St Fagans National History Museum, Welsh tourist attractions

St Fagans Museum image The St Fagans National History Museum (Welsh: Amgueddfa Werin Cymru), commonly referred to as St Fagans, is an open-air museum chronicling the lifestyle, culture and architecture of the Welsh people

Located in the grounds of St Fagans Castle near Cardiff, the museum is part of National Museum Wales, formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in south Wales

St Fagans Museum image 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 museum includes over forty buildings which represent the architecture of Wales, including a Celtic village, a nonconformist chapel (in this case, Unitarian), a school house, a tollbooth, a cockpit and even a cow shed. Apart from the Elizabethan manor house of the castle and the Celtic village and 'House of the Future' (a Millennium project), which were built from scratch, all the buildings have been transported from various locations around Wales and painstakingly reconstructed on the site. It also includes two working Water Mills, one flour mill and one wool mill.

St Fagans Museum image Especially on weekends, the museum holds displays of traditional crafts with a working blacksmith's forge and a staff are required to speak Welsh. Part of the site includes a small working farm which concentrates on preserving local native breeds of livestock. Much of the produce from the museum is available for sale

There are also galleries with exhibitions of costume, daily life and farming implements. Special exhibitions are also held regularly. Throughout the year, St Fagans comes to life — literally — as traditional festivals, music and dance events are celebrated.

St Fagans explores all aspects of how people in Wales have lived, worked and spent their leisure time. Like generations of visitors, you will be inspired by its celebration of Welsh traditions and lifestyles.

St Fagans Museum image Opening times:

10 am–5 pm daily.
Open Bank Holiday Mondays.

St Fagans: National History Museum
St Fagans, Cardiff CF5 6XB.
Tel +44 (0)29 20573500

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/

Please mention this web site when contacting - thank you.

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Crafts from Wales .St Fagans Museum Wales' on-line craft fair - Enter our Shop

St Fagans Museum

Crafts from Wales .St Fagans Museum
Wales' on-line craft fair - Enter our Shop