St. Fagan's National History Museum - Keeping Alive the Spirit of Historic Wales

St. Fagan's National History Museum - Keeping Alive the Spirit of Historic Wales

One of the ten most popular attractions in the United Kingdom, the St. Fagan's National History Museum has a triple claim to fame as it is also one of the biggest and most fascinating open-air museums in Europe, and the most popular heritage attraction in Wales. The museum is housed in the sprawling gardens and grounds of the 16th century Elizabethan manor house known as St. Fagan's castle in west Cardiff, South Wale. The museum is devoted to preserving and showcasing the lifestyle, art and culture of the old Welsh people, from pre-historic Celts to the present-day surviving traditions, and falls under the purview of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales.

Founded by Iorwerth Peate, the museum was first opened in 1946, following the donation of the castle and grounds by the Earl of Plymouth. It was known simply as the Welsh Folk Museum in this incarnation; later it was changed to the Museum of Welsh Life before finally adopting the moniker it uses today, although its Welsh title has remained unchanged.

The museum was inspired by the outdoor museum of Skansen, which is a showcase of Stockholm's vernacular architecture. This is the type of architecture that the common people use to build their functional buildings, using local resources and contemporary building design, which makes these constructions reflective of their immediate historical, environmental and cultural contexts.

While the wooden constructs and dwellings of Skansen easily lent themselves to deconstruction and disassembly, replicating the same process in Wales posed a problem, as most of the regional architecture were made of stone and brick masonry.

However, the architects of the museum have risen amply to the challenge, as can be seen by the myriad of buildings that have been re-erected all over the 100 acres of St. Fagan's extensive parkland. Over forty dwellings now appear within its architectural repertoire, representing diverse time periods and eras in Welsh history. The only buildings which have been created from scratch is the St Fagan's castle itself, the "House of the Future" and the Celtic village; all others have been transported from the nether reaches of Wales and painstakingly reassembled on the museum grounds. The latest of these is a parish church of St Teilo of the medieval period, which has been bought here from west Glamorgan, showcasing the designs and beliefs of pre-Reformation Wales.

Preserving the Welsh rural life and its traditional industry is also one of the museum's objectives, even though this industrial lifestyle is almost extinct in the region. As such, the museum's fully-functional farm, blacksmith's forge and two working mills (a flour mill and wool mill) take centre stage, as do the Workmen's Institute. The farm produce is sold to tourists and features native breeds of Welsh livestock. Traditional arts and crafts are also displayed in workshops, while the Welsh language is used by the craftsman in daily conversation, making the cultural experience ever more authentic. These conversations are usually interpreted for tourists by interpreters. The museum also has special galleries featuring costumes and farming implements that saw common usage in Welsh life in bygone times

The Everyman Summer Theatre Festival, one of the red-letter events of the Welsh theatrical calendar, has been hosted by the St. Fagan's Museum annually since 1996. This festival is a great draw for the crowds and stages Shakespeare plays, English musicals and children's shows among a list of other performances.

However, even more than this much-anticipated celebration of performing art, St. Fagan's Museum has gained a certain national notoriety for its legends and ghosts. Reports of spectres and paranormal phenomena within the age-old dwellings abound, enhancing the intrigue of its environs so much that the museum now offers its visitors "ghost tours", in order to further explore the sites of the alleged hauntings.

This prestigious institution is indubitably one of the main attractions that must feature in the travel itinerary of a tourist staying in a Cardiff hotel or other nearby accommodation. The Copthorne Hotel Cardiff Caerdydd is a well-reputed and comfortable hotel Cardiff Wales that offers excellent facilities and services for both leisure and business travellers.

POST COMMENT

A Look At The Living And Breathing History And Traditions Of The Syrian Arab Republic Finding Inspiration for Your Article 1000 Questions For Couples Ebook Cafe World Levels Facebook Getting A Second Story Room Addition Punta Cana Majestic Anniversary Advice Bookings Deals Meals And A Lot More Rolex Datejust: A Brief History The History of True Moo DoeGrandmasters Punta Cana World Class Honeymoon Advice Bookings Discounts Gourmet Plus Other Splendid Places A Little History Of Granada Punta Cana Top Rated Anniversary Advice Bookings Price-offs Dining And A Lot More Planning To Plant Explosive Books Public Accounting- Free Helpful Article For Accounting