House’s starring telly role goes down a storm
SEASON three of Netflix’s Sex Education features not one but two extraordinary houses lived in by characters.
As well as Gillian Anderson’s Swiss-style house overlooking the Wye Valley, there’s also an awardwinning Gower mansion which was once awarded the title of Britain’s best new home.
Stormy Castle, in North Gower, appears in the third season of the popular comedy/drama which is filmed across South Wales, including at Caerleon, Penarth and Rhondda Cynon Taf.
It’s the impressive-looking home of Peter Groff, played by Jason Isaacs of Harry Potter fame, the on-screen bully of a brother of Alistair Petrie’s Michael Groff, former Moordale head and who is having a bit of a rough patch in this installment of the show.
We see the stunning three-bed home, which was designed by Cardiff-based architects Loyn & Co, in the scenes where the Groff brothers are reunited after Michael is kicked out by wife Maureen.
There’s also the epic scene where Michael stands up to his bully of a brother and tells him a few home truths at a dinner party, a scene which showcases the amazing views from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the property which was billed as a ‘modern castle’.
Back in 2014 the Royal Institute of
British Architects (RIBA) announced Stormy Castle as the winner of the UK’S most prestigious housing design award after its “bold design” wowed the judges.
It picked up a Manser Medal on top of a Gold Medal for Architecture at the National Eisteddfod in the same year.
RIBA Manser Medal chair Michael Manser CBE said at the time: “This is a bold design in an area of Wales where arguably more conservative design solutions usually hold sway.
“I was impressed by the sustainability credentials, with a comprehensive range of energy, recycling and heating strategies incorporated into the design, which will be invaluable in dealing with such a large footprint.”
Stormy Castle is a three-bedroom home near Llandmadoc in North Gower which has been designed for energy efficiency using materials that reduce maintenance. It is designed with three stepped “wings” set into the surrounding landscape following the contours of the land.
Its roof spaces are green-planted to help with insulation, also enabling them to double up as terraces.
The architects created a three-storey home which pulls a remarkable amount of natural light deep into its interior. Complementing this are polished concrete floors flowing throughout and crystalline white ceilings which help create a contemporary feel in such a rural setting.
Rusted steel on the external doors, cladding and on the roof of the retained barn evoke a raw, honest aesthetic and sit well with materials used locally in agriculture buildings.