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Over the years, the historic hall has been repurposed multiple times, serving as a school, a care facility, and originally a stately home. Today, it has been transformed to accommodate seven individual flats, with several shared spaces and communal amenities such as laundry facilities and centralized heating. This unique living arrangement offers a balance of privacy and community for its residents.
Louise’s journey to Dol-llys began after losing her insurance job in London. Seeking a lifestyle connected to nature, she frequently retreated to the countryside and eventually decided to settle there permanently. Moving alone to a rural village posed challenges, but a suggestion about intentional communities led her to explore various options. She was drawn to Dol-llys because it offered private living spaces alongside a supportive community, rejecting the idea of simply having a bedroom with shared facilities. “We term ourselves as co-housing, because we all have our separate flats,” Louise explains. “We share the grounds, we share the common rooms, we share responsibilities and decision-making, but we all have our front doors, which I think is important to everybody who chooses to live here.”
Ken O’Brien and Susan Lancaster, both in their seventies, sought a fresh start in retirement. They were attracted not only by the charm of the old building and its extensive grounds but also by the stability and success of the community, which began in 1991. An original member had been living there for nearly three decades when Louise arrived in 2020. Ken, who had experience living in a religious community in his youth, said of their search for cooperative living: “There were new ones, one that had high turnovers, ones that had a specific ethos, which this one didn’t. It seemed mature, professional. People were organised. It was stable and well-run.” Susan noted the excellent condition of the house as another positive factor. For Ken, the shared interests and communal efforts, like maintaining the house and grounds and engaging in projects such as growing food, contribute to a sense of resilience.
Jemma, aged 36, along with her partner Yiannis, has embraced an alternative lifestyle for many years. Originally from Birmingham, they met while living in various intentional communities, including the Brithdir Mawr community in west Wales and another in Meifod, Powys, as well as spending time living on a houseboat. Jemma describes their early experiences in communal living as a way to explore new ideas and lifestyles, including permaculture and nature-based practices, which were otherwise inaccessible. “It can be a way to have a better quality of life,” she says, emphasizing the practical advantages of combining home life with meaningful projects. Both work in community-focused professions, with Jemma commuting to a larger town for a healthcare role and Yiannis working as a support worker. Many Dol-llys residents share similar backgrounds in health, education, or public sectors. The community itself operates on a loan stock basis for members, with residents paying monthly service fees to cover shared expenses and initiatives. Energy is managed sustainably, with heat provided by a wood-fired boiler and electricity partially supplied by solar panels, and residents are billed according to their consumption.
Decision-making at Dol-llys is carried out by consensus, a process that takes time for newcomers to adjust to, Louise acknowledges. When members leave, the cooperative calculates a fair value for their share based on what they paid initially, adjusted according to local and national housing market trends. A current share costs £230,000, granting residency in a two or three-bedroom flat; by comparison, similar properties in the nearby town vary widely in price. The community actively engages with its surroundings, growing vegetables, caring for chickens, managing eight acres of woodland, a lake, and a large field. Residents commit to contributing a minimum of one full day of work per month, divided between garden maintenance, communal gardening duties, and processing wood fuel. Newcomers receive training to develop the necessary skills, a shift Louise never imagined when living in London. The age range within the community spans from children as young as seven to residents in their seventies. This summer, the demographic will lean younger as families with children move in while some older residents depart. Prospective members undergo a thorough four-stage application process to ensure a good fit. Jenny Kincova, who has lived at Dol-llys for nine years and is among the longest-standing residents, is preparing to move to the nearby town of Llanidloes. Reflecting on her experience, Jenny says, “I was on my own. My girls had left home. I didn’t just want to move to a place and not know anyone. Once I moved here, I was really excited by the prospect of communal decision-making and cooperative community living.” Although tired of the emotional effort involved in group decision-making, she remains fond of the friendships she has made.
Beyond housing, the hall actively supports the wider community by providing free allotments in exchange for assistance during communal workdays and hosting open days. Its shared rooms are available for local groups, such as yoga classes, and upcoming events include a board games weekend. Residents have generously allowed friends to use the hall as a wedding venue free of charge. The community was also recently a host for volunteers from Wwoof (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), offering the helpers board and lodging in return for their work on grounds maintenance and skill development
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