Creation of the house was the brain-child of Sir Thomas Stepney, Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire and head of the most significant landed gentry family in Llanelli, possibly the whole of the county.

The Stepney’s were originally a London family who had come to Wales, via St Albans, as far back as 1559 when Alban Stepney took up residence in Pembrokeshire. In 1714 one of his descendants, Thomas, decided to build himself a house in the town of Llanelli. The town was beginning to grow to the extent that it would soon become the largest urban conurbation in Carmarthenshire.

 

The place was already becoming a renowned centre for copper and lead smelting although it was tin plate that really made the town’s name. That was not all the town became famous for – a pottery was also operated in Llanelli and, later in the 19th and 20th centuries, the famous town rugby club became a sporting force to be reckoned with.

The production of tin plate, however, was the most significant product of the town and the Stepneys, like most other wealthy families, benefitted greatly. At one time there were no fewer than thirty tin plate mills in the town, an industry that made many people very wealthy. It was natural that Sir Thomas Stepney would choose to display his wealth and social position.

The house was originally thought to stand on “virgin ground” but archaeological excavations during the recent renovations have shown that there was a dwelling on the site that dated back to the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. The new house was spectacular, attracting visitors like John Wesley when he came to preach in the nearby parish church, and the Stepney family lived there for many years. The baronetcy that was awarded to the family finally became extinct around 1825.

Llanelly House passed through the hands of several successive owners, most of them related to the Stepneys in some way. It was eventually purchased by the town council and much of the frontage was soon in use for shops and other businesses. The building fell into a sad state of repair.

Enter the BBC Restoration television series. Championed by designer Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, the house was a finalist in the competition when it became clear to everyone that they were sitting on a cultural and architectural gem.

In November 2009 the Carmarthen Heritage Restoration Trust obtained a £6 million grant to begin work on restoring the property to something like its original glory. The plan was always to create a revolutionary visitor experience so that anyone entering Llanelli House would gain a clear insight into what life in 18th and 19th century Llanelli was really like.

In 2011 architects Austin-Smith were employed to begin the restoration work. This was a costly and complicated business that involved taking out the 18th century shop fronts, re-vamping the stair and hallway – always the core of the old building – and giving the rooms, such as Sir Thomas’s study, a new lease of life.

Restoration is now complete and Llanelly House is open to the public. As well as the house itself – now a Genealogy Heritage Centre - there is a wide range of period artefacts to see. Guided tours are informative and regular.

Llanelli House, like all old buildings, has an interesting past. It was recently voted in the top three most haunted buildings in Carmarthenshire, the others being the Parc Howard Museum and Kidwelly Castle.

The ghost of Mia Turner, who was present in the house on the night of the 1851 census but disappeared soon afterwards, provides guides with a ready-made ghost story that will have all imaginative visitors quaking in their shoes.

Llanelly House, although dating back to the beginning of the Georgian period, is one of the newest tourist attractions in Wales. It provides valuable insights and a superb atmosphere for anyone who has a feeling for the history of Wales.

Festival spokeswoman Gaynor Jones told me: "It's not a closed shop just for architects.

"We hope it will widen the appeal of architecture, get people talking about it as much as the weather and inspire young people to consider it as a career."

The events all take place from tomorrow to 4 May at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

The festival will kick off with a free launch event in the centre's cinema tomorrow, which explores the theme of celebrating "the power and pleasures of well-designed buildings and places".

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM, who is an honorary member of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales in recognition of his role in the commissioning of the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, will officially open the main festival exhibition, Bathing Beauties, at 6pm.

The exhibition features more than 100 models of the traditional beach hut as it has been re-invented by artists and architects.

Lord Elis-Thomas will also host an "evening of ideas" with contributions from artist and curator Michael Trainor and architectural writer Owen Hatherley at the free launch event.

Chairman of the mid Wales branch of RSAW Doug Hughes said: "We've tried to include something for everyone in the first festival programme.

"There's an architectural film series and a range of exhibitions about everything from bathing huts to the corrugated iron buildings you see in the Ceredigion countryside as well as forums where people can join in the discussions."

Films on show include Jacques Tati's satirical work Mon Oncle; a documentary about the American designers Charles and Ray Eames; a film charting 200 years of visionary architecture; and Lammas, a documentary about the UK's first planned eco-village in Pembrokeshire.

Workshops include photography sessions for children as well a two day brick carving workshop with the artist Gwen Heeney. The public are also invited to join members of Ceredigion County Council and RSAW for to pool ideas on a town development site.

The festival coincides with an open day the arts centre is holding as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations on Saturday 20 April, which will see an array of free family activities on an architectural theme.

For more information on the festival please contact Aberystwyth Arts Centre on 01970 623232, or visit their website aber.ac.uk/artscentre.

Nash was born on 18 January 1752 but his place of birth is not clear. Some say he was born in London, others in Cardigan where his family had many connections. His father was a millwright but he died around about 1758 and so had little influence on his son's development and career.

After early education, Nash was trained by the architect Sir Robert Taylor and worked as a surveyor and builder in the city of London. He was successful and in 1777 established his own business.

In 1775 he had married Jane Elizabeth Kerr but within a few years the marriage was in difficulties. Jane had run up huge debts, in particular a milliners bill for over £300.

In desperation, Nash sent her to a cousin, Ann Morgan, in Aberavon, hoping that the quiet Welsh seaside spot would "calm her down." In fact, all it did was to spark a relationship between Jane and a local man by the name of Charles Charles.

Despite the affair, in June 1779 Jane returned to London to attempt a reconciliation with her husband. Her extravagant ways had not changed, however, and Nash once more sent his wife to Wales, this time to another cousin, Thomas Edwards of Neath.

Two years later, the affair with Charles not having ended, Nash had enough. He brought an action for divorce against Jane on the grounds of adultery. The case was heard at Hereford and Charles was fined and later died, not having the money to pay the fine, in prison. Nash and his wife duly went their separate ways.

When Nash inherited £1,000 from an uncle he decided to risk it on the building of houses in Great Russell Street and Bloomsbury Square. The buildings failed to rent out and Nash was declared bankrupt in 1783. He decided to move back to Wales, establishing an office in Carmarthen and starting a contractors business.

Together with Samuel Simon Saxon he re-roofed the town church in Carmarthen for a fee of 600 guineas and began once more to develop his career as an architect. He designed the prisons at Carmarthen, Cardigan and Hereford, then mapped out plans to solve severe structural problems with St David's Cathedral.

Over the next few years Nash became influenced by Thomas Johnes, for whom he designed an octagonal library at Hafod Uchdryd, and Sir Uvedale Price. For the latter he built the castellated villa of Castle House in Aberystwyth. Under their guidance and influence Nash became fascinated with the picturesque, so much so that he eventually became the style's leading proponent.

He designed at least a dozen lovely medium sized country houses around Wales, the finest example probably being Llanerchaeron in the Ceredigion town of Ciliau Aeron. And then he decided to chance his arm, once more, in London.

In 1797 he returned to the city and the following year married Mary Ann Bradley. Slowly, he built his practice, designing a number of Gothic castles around the country, places such as Luscombe Castle in Devon and Caerahays Castle in Cornwall. One of his finest achievements was the design of Blaise Hamlet near Bristol: nine asymmetrical cottages set around a traditional village green, the summit of picturesque perfection.

A friend of Charles James Fox, Nash was a dedicated Whig supporter and soon came under the patronage of the Prince Regent, later King George IV. In 1806 he was appointed Surveyor General of Woods, Forests and Parks and from 1810 onwards worked solely for the prince. In 1813 he was appointed official architect to the Office of Works, advising parliamentary commissions on things such as new church buildings.

It was during these hedonistic years that Nash laid out both Regent's Park and Regent Street. He also found time to design two theatres in London's Haymarket, one of them being the Theatre Royal. Buckingham Palace was largely his design - although not the imposing facade that looks down the Mall. He was proud to call King George his friend.

Nash was not immune to scandal, however, despite his considerable royal patronage. A scurrilous cartoon once appeared in a London paper, showing the king embracing Nash's half dressed wife. It was typical of the satirical publications of the age and while most people disregarded the drawing there were those who nodded sagely and decided, among themselves, exactly how Nash had managed to rise so far and so fast.

When George IV died in 1830 there was an immediate reaction against the extravagance of his reign. Buckingham Palace, for example, had already cost thousands - millions in today's terms - and it was nowhere near completion. Nash, now without his royal protector, was suddenly vulnerable.

He received no more commissions and, perhaps more importantly, was denied the knighthood that many thought would be coming his way. In high dudgeon, he retired to his house on the Isle of Wight where a few years later, on 13 May 1835, he died.

Nash left debts of over £15,000. His wife was forced to sell his books, a number of paintings by men such as Turner and, eventually, the house itself. John Nash had led a fascinating but undoubtedly troubled life - a genius but, like so many clever and driven men, someone who never managed to find real happiness.