Plas Coch by wallpaper design! First of all there's the wallpaper with the vase that was hiding in the downstairs office underneath a more recent layer of woodchip. Just next door to […]

What is the origin of Well Street?

March 20, 2024

I was very lucky to meet up with local historian and author, Gareth Evans, who has an extensive knowledge on Ruthin and is just the person to inspire a search into the past. Gareth has written many books on the subject of Ruthin and the history of the town. Through our discussion he mentioned theories […]

The Floorplan at the beginning

March 20, 2024

Before we start showing you pictures of the work that is being undertaken, it's probably best to give you an inkling of the layout. At least the basic layout of the ground floor at the start of the process! You can find the front door on the middle of the left hand side of the […]

Dendrochronologist and Local Historian - Andy Moir and Gareth Evans

March 15, 2024

As the new owner of Plas Coch in Ruthin, Kevin and Tracey were contacted by a local historian, Gareth Evans, with an interesting question... His enquiry was whether they would be interested in being part of a survey as they had managed to get some “UK government funding, to date, by dendrochronology-tree-ring dating- a number […]

What does it look like inside?

March 15, 2024

Once Tracey and Kevin had the keys to Plas Coch they were off to take a look at their new property! You can imagine how exciting it was to finally have the keys in their hands! Join Tracey as she becomes a roving reporter and takes us on a tour of Plas Coch before any work has […]

The General History of Plas Coch

March 15, 2024

What is this red building on Well Street? Let’s start with what we know. As you stand outside the property and look up at the red stone front you will see a hand painted slate plaque with a potted history of Plas Coch on the outside of the property. This tells us some of the […]

Meet The New Owners!

March 15, 2024

Meet the new Owners! Every Dream began with a wish and purchasing Plas Coch was the next step in making a dream come true! In August 2022 it was purchased by Tracey Dutton and Kevin Jones with a view to relocating their local successful crafting business, Lavinia Stamps, to larger premises. The minute Tracey […]

Snug

February 6, 2024

The Snug at the start Walls removed and timbers exposed Channels in Floor Channels filled A new step Ready to shop! The transformation is complete!

Store Room

February 6, 2024

Storeroom at the start after things start to be removed Walls are removd Walls start to go up Different walls start to go up Plasterboard and Plaster is done The floors in and walls painted The transformation is complete!

Back Lobby

February 6, 2024

At the beginning Creating the ramp The ceiling is gone The Plasterboard is in place The floor is in The lights are up New counter and new colour on the walls The transformation is complete!

Snooker Room

February 6, 2024

Snooker Room at the start Opened up New doorways and a store Plasterboard arrives Electricians are in! Ceiling and grooves in the floor The floor is and doors are in Getting ready for an event – The transformation is complete!

Covered Walkway

February 6, 2024

The Start The opening is made The RSJ goes in The Floor is tackled Prepared for the Sky Lantern Sky Lanterns Fitted Ceiling added and Plastered Painted skirting boards and foliage is added to the skylightsylight The transformation is complete!

Back Bar

February 6, 2024

The Bar at the start The Bar, carpet and ceiling are removed The colour is on the walls and new floor is down The transformation is complete!

Front Bar

February 6, 2024

Front Bar at the start Carpet gone and bar too! Soda blasting beams Under Floor Heating Floor is down Painted panelled pillars Ready to Shop! The transformation is complete!

Back Bar 2

February 6, 2024

Back Bar at start Back Bar minus furniture showing old wallpaper Back bar minus carpet Back Bar minus ceiling Back Bar with Sky Lantern Walls and Electrics The flooring goes down Adding some colour The transformation is complete!

Front Entrance

February 6, 2024

Front entrance at the start of works The walls go The plaster is on The panelling and woodwork is updated The painting is done The doors are open! The transformation is complete!

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