Traditional Welsh foods 23 April 2007 Margaret Maddocks baking round cakes in a Dutch oven, North Cornelly, Glamorgan.
Glitz and glamour - the outstanding costumes of the the Tredegar Collection 11 April 2007 Tredegar House and Park. The house and grounds are now in the ownership of Newport County Council. Many rooms have been restored and are open to the public. Image © Steve Burrow. Silver embroidered blue damask court mantua (an open fronted gown with an elaborate train), made between about 1730-40. This is a very grand robe which would have been worn for presentation at court. This coat was probably worn by Sir William Morgan. It is of yellow lace pattern silk, dated to about 1725, and is of either English or French origin. For glitz and glamour, look no further than the Tredegar Collection. This impressive collection of 18th century costume was presented to the Museum in 1923 by Courtenay Morgan, also known as Lord Tredegar. The items belonged to his rich ancestors who wanted to flaunt their wealth and power. Each garment was designed to dazzle. Although the Morgans owned Tredegar House near Newport, they spent most of their time in London. For the gentry, the capital was the place to be. Pleasure gardens, operas and assemblies - their lives revolved around socializing. A royal debut The Tredegar costumes were probably made in London, using the finest woven damasks and brocaded silks you could buy. The most elegant dress in the collection dates from around mid-1720s. The grandness of this open fronted blue gown - often called a mantua - suggests that it was made for a young lady's royal debut. The detailing is elaborate and elegant, both on the front and the back.The gown was much longer originally, but a large section was cut off during the 1800s, supposedly for a fancy dress party. Whalebone corsets Gowns like this one were very awkward to wear. To achieve the exaggerated look, women wore wide hoop petticoats to increase the width of their skirts. They also wore tight corsets stiffened with whalebone under their dresses. Corsets encouraged good posture by squeezing the upper body into shape. Style was more important than comfort. This yellow brocaded frockcoat was made in the early 1720s. The floral design is typical of the period, so is the bright yellow colour. Further reading: M. R. Apted, 'Social Conditions at Tredegar House, Newport, in the 17th and 18th Centuries', The Monmouthshire Antiquary 3:2 (1972-3), pp. 124-54. Janet Arnold, 'A Court Mantua of c. 1740', Costume: Journal of the Costume Society 6 (1972), pp. 48-52. Avril Hart & Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries (London: V & A Publications, 1998).
Wales's smallest post office at St Fagans 11 April 2007 In 1992 Wales's smallest post office was delivered to Amgueddfa Cymru. Thanks to the generosity of Post Office Counters Ltd, who financed the project, the small brick building was dismantled, transported and then re-built at St Fagans National Museum of History by the Museum's specialist re-erected buildings team. Village post offices have played an important role in community life throughout Wales for the past 90 years. By the 1950s, virtually every village had its own branch, from which mail was distributed, parcels were collected and people gathered to catch up on all the local news. The country postman/postwoman on their bicycle, and later, in the red-painted Morris Minor or Fordson van, helped to keep people in rural communities in touch with one another by maintaining links and regular contact. Wales's smallest post office at Blaenwaun, Carmarthenshire Blaenwaun Post Office at St Fagans National Museum of History The Country Post Office Of course, country post offices were very rarely housed in the impressive buildings of those found in towns. They usually occupied a corner of the village store or the front room of a house. Sometimes these post offices sold a range of items, but some relied on the sale of stamps, postal orders, licences and savings certificates as their only means of income. Blaenwaun Post Office, located about eight miles north of Whitland in Dyfed, was one such business. It was built in 1936 by Evan Isaac, a stonemason and his cousin David Williams, a carpenter. The Post Office was run by Mrs Hannah Beatrice Griffiths (nee Isaac), Evan Isaac's daughter, who also ran the pub across the road, the Lamb Inn, with her husband. Mail was brought daily from Whitland and was sorted at the Post Office on a low bench in the back room. It was delivered to the local community by Mrs Griffiths, who completed the eight-mile round journey on her bicycle before going across the road to work in the Inn. Any customers who arrived at the Post Office when the Griffithses were working in the public house could press a button which rang a bell behind the bar. The Post Office, which measured just 5m long by 2.9m wide, comprised of two rooms: an outer serving room with a counter and an inner office or sorting room with a small fireplace and a bench under the window. A timber partition wall separated the two rooms. The internal walls were painted chocolate brown to a height of about a metre above the floor then cream to the ceiling, with a broad black band between the two. A painted sign made of heavy tin sheet on a wooden board was fixed outside above the serving room window. It read BLAENWAUN POST OFFICE. A small post box was mounted against the wall between this window and the entrance door. In the early days, there was a telephone on the counter for the use of the Post Office and, one assumes, the villagers. Later, a public kiosk was erected outside the small building. In the office was a War Department Receiver for receiving urgent messages in times of emergency. Following Mr Griffiths' death in the early 1960s, the business was relocated to a new bungalow built by his daughter, Mrs Evanna James. The old Post Office stood empty from that time until it was offered to Amgueddfa Cymru in 1991. It can be visited today at St Fagans National Museum of History in the 'village' section of the open-air museum, near the bakery and the tailor's shop. It has been refurbished to its war-time appearance, and represents a period of Welsh history not covered in any of the Museum's other buildings.
Welsh Folk Dancing - Almost lost without trace 10 April 2007 Parti'r Gest, competitors in the 1955 National Eisteddfod 'Singing to the Harp and Dancing': Peter Roberts, The Cambrian Popular Antiquities of Wales (London, 1815) The tradition of Welsh folk dancing was almost wiped out a hundred years ago following years of disapproval by the Nonconformist faith. Today it enjoys a popular following once again, with over 20 groups nationwide and many youngsters enthusiastically taking up what nearly became a forgotten art. Folk Dancing in Wales Once, folk dancing was common throughout Wales. ‘Common folk’ gathered for open-air events and festivals, whilst the upper classes danced at balls and parties. Country dancing, performed outdoors during the warm summer months, was one of the highlights of seasonal festivities, providing a rare opportunity to escape daily routines and join in communal celebration. Increasing influence by Nonconformists in the 19th century caused attitudes towards traditional folk customs, including dance, to alter. Although not entirely responsible for the decline of Welsh folk dancing it certainly played a major role. Other factors were the decline of rural life during the Industrial Revolution and the advent of railway travel offering exciting new leisure activities further afield. The Nonconformists Emerging in Wales during the 1730s, Nonconformity gradually persuaded its followers to lead a more religious way of life, committed to the Christian message. Activities such as dancing, particularly mixed dancing involving close contact, were considered frivolous and corrupt and were condemned by Nonconformist ministers. Small wonder, therefore, that dancing topped a list of twelve sins compiled by Rhys Prydderch in Gemmeu Doethineb [Gems of Wisdom] (1714), ahead of other ‘depravities’ including marrying children. As a result of almost 200 years of constant Nonconformist disapproval, by the 20th century folk dancing had almost vanished in Wales. Gone were the traditional fairs and festivals, and in a changing society focused on industrial expansion the rural traditions of Wales and England were slowly being lost. Folk Dancing almost gone for good Realising that folk dances were about to disappear without trace, Cecil Sharp (founder of the English Folk Dance Society in 1911) urgently began writing down the movements of dances still remembered and passed from one generation to another. In Wales, Lois Blake, an Englishwoman who moved to Denbighshire in the 1930s did the same, and almost single-handedly rescued the remaining fragments of a once common Welsh tradition. Many instructive pamphlets were produced containing dance steps and music, allowing long-forgotten dances, such as the Lord of Caernarvon's Jig of 1652, the Llangadfan set of 1790 and the Llanover Reel, popular at Llanover Court until the late 19th century, to be at last unearthed and reprinted. Folk Dancing Revival Soon a new enthusiasm, strengthened by the introduction of folk dance onto the National Eisteddfod stage, and the local Twmpaths (barn dances) of the 1960s and ’70s, secured a firm foundation for the future of Welsh folk dancing. Since the Welsh Folk Dancing Society was established in 1949, folk dancing has enjoyed tremendous success both at home and abroad. Regular workshops, lectures and courses arranged by the society are always well attended, while dance events at the Eisteddfod continue to attract large audiences. Considering its unsettled past, Welsh folk dancing now seems to have a strong and promising future.
A medieval church moves to the Museum 22 February 2007 St Teilo's Church, Llandeilo Tal-y-bont, in situ in 1984 Stone mullioned medieval window uncovered from beneath layers of lime wash and render during the dismantling process Wall-painting of St Catherine, 'in situ', found on the east wall of the south transept, believed to have been painted c.1400 The medieval church from Llandeilo Tal-y-bont is the first church of its kind ever to be moved to and re-erected at a British open-air museum. The discovery of wall paintings underneath the lime-washed walls provides a fascinating insight into 15th century worship. From Llandeilo Tal-y-bont to Cardiff St Teilo's church was built during the 13th century. There was probably an earlier church on the site. Abandoned in the 1960s, it was scheduled as an Ancient Monument by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments in the 1980s. As the decaying church could not be saved at its original site, it was offered to the Museum in 1984 for dismantling and re-erecting at St Fagans. As the careful process of dismantling the Church began, two amazing wall-paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries were discovered, as well as numerous texts and areas of decorative patterns. These were all carefully recorded, removed and conserved. The delicate removal of layers of lime-wash from the surface of the wall-paintings provided vital clues to the date of the original building. The removal of mortar from the outside walls enabled any Victorian or later alterations to be filtered out. After dismantling, the foundations were excavated, uncovering further clues to the Church's construction. The history of the Church The first surviving church was probably a small building consisting of a nave and chancel, a pattern that was standard throughout Wales at this time, thought to be 13th to 14th century. The next addition would have been the north transept, with the south transept probably built shortly after, as both are of similar construction. These probably date from the 14th or early 15th century, which corresponds to the dating of a wall-painting on the east wall of the south transept. An extension of the south transept to form an aisle probably occurred during the late 15th century, the old south wall being replaced by an arcade of two arches, with another two cutting into both transepts. The final addition was a porch leading to the south aisle. Expanding congregations The Museum decided to rebuild the Church as it could have appeared around 1510-30. Architectural clues from this period can be used to understand the social, religious and political framework within which the Church was constructed and furnished. This closely follows the extension of the south transept to form the south aisle, presumably to accommodate a larger congregation. This could fit in with the economic recovery in Wales, after the Welsh Tudor dynasty became Kings of England in the late 15th century. This brought a period of relative calm after long periods of political and social unrest - including civil war. Various clues show the nature of worship during the period up to 1530. Most important of these are the pre-Reformation wall-paintings. They show themes from the life of Christ and many saints, including St Catherine and St Christopher. Corbel stones found in the masonry work of the chancel arch show that there were once a medieval rood screen and loft. Both the wall-paintings and the rood screen and loft would have been brightly painted. The poor man's Bible Wall-paintings in churches have been described as "the poor man's Bible". They were designed to show scenes from the Bible to a congregation unable to read or write. They were also painted to create a sense of awe, fear and obedience. In some cases, the wall-paintings like the ones found in St Teilo must have been the only means of communicating any religious message at all, as both reading the Bible and preaching were in Latin, which congregations did not understand. An end to worship The growing population of the area, the development of other larger churches and frequent acts of vandalism led to St Teilo's falling into disuse. These events reflect the social, religious and political history of the Church just as much as the pre-Reformation wall-paintings do. The re-erection of the Church at the Museum is but another phase in its history, where visitors in the 21st century will be just as valued as its medieval pilgrims! St Teilo's Church now has a good chance of surviving for many more years.
