The little-known story of Welsh modernism
'Cabin Crew', a new book published this spring by The Modernist, brings the spotlight to Cardiff-based practice Hird & Brooks

Cabin Crew showcases the work of Cardiff-based practice Hird & Brooks who, from the 1950s-1980s, built sleek villas in the Vale of Glamorgan and holiday parks and cabins in the Welsh woodlands. As the UK continues to nurture ties with Scandinavia, this new book reveals Danish-inspired cabin culture in Wales and is published next month by The Modernist.
Two of the book's authors, Peter Halliday and Bethan Dalton, own Hird & Brooks cabins - Halliday at Bierwood, a complex of 17-holiday homes built in the 1970s in Pembrokeshire - and Dalton at the Penlan Holiday Park. Together, they set about documenting this little-known story of British modernism.
Flicking through 'Cabin Crew'
Graham Brooks graduated from the Welsh School of Architecture and in 1956 came to work for John Hird who was running a practice in Cardiff. Despite being seemingly polar opposites – Hird was affable, golf-playing, business-minded, Brooks reflective, dogmatic, and design-obsessed – they made a formidable team.
Before long, they were creating residential schemes infused with Brooks’ passion for Danish design, among them Cardiff’s Capel House (1966) and The Mount in Dinas Powys just outside the city. Here, four private developments comprising 53 homes as well as several individual homes make for a salubrious suburb that is still sought after today.
When, in the 1970s, the Forestry Commission approached them to build a nationwide network of tasteful, high-quality cabins, tucked away in the UK’s most scenic woodlands, Hird & Brooks set to work.
Employing their love of craftsmanship, materials and structure, the pair obsessed over every detail, from the woodland settings to colour schemes and fitted furniture to the custom-designed wood burners. They built more than 230 holiday cabins in Wales, Cornwall and Scotland.
By the time Hird passed away in 2009 (Brooks followed in 2020), the firm had won 17 awards and built an impressive archive in the Library of Aberystwyth. In 2002, Brookes received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Society of Architects in Wales.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Yet despite their success, Hird & Brooks’ Scandinavian summerhouse idyll never really took off in the way they had envisioned. Of the many sites planned, only five were actually built, and two of those are now gone. But it is still possible to rent a Hird & Brooks cabin in Wales - at the Penlan Holiday Park and the old Forestry Commission site at Lochaweside. Neither is in pristine condition, but they offer faded slice of homegrown hygge from a pair of unsung visionaries.
Emma O'Kelly is a freelance journalist and author based in London. Her books include Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and she is currently working on a UK guide to wild saunas, due to be published in 2025.
-
Despite moments of beauty, the ‘Hot Milk’ film adaption drifts aimlessly
‘Hot Milk’, adapted from Deborah Levy’s 2016 Booker-shortlisted novel, marks Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s directorial debut
-
Aston Martin completes its first Tokyo townhouse, crafted by the brand’s design team
This luxurious private house in Tokyo’s Omotesandō neighbourhood offers design and details shaped by Aston Martin, as well as features for the dedicated car collector
-
Studiomama’s cast faces capture a sense of childlike joy
Made in collaboration with one of London’s last traditional foundries, the studio’s ‘Face Castings’ series explores play, perception and the enduring influence of Bruno Munari
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on life
Thanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilion
Lego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interior
Abbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum