Led Zeppelin's Mid Wales cottage could become micro nation
After declaring independence with the intention of becoming a micro-nation, the owner of Bron-Yr-Aur, an 18th century cottage on the outskirts of Machynlleth.
The cottage is famous among music fans around the world for its association with the rock band Led Zeppelin. Having stayed there for a period of time in 1970, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote several songs at the cottage, some of which were directly inspired by the location.
Led Zeppelin used the name of the house in the title of two songs, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp and Bron-Yr-Aur. Songs that appeared on the bands third and fourth studio albums, as well as later albums Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti, can be traced back to the cottage.
Earlier this year, the cottage's current owner Scott Roe announced that he wanted to establish the area as an independent micro-nation, creating a flag, constitution and coat of arms. He added that he wants the initiative to focus on community and international projects, with the aim of having the world's highest foreign aid budget as a proportion of GDP.
He said: 'The history of micro-nations either traverses either people in their bedrooms saying they have their own kingdom or others that have triggered an actual military response. Obviously we don't want to fall into either of those categories.
'The idea didn't come about overnight. It's been building for decades. In owning this house I've been in touch with a creative collective around the world and run various big art projects, which slowly brought the concept into being.
'We've had an overwhelming response from all quarters. Even the Welsh Government response was positive. It seems to be resonating with people, the idea of building a community in a different way.
'It's this piece of music history that shines a spotlight on Welsh history. So many people around the world are not aware that it's a separate country with its own culture, history and language. We've welcomed citizens who have said they might even learn Welsh as a result of joining.
'It was reported somewhere that we had 500 citizens, which honestly came as a surprise to us because we didn't count that many. But since that number is out there we've decided to make it a goal of sorts.
'It's a bit tongue in cheek but we also genuinely believe we can help both locally and internationally with a mini version of how to create a better model. A model based on well-being rather than pounds or dollars. It's as much of a social enterprise as anything else.'
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