Wales of a Time VII - St Fagans

    On our way back towards Cardiff from Swansea we decided to stop at St. Fagans - National History Museum.  Since it's the National History Museum of Wales I think its only appropriate that the title of the entry should be written in Welsh - Sain Ffagan: Amgueddfa Werin Cymru.  Don't ask me - but it really does mean St Fagans: National History Museum.  This large open air museum has over 40 original buildings from sites all over Wales which were moved and re-erected on the 104.5 acres of the site. They include everything from an ancient representation of how Iron Age tribal Celts lived to a 15th century Manor House with gardens to an 19th century Guild Hall.  It was a very impressive collection of buildings, with interpreters at each site.  If you want to get a flavor of Wales without braving the narrow country lanes, this is your spot.

     One of the center pieces of the Museum is St Fagans Castle.  It is an Elizabethan Manor House built in 1580 with major interior renovations done in the 1850s.  It is furnished in a late Victorian style with many of the pieces being furniture used by the last owner, The Earl of Plymouth, who donated the "Castle" to the Museum in 1946.  The gardens were incredibly beautiful.

      To me one of the most fascinating structures was St. Teilo's church.  The original church was built in the 12th century and added to over the years with the nave and the chancel dating from the late 13th or early 14th century.  The structure is rather bland from the outside.

    It's the insides that are amazing.  It seems that when the church was being moved and reconstructed in 2007 the workers found the remains of pre-Reformation wall drawings.  It is believed that the church members white-washed over the painting to protect them from being discovered and destryed during the English Civil War and the Puritan rule of the mid-17th century.  When they were discover it was determined that they should be restored to their original splendor  and the interior of the church is set as it would of appeared in around 1530.

      The museum did an interesting thing with a series of 19th century row house that were built by iron mine owner Rober Crawshay to provide housing for his workers.  Although the row houses date back to almost 1800, each separate house is set up for a different period from the early 19th century to the late 20th: more paritcularly 1805, 1855, 1895, 1925, 1955, and 1985.

     Since there are over 40 buildings this report could go on for quite a while.  Let it suffice to say it is a very impressive museum.  And if you need to, you can even call home

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