Pembrokeshire, Wales · Est. 1875
Welcome to our forgotten school
We're Zach & Becka. We bought a derelict Victorian school in the Welsh hills — and we're bringing it back to life, one slate at a time.
Who on earth are we?
Two people, one boat, and now a school
We met in Wales, said yes to adventure, and spent four years sailing the world aboard our boat, Teulu — the Welsh word for family. That word stuck.
Now the anchor's down for good. We've traded sails for scaffolding and taken on our maddest project yet: rescuing Barham Memorial School, a 150-year-old landmark that taught generations of local children before closing its doors in 2001.
We're documenting every step — the collapses, the small wins, the slow magic of a building coming back to life.
“Believe in saying yes to adventure — then just bloody doing it.”
The building
Barham Memorial School
| Built | 1875–1877 |
|---|---|
| Architect | Ernest C. Lee |
| Materials | Preseli stone & Bath sandstone |
| Listing | Grade II |
| Served until | 2001 — over 130 years of lessons |
| Today | Under restoration, roof first |
Preseli stone · Bath sandstone · Welsh slate
From the fallen roof
Own a piece of 1875
Four coasters, hand-split from the original Welsh slate roof of Barham Memorial School. Every penny goes back on the roof.
£40 / set of four
Limited by the roof itself — when the salvaged slate runs out, that's that.
Follow the restoration
200,000 of you are watching this roof go back on
Every week on YouTube we share the honest version of restoring a listed building — budgets, blunders and all. Come for the school, stay for the sheep.
Watch on YouTubeNewsletter
Letters from the school
An occasional letter with restoration milestones, new slate pieces, and first dibs on limited runs. No spam — we're too busy on the roof.
#bloodydoingit