NICHOLAS GANNON-JOHNS
The Merrie-Friars was built in the 1920s in Barry, Wales
B uilt in the 1920s, the Merrie-Friars building is a Barry landmark. From its windows you can gaze upon the beach and sea of Whitmore Bay. Viewers of the sitcom, Gavin & Stacey , may recognise it as one of the main filming locations. A native of the town, Nicholas Gannon- Johns, Director of Oakwater Interiors, has been drawn to the building for as long as he can remember. The many hours he spent lifting weights on the building’s first floor at Muscle & Fitness Gym are now fond memories. “I used to train at the gym from when I was 17 right until I bought the building. Then I spent most of my early twenties down in the basement at the nightclub 2eze. I spent many Fridays and Saturdays there partying at some of the biggest garage nights. “It was a dark, dingy basement club, with decent capacity as well. It was just a wicked place and, to be honest, there’s never been a club like it since.” Gannon-Johns was even hoping to relaunch the nightclub while the building works took place but was not quite able to make it work due to logistical reasons. “Merrie-Friars is such a special place to me, I spent so much time there and made so many connections. The previous owner approached me about seven years ago asking if I wanted to buy it, but back then it wasn’t even an option for me to consider. “He took it off the market, did a little work on it and three years ago asked me again. I was in a position to say yes, so it feels like a ‘full circle’ moment.” Good for Barry’s future Working closely with his father, “all-round Master Builder” Tony Gannon, who joined the business in 2020, Gannon-Johns believes the reimagined building, which now has six luxury apartments on the top two floors, will uplift his hometown. “The island is gorgeous. The council has spent considerable money on the promenade, but it just needs people like myself to try to give the place a boost, and
a bit of an upmarket feel. Up until now, it’s all been very much the same as other seaside towns. You have your chip shops and familiar types of places. “I think it can be much more of a high- end destination as well, attracting more people. So I am trying to get the ball rolling with my project, trying to put Barry on the map for a new reason.” Besides a handful of disgruntled residents lamenting change, Gannon- Johns says the response from the local community has been positive. People are interested and optimistic about what it might mean for the town’s future. “All the commercial properties are staying where they are, besides the gym, which was moving to a new location “It can be much more of a high-end destination. So I am trying to get the ball rolling with my project, trying to put Barry on the map for a new reason.”
before I even bought the building.” So the Rock Shop will still be selling donuts, Piccolo Burger Bar still flipping burgers and Ceasar’s Palace arcade still providing entertainment to youngsters. “The scaffold came down recently and we received great coverage in the local media. Loads of people sent me messages saying how beautiful the building looks, like it has just been built. I’m proud of the work we have put in and the restoration we have achieved.” The six apartments, including two and three-bed options and two penthouses, will be the first luxury residences in Barry. Once Gannon-Johns has sold them all, he hopes to secure permission to build six Airbnb properties and, even though he considers it “distasteful” and “not my cup of tea” to decorate some in the theme of Gavin & Stacey , he concedes that many people will like that sort of thing. So who knows? As Merrie-Friars moves into its next stage of an already long and varied history, Gannon-Johns hopes others can gain as much joy from it as he has over the years. “I own a bar on the beachfront about two minutes walk from Merrie-Friars. It’s just so special for me now as I have walked past this building so many times, dreaming about one day making it mine and developing it the way I had imagined. It’s just so special.”
25
Master Builder
www.fmb.org.uk
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software