Detailed review by derek-a
derek-a
Cardiff, United Kingdom74%
If you like seeing how country people lived out their lives from yester-year, you could do no better than pay a visit to St. Fagan's Museum about 5 miles west of Cardiff. Set in around 100 acres of parkland, I feel this museum to be unique, although being Welsh, I may be a little biased!
You would need to be prepared to spend several hours or even an entire day here because there is so much to see in the grounds and it is constantly being added to. What follows are the features I found particularly interesting
. St Fagan's Castle is an Elizabethan manor house built within the walls of a medieval castle. It is surrounded by large gardens that include terraces and water features
There are a number of farmhouses, cottages and fully functioning works buildings that have been transported brick by brick from their original locations all over Wales. These include a row of terraced miner's cottages from Merthyr Tydfil that are complete with original contents and portray life in the mining community from the past 200 years or so.
There is a fully reconstructed 2000-year-old Celtic village compete with furniture, tools and hunting implements
There is a working water wheel that stone-grinds flour that is made into bread in one of the period shops, blacksmith's, social clubs, schools, saddlery workshops to name but a few.
One thing I found particularly interesting was the farm-houses called the Welsh Long Houses that dates back to the bronze age in which entire families used to live together with their animals on beaten earth floors, all under one roof. Sleeping quarters were no more than what can best be described as wall-cupboards made accessible by crude wooden ladders. The animals provided warmth in the winter by their body-heat. I don't suppose anybody thought of deodorants in those days!
St Fagan's has full facilities for the disabled, with wheel-chair ramps and toilets and they have access to most of the museum.
Well worth a visit. From the M4 motorway take junction 33 and follow the signs.
Museum of Welsh Life10
