Historic buildings from all over the country have been dismantled and re-erected in a beautiful rural setting at St Fagans National History Museum . More than 40 buildings are on show, including farmhouses of timber and stone, barns, a watermill, a school and an 18th-century Unitarian chapel, with native breeds of livestock grazing in the surrounding fields.
St Fagans Castle is no Johnny-come-lately construction; this medieval fortress with a 16th-century manor house at its heart was donated by the Earl of Plymouth in 1948, along with its extensive formal gardens, forming the basis of the museum. You'll need at least half a day to do the whole complex justice and you could easily spend longer, picnicking in the grounds.
Highlights include a farmhouse dating from 1508, redolent with the smells of old timber, beeswax and wood smoke, and a row of six miners' cottages from Merthyr Tydfil, each one restored and furnished to represent different periods in the town's history, from the austere minimalism of 1805 to all the mod cons of 1985. It took 20 years to move St Teilo's church here (built 1100 to 1520), stone by stone. It's been restored to its original look, before Protestant whitewash covered the vividly painted interior.
Not original but equally fascinating is the reproduction of three circular Celtic houses based on the archaeological remains of actual buildings.
You can see craftspeople at work in many of the buildings, showing how blankets, clogs, barrels, tools and cider were once made, and the woollen mill sells its own handmade blankets. It's a great place for kids, with special events in the summer.
The indoor galleries hold plenty of interest also, exploring the nature of Welshness through traditional costume, farming implements and the accounts of immigrants. Look for the 'Welsh Not', wooden signs that children were forced to wear as punishment if they had the temerity to speak their native tongue at school.
St Fagans is 5 miles west of central Cardiff; take bus 32 or 320 (25 minutes, hourly) from the bus station.
