From the street, the three-bedroom house on the outskirts of Swansea, Wales, appears to be just another ordinary terraced home. However, stepping through the front door reveals an extraordinary transformation that takes visitors' breath away - a meticulously crafted neoclassical interior that rivals the grandest 18th-century estates.

Artist Royston Jones, 77, originally from Ceredigion, inherited this unremarkable property after his father's death. Over the past five years, he and his partner Fiona Gray have painstakingly transformed it room by room, creating their own plasterwork and decorative art to achieve a stunning neoclassical design inspired by 18th-century architecture.

Jones' passion for art and interior design stems from his unique upbringing as a foster child and his formative visits to grand estates across west Wales and the magnificent Heveningham Hall in Suffolk. His remarkable life story adds depth to his artistic vision and explains his deep connection to aristocratic architecture.

Jones didn't learn about his family history until he turned 18, when he discovered relatives in Newquay who had never known of his existence. His unmarried mother had kept his birth a complete secret. Raised by various foster families, including the Honorable Lady Aitken, Jones encountered 'some really interesting' and 'well-connected' individuals who profoundly influenced his life and artistic direction.

Through Lady Aitken's connections, Jones was introduced to the Van Eyck family of Heveningham Hall, which he describes as the 'finest neoclassical interior in Europe' and his 'spiritual home.' The hall made an indelible impression on the young artist.

'It's enormously grand,' Jones explained. 'It's longer than Buckingham Palace and it stands in the middle of the countryside with a great lake in the valley.'

These visits sparked a lifelong fascination with James Wyatt, King George III's favorite architect who designed the hall's interiors. Jones has since built up an extensive archive documenting the building's interior details. After the government purchased Heveningham Hall in 1970, Jones spent considerable time researching and photographing the property. Today, the entrance hall in his Swansea home is directly modeled on Heveningham Hall's entrance hall.

After studying art at Lowestoft in East Suffolk, Jones went on to attend London College of Fashion. However, a serious illness forced him to pause his studies. During his lengthy recovery period, he turned to academic research on architecture and began crafting his first neoclassical models.

'I just find it incredibly beautiful,' he said about neoclassical design. 'It's almost too delicate to survive - and yet it does. It's everywhere.'

It was during this recovery period that he met Gray. The two began collaborating professionally, with their first paid commission coming in 1985 when Gray assisted Jones. Since then, they have spent the past 50 years creating intricate one-eighth scale models of neoclassical interiors, focusing specifically on the period between 1760 and 1800.

Their exceptional work has been commissioned by numerous high-profile clients and has earned them multiple awards. Notable projects include detailed models of Sledmere House's drawing room in Yorkshire and the Painted Room from Spencer House. The Spencer House model was originally intended as a gift for Diana, Princess of Wales, and was described by Lord Rothschild, who had restored Spencer House, as 'a masterpiece, a work of genius.'

Jones has held major exhibitions on Bond Street, created artwork for Russian palaces, and completed plasterwork in a grand Robert Adam mansion in Portland Square, London. This impressive portfolio demonstrates the couple's expertise in their specialized field.

The pair's decades of collaboration has culminated in their most personal long-term project: transforming their home in Swansea. Jones and Gray inherited the house on Llangyfelach Road in Treboeth five years ago following his father's unexpected death.

Built in 1910, the house is a two-story brick property with a low-pitched slate roof - typical of early 20th-century British working-class housing. Jones explained that his father had moved from Newquay in Ceredigion after the war and settled in Treboeth with his stepmother, later leaving the house to him and Gray 'unexpectedly.'

The couple relocated from Norwich and immediately began their ambitious transformation project. 'I thought we were living in this plain old box, and I wanted to bring some beauty into it,' Jones said.

He added that the house looked 'very different' before they took it over, as his father and stepmother were 'very conventional' in their decorating choices. 'I'm sure he'd be amazed if he saw all this now,' Jones reflected.

The transformation process has been entirely hands-on. The couple has decorated six rooms so far, with only one room at the back remaining untouched. Jones explained that 'hand by hand' they designed every ornament, created the molds, and cast each piece themselves using traditional techniques.

The work is extremely time-intensive. According to Jones, the simple ceilings took up to four weeks to complete, while more intricate features like the elaborate staircase required much longer periods of careful craftsmanship.

The results are nothing short of spectacular. Jones reports that visitors 'can't believe it' when they step inside the transformed space. 'They all gasp as they come in,' he said. 'They call it a Tardis, because on the outside it just looks like nothing and then they walk through the door and they are shocked.'

The dramatic contrast between the modest exterior and the palatial interior creates an almost magical experience for guests. The neoclassical elements include ornate plasterwork, decorative moldings, elegant columns, and sophisticated color schemes that transport visitors to the golden age of 18th-century British aristocratic design.

Although Jones and Gray are content with life in Swansea, which they describe as a 'lovely place' where 'people are so nice,' they are considering relocating. 'We're looking for somewhere quieter with bigger rooms, so we can really go wild with even more plasterwork,' Jones explained.

Looking toward the future, they hope to find 'someone sympathetic' to purchase their current home - 'someone who truly appreciates what we've done, so it isn't gutted or ripped out.' This concern reflects the couple's deep emotional investment in their creation and their desire to preserve their artistic legacy.

The project represents more than just interior decoration; it's a lifetime's worth of artistic passion, technical skill, and historical appreciation condensed into an ordinary Welsh terraced house. The transformation demonstrates how art can transcend physical and economic limitations, creating beauty and grandeur in the most unexpected places.

Jones and Gray's work serves as a testament to the power of artistic vision and dedication. Their Swansea home stands as a unique example of how personal passion projects can create something truly extraordinary, bridging the gap between humble working-class housing and the grandest aristocratic estates in British architectural history.