Museums In Wales

One of the most popular of all of Wales’ historical and cultural attractions is the open-air museum of St. Fagans, which is located on the grounds of the late 16th-century manor house known as St. Fagans Castle, just four miles outside of Cardiff. St. Fagans features more than 40 original restored buildings from several different historical periods ranging anywhere from the 1500′s to a couple of decades ago, including houses, a school, a chapel, guild hall, a traditional tea house, and a whole farm.

St. Fagans Museum

Artisans still demonstrate traditional skills such as the sacred art of blacksmithing among many others. Most of these artisans also sell some of their merchandise. On the farm at St. Fagans there are found native breeds of livestock, and traditional Welsh farmers, speaking the native language to each other, demonstrate the daily tasks required to live the farming life.

Traditional and seasonal festivals are held at St. Fagans year-round, featuring traditional and period music and dances. In addition there are exhibits showing the traditional clothing, tools, and objects from daily Welsh life. All of the restored buildings found at St. Fagans were once used by the people in daily tasks of working and living, with the exception of the educational Celtic village, the buildings of which were constructed as to make that feature a living model. One of St. Fagans most important buildings is St. Teilo’s Church, a recovered Welsh sanctuary from the Middle Ages which was found to be hiding 13th century artworks behind its walls’ overlaid plaster paneling.

According to Blaenavon Ironworks website, the Pwll Mawr (Big Pit) began producing "in 1789 and was to become the first purpose built multi-furnace ironworks in Wales. At that time it was on the cutting edge of technology. The furnaces were coke fired and the blast provided by a steam engine. Blaenavon is now…complete with furnaces, cast houses, a magnificent water balance tower, cupola furnace, calcining kilns and ironworkers cottages. In November 2000, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape was awarded World Heritage Status, at the heart of which is the Blaenavon Ironworks."

Pwll Mawr stopped being used as an commercial ironworks in 1980. Visitors can now tour the workshops, the winding engines, and the workers’ residential area, What’s more, the hard mining life can be felt by going down into the 100 meter deep mining shafts.

In Aberystwyth mid-Wales, one finds the Ceredigion Museum. The museum was opened in 1982 and before that was a three-story tall, splendid Edwardian theatre constructed in 1905 that was more recently used as a cinema. The museum houses a wide array of artifacts and objects almost all of which are from the Victorian age or later. Artifacts and objects that illuminate the agriculture, archaeology, furniture, lead mining industry, and seafaring industry of the people of Ceredigion are on permanent display. There is also a reconstructed cottage.

The Ceredigion Museum is a treasure trove of history and culture. It houses about 2000 pieces of printed materials, about 3000 manuscripts, 2144 costumes, 1445 drawings and paintings, 5639 photographs, 900 coins and medals, 330 archaeological items, 30 weapons, and 157 natural historical specimens. Admission to the museum is free and there are refreshments served on the grounds.

A little south of Aberystwyth is the fascinating Royal Regiment of Wales Museum in Brecon, as well as a second branch down in Cardiff. With their mantra of "Gwell Angau na Chywilydd" (Better Death than Dishonour), Welsh soldiers are known throughout the United Kingdom for their ferocity and discipline under fire. The Royal Regiment of Wales Museum was formed in 1969 to honor two of Wales’ most famous and decorated regiments: the South Wales Borderers (24th Foot) and the Welsh Regiment (41st/69th Foot). The South Wales Borderers are renowned for their heroism and valor in such military efforts as the Marlborough campaigns, the American War of Independence, the Sikh wars, the often tragic 1879 Anglo-Zulu war, Isandhlwana, and Rorke’s Drift.

The Welsh Regiment was put together in 1719 as a Regiment of Invalids responsible for garrison duties, but its members eventually went on to serve with great distinction in Canada, the Crimea, Waterloo and with the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars, both World Wars, and the Korean War. The Royal Regiment of Wales Museum is said to house the finest collection of weapons for any regiment in the United Kingdom. There is also a magnificent Medal Room which houses over 3000 medals including 16 replicated Victoria’s Crosses. But the Museum’s greatest feature is the Zulu War Room.

In north Wales, one of the most popular museums is that found at Bodelwyddan Castle. This Victorian castle is the Welsh home of the National Portrait Gallery. However, perhaps the most compelling attraction of the museum is its many alleged ghosts.

Reliving History at Bodelwyddan

Part of Bodelwyddan Castle actually dates back to before 1460. At this time, the castle was a simpler, smaller manor house. Among the ghostly standouts are: a lady who haunts the Sculpture Gallery; a soldier, probably a World War I soldier, in other galleries; a blue lady in the Terrace Tea Room; shadowy figures that float through the corridors; and inexplicable lights and sounds. Bodelwyddan Castle offers paranormal investigations and ghost walks as overnight stays for the curious.