- St Fagans National History Museum
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Coordinates: 51°29′13″N 3°16′21″W / 51.4869°N 3.2725°W
St Fagans National History Museum Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru 
The manor house of St Fagans Castle
Location within Wales CardiffEstablished 1948 Location St. Fagans, Cardiff, Wales Visitor figures 610,155 (2010)[1]
Website www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/ St Fagans National History Museum (Welsh: Sain Ffagan: Amgueddfa Werin Cymru), commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village where it is located, is an open-air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture and architecture of the Welsh people. The museum is part of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales.
It comprises over thirty re-erected buildings from various locations in Wales, and is set in the grounds of St Fagans Castle, an Elizabethan manor house. In 2011 Which? magazine named the museum the United Kingdom's favourite visitor attraction.[2]
Contents
History
The museum was started in 1946 following the donation of the castle and lands by the Earl of Plymouth. It opened its doors to the public in 1948, under the name of the Welsh Folk Museum. The museum's name in Welsh (also meaning "Welsh Folk Museum") has remained unchanged since that date, whereas the English title has been modified once to Museum of Welsh Life, and again to its current nomenclature.
The brainchild of Iorwerth Peate, the museum was modelled on Skansen, the outdoor museum of vernacular Swedish architecture in Stockholm. Most structures re-erected in Skansen were built of wood and are thus easily taken apart and reassembled, but a comparable museum in Wales was naturally going to be more ambitious as much of the vernacular architecture of Wales is made of masonry.
Buildings and exhibits
The museum's gallery and administration block, built by the Percy Thomas Partnership, 1968–74
The museum includes over forty buildings which represent the architecture of Wales, including a nonconformist chapel (in this case, Unitarian), a village schoolhouse, a Toll road tollbooth (below), a cockpit (below), a pigsty (below) and a tannery (below).
The museum holds displays of traditional crafts with a working blacksmith's forge, a pottery, a weaver, miller and clog maker. It also includes two working water mills: one flour mill and one wool mill. Part of the site includes a small working farm which concentrates on preserving local Welsh native breeds of livestock. Produce from the museum's bakery and flour mill is available for sale.
The medieval parish church of Saint Teilo (below) formerly at Llandeilo Tal-y-bont in west Glamorgan (restored to its pre-Reformation state), is the Museum's latest building, opened in October 2007 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Though the museum was intended to preserve aspects of Welsh rural life, it now includes several buildings that depict the industrial working life that succeeded it, itself almost extinct in Wales. There is a row of workmen's cottages, depicting furnishing from 1800–1985, from Rhyd-y-car near Merthyr Tydfil (below), as well as the pristine Oakdale Workmen's Institute (below). A post-war prefabricated bungalow (below) has even been erected on the grounds.
Since 1996 the Museum has hosted the Everyman Summer Theatre Festival which re-located from Dyffryn Gardens. This festival, which includes a Shakespeare play, a Musical, an English language Children's Show and a Welsh language Children's show (directed principally at primary schools) has become part of Welsh theatrical calendar.
Scenes from the Doctor Who episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" were filmed at St Fagans.
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Terraced gardens of St Fagans castle
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The Celtic village -
Oakdale Workmen's institute -
Inside the cockpit -
The pottery -
The prefab -
The toll gate -
Toll notice -
The tannery -
Gwalia stores -
The bakehouse -
Nant Wallter cottage -
The Abernodwydd farmhouse, was built in 1678 at Llangadfan -
Post office (1936), originally from Blaenwaun near Whitland, Carmarthenshire -
Saint Teilos church -
Cottages from Rhyd-y-car -
The photographic shop -
Kennixton farmhouse was built at Llangynydd on the Gower in 1610 -
The pigsty -
Interior of the woollen mill
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Gentlemen's toilet -
Back of a farm privy
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House for the future, St Fagans
References
- ^ "Visits made in 2010 to visitor attractions in membership with ALVA". Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. http://www.alva.org.uk/visitor_statistics/. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ Clare Hutchinson (29 September 2011). "National History Museum at St Fagans soars to the top of UK's favourite tourist sites". WalesOnline. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/09/29/national-history-museum-at-st-fagans-soars-to-the-top-of-uk-s-favourite-tourist-sites-91466-29507382/. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
External links
- Castles-of-wales.com, St Fagans Castle
- Official website
- BBC Wales site including panoramic views of buildings in the museum
- Everyman Theatre
- Geograph.co.uk, photos of St Fagans Museum
- St Fagans National History Museum at Gathering the Jewels
- Celebration of St Dwynwen's day in Wales
Culture and recreation in Cardiff Performing arts Cardiff Singer of the World • Welsh Singers Competition • BBC National Orchestra of Wales • Welsh National Opera • Wales Millennium Centre • Motorpoint Arena Cardiff • St David's Hall • Cardiff City Hall • New Theatre • Sherman Cymru • Chapter Arts Centre • Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama • National Youth Orchestra of Wales • Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra • NoFit State Circus
Music venues and acts Music of Cardiff • Clwb Ifor Bach • Coal Exchange • Spillers Records • Barfly • Cardiff University Students' Union • Bute Park • Catatonia • The Automatic • Jem • Funeral for a Friend • Lostprophets • Bullet for My Valentine • Stereophonics • Manic Street Preachers • Super Furry Animals • Kids in Glass Houses • Los Campesinos! • We're No Heroes • The Hot Puppies • The Oppressed • Pagan Wanderer Lu • Budgie • Shakin' Stevens • Charlotte Church • Shirley Bassey • Gorky's Zygotic Mynci • Only Men Aloud! • Under the Driftwood TreeFestivals and concerts Cardiff Big Weekend • Cardiff Film Festival • Cardiff Comedy Festival • Cardiff Design Festival • Sŵn • National Eisteddfod • Urdd Eisteddfod • Party in the Park • Tsunami Relief Cardiff • Michael Forever – The Tribute Concert • Welcome to Wales • Armed Forces Day • Millennium Stadium concerts • Cardiff Arms Park concerts • Sparks in the ParkMuseums and galleries National Museum Cardiff • St Fagans National History Museum • Museum of the Welsh Soldier • Norwegian Church Arts Centre • The Gate • Doctor Who Exhibition Centre • Pierhead Building • Techniquest • Cardiff StoryEntertainment and dining Red Dragon Centre • Mermaid Quay • Hard Rock Cafe • Millennium Plaza • The Glee Club • Eastside • Café QuarterRecreation Cardiff Central Library • Libraries in Cardiff • Leisure centres in Cardiff • Bute Park • Roath Park • Victoria Park • Roald Dahl Plass • Llandaff Fields • Thompson's Park • Llanishen ReservoirShopping Arcades • St. David's • Queens Arcade • Capitol Centre • Central Market • Castle Quarter • The Hayes • Howells • Mermaid Quay • Retail ParksLandmarks and visitor attractions in Cardiff Tallest buildings in Cardiff 1. Capital Tower • 2. Stadium House • 3. HM Government Offices • 4. Altolusso • 5. Meridian Gate • 5. Tŷ Pont Haearn • 7. Holland House • 8. Llandaff Cathedral • 9. Cardiff City Hall • 10. Helmont House • 21. Coleg Glan Hafen, City Road Campus • 23. Marriott Hotel • 25. Cardiff Castle Clock Tower
Landmarks Wales Millennium Centre • Millennium Stadium • Pierhead Building • Senedd • St David's Hall • St David's Hotel & Spa • Ninian Park • SWALEC Stadium • Cardiff International Sports Stadium • Cardiff City Stadium • Cardiff Central Library • Temple of Peace • Llandaff Cathedral • Central Market • Welsh National War Memorial • Animal Wall • AllianceVisitor attractions National Museum Cardiff • St Fagans National History Museum • Cardiff Castle • Castell Coch • 2 Glynrhondda Street • Cardiff Bay • Cardiff Centenary Walk • Cardiff International Pool • Cardiff International Sports Village • Cardiff International White Water • Doctor Who Exhibition Centre • Mermaid Quay • Museum of the Welsh Soldier • Norwegian Church • Red Dragon Centre • TechniquestEconomy and industry of Cardiff Company and
organisation
headquarters118 118 • Admiral Group • BBC Cymru Wales • Brains Brewery • Clark's Pies • Cube Interactive • IQE • ITV Wales • Julian Hodge Bank • Media Wales • Peacocks • Peski Records • Placid Casual • Principality Building Society • See Monkey Do Monkey • S4C • The Barcud Derwen Group • Target Group • Advanced Transport Systems • Veritair • WJEC • Wales Social Partners Unit • Welsh National Opera
Company and
organisation major
locationsAtradius • Asda Stores • British Airways Engineering • British Gas • British Telecom • Deloitte • Eversheds • HBOS • ING Direct • J. Sainsbury plc • Legal & General • Lloyds TSB • NHS Wales • Tesco Stores Ltd. • The AA • SWALEC • Zurich Financial ServicesMajor public
sector employersCardiff and Vale University Health Board • Cardiff Bus • Cardiff Council • Cardiff University • Coleg Glan Hafren • Department of Trade and Industry • HM Revenue and Customs • National Assembly for Wales Commission • University of Glamorgan • University of Wales Institute, Cardiff • Welsh Assembly GovernmentRetail Shopping (St. David's • Queens Arcade • Capitol Centre • Howells • The Hayes • Castle Quarter • Central Market • Victorian Arcades) • Retail Parks (Cardiff Bay Retail Park • Capital Retail Park • Culverhouse Cross)Hospitality Hotels (St David's Hotel & Spa • Copthorne • Marriott • Hilton • Radisson Blu • Accor Hotels • Holiday Inn) • Restaurant quarters (Red Dragon Centre • Eastside• Mermaid Quay)Regeneration
and developmentCardiff Bay • Cardiff International Sports Village • Cardiff International Pool • Cardiff Bay Development Corporation • St. David's 2 • Leckwith developmentTourism Wales Millennium Centre • St Fagans National History Museum • National Museum • Cardiff Castle • Castell Coch • Senedd • Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre • Techniquest • Cardiff StoryMajor events Cardiff Big Weekend •1958 Commonwealth Games • FA Cup • Heineken Cup • 2012 Olympics • Rugby World Cup (1991 • 1999 • 2007 • 2015) • National Eisteddfod • Six Nations • The Ashes • Tsunami Relief Cardiff • Urdd Eisteddfod • Wales Rally GB • Sparks in the Park (Round Table Fireworks) • Michael Forever – The Tribute Concert19th and 20th centuries Bank of Wales • Cardiff Docks • Coal Exchange • Glamorganshire Canal • South Wales coalfield • Taff Vale Railway • Tiger Bay •Categories:- Museums established in 1946
- Museums in Cardiff
- Open air museums in Wales
- Living museums in the United Kingdom
- Folk museums
- National museums of Wales
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