The startlingly swift conclusion to the match between Glamorgan and Warwickshire risks leaving Mr B and myself at a loose end, but acting upon a recommendation from our very own Ken, we spend our final day in Cardiff investigating St Fagans National Museum of History. The day was so full of interest it deserves a separate blog post...
- Abernodwydd Farmhouse -
St Fagans is an open air museum which first launched to the public in 1948 and currently has over 40 original buildings which have been re-erected here to represent different aspects of Welsh history. The arrangement feels similar to Blists Hill or the Black Country Living Museum closer to home, in that you can explore the properties plus see live demonstrations of heritage crafts and industries, although here the aim is much wider, encapsulating a sense of an entire nation. Catching the number 32 bus out from Cardiff Bridge (via Victoria Park and Fairwater), we have four hours to see as much as we can. A gallery in the entrance hall sets the scene with artefacts from daily life, leisure (a holiday caravan), work (a grey Ferguson tractor) and death (a Roman stone coffin). Heading outdoors, we start at the Pen-rhiw Unitarian Chapel for its simple plain interior strewn with harvest displays of rhubarb stalks and berry baskets. The Abernodwydd Farmhouse was reclaimed from Llangadfan in Powys and has been on site since 1955, showcasing a typical mid-Wales dwelling of timbered walls and a thatched roof.
- The Prefab -
Our tour next takes us past a tollhouse, originally dating from 1771 and used to collect fees from traffic heading south from Aberystwyth (hence a long list of applicable charges, as well as exemptions). The Rhyd-y-car terrace comprises six properties covering a timespan from 1805 to 1985, each with their own garden plot styled accordingly. You can clearly see how living conditions would have improved and how consumer goods became more prevalent, while a live-in shed laid out for cake consumption is a nice surprise. Also on the residential angle is a Prefab relocated from the Gabalfa district of Cardiff, one of the B2 specification which provided much-needed housing after the Second World War. The volunteer tells us asbestos could be an issue with these properties (although not this specific example), and that heat regulation was also a factor - freezing in winter with ice up the windows, boiling in summer. Similar housing has been evident in some parts of Wolverhampton and Willenhall.
- Fresco section from St Teilo's Church -
Wales has many farming communities and their impact is captured through the inclusion of several contrasting buildings from the more humble (Cilewent, where half of the property was used to store cattle and the other half was the family home) to the more substantial (the red distinctive daub of Kennixton, transferred from the Gower) and wealthy (Garreg Fawr with its two chimneys, one on the diagonal). Religion was hugely significant to the Welsh population so St Teilo's depicts a late medieval example of a Catholic church - the fresco wall paintings are stunning, depicting biblical stories at every turn. The contrast with the basic setup we'd seen with Pen-rhiw is marked, although the illustrations would have been covered up as a matter of necessity during times of Catholic suppression.
- The Vulcan Hotel -
Passing the Rhayader Tannery, where one can only imagine the stench that would have been involved when processing animal hides in square pits of bark solution, we reach one of the day's undoubted highlights. Yes, St Fagans does have its own pub in the form of the Vulcan Hotel, preserved having stood in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff and subject to a campaign when it was threatened with demolition. The pub interior is set in the year 1915 with sawdust on the bar room floor, a separate rear smoke room and hints of the publican's living quarters. We pause for a drink, Cwrw Vulcan in my case, with all of the ales provided by the Glamorgan Brewing Company. The tiled facade is very evocative of the period and you can see nods to the W W Nell Brewery who would have owned the building at the time.
- If D9 can do it... -
The current Vulcan is positioned close to the Oakdale Workmen's Institute (the 'Stute) which formally opened to serve its village community north of Caerphilly in 1917. The layout includes a library (always a winner in my eyes), reading room and committee room - there's even an old safe bearing a maker's mark from Wombourn near Wolverhampton. Elsewhere, a Victorian schoolhouse has been rebuilt here from Lampeter - Stephen reckons the curly cane could be used to punish any errant Glamorgan batsmen - then the Gwalia Stores represent a Bridgend grocery and ironmongers business. It's fascinating to peruse the recreated packaging for well known brands (such as Oxo or Jacobs Biscuits) and those since forgotten over time. Mr D9 would love the cast iron urinal outside which has been salvaged from Llanwrtyd Wells.
- Turog Bread -
Bizarrely, the number 32 route has a limited timetable and the last bus leaving the museum goes at 14:28 which seems ridiculously early to us. Nevertheless we need to catch it and only have time to pick out a few extra features while heading back to the car park. The pigsty is fashioned from layered flat stones which form a beehive-like dome, the round shape is said to discourage the pigs from digging their way out. I particularly like Nantwallter, a farmworker's cottage from Carmarthenshire which is another thatched roof charmer with walls made out of 'clom', a durable mixture of clay, mud and straw. Last but not least is the Derwen Bakehouse which carries branding for Turog Bread (a one-time competitor to Hovis) and VitBe. There's rather a lot we didn't have time for, including a post office, some roundhouses and a tailor's shop, not to mention the grounds of St Fagans Castle. We've made a note to come for a second look if the chance ever arises, batting collapses permitting!
- Cardiff City Stadium -
The bus timings mean we still have a large portion of the afternoon at our disposal so a spot of sporty sightseeing sounds like an excellent idea. After a pit stop at Canton's Ivor Davies Wetherspoons for more Beardsmore ham, egg and chips, we stroll the short distance to the Cardiff City Stadium which has been hosting football matches since the summer of 2009. The stadium is everything you would expect of a modern arena: well-provisioned, surrounded by car parking spaces and retail parks, but with famous moments captured in huge photos on the sides of the stands. One notable statue shows Cardiff's 1927 FA Cup-winning captain Fred Keenor clutching the trophy, a proud moment for most of Wales that! Cardiff used to play their home matches at Ninian Park which was situated just over the road and has been turned into a housing estate; a set of pale blue gates with a bluebird emblem recall the years when that ground was in operation, 1910 to 2009.
- Cathays Beer House -
The local railway station still bears the name Ninian Park and is an unstaffed stop on the City Line offering links to places such as Aberdare and Pontypridd. A walk along Ninian Park Road gets us back to our lodgings, and our final evening in Cardiff is spent in the student-centric suburb of Cathays where almost every international cuisine imaginable seems to have an outlet or restaurant. The Woodville definitely attracts its share of the undergraduate pound (Electric Bear's Werrrd American Pale Ale is my citrus sharp tipple here), then the Cathays Beer House serves up a crystal clear pint of Ronnie Pickering Ale. Arguably this micropub's biggest attraction is not the ale but a large fishtank containing several beady-eyed aquatic creatures, some of which seem intent on getting into a staring contest with Stephen. All that then remains is our homeward trains via Hereford and Shrewsbury on Saturday morning. I have a strong suspicion we'll do Cardiff again at some point, but whether the Glamorgan batting line-up will be as charitable with their dismissals is very unlikely. Cheers!
