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It sat in the valley between tall Rowan and Ash trees, its exterior a crumbling white and its cobbled courtyard animated with bustling stables, calves cotts and barns. Kennixton farmhouse had been the family home for the Rogers family of Llangynydd from the early 17th century but in 1951 Mr J B Rogers donated this splendid homestead to the newly opened and revolutionary Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans. 50 years on, millions of visitors have walked through the house and its blood red walls have become synonymous with St Fagans. 3 generations of the Rogers family will return to Kennixton, the most well known historical house in Wales and their spiritual home on the afternoon of 15 December.

With funds from the 1951 Festival of Britain, the farmhouse was carefully recorded, the main stones numbered and the building dismantled and moved to the site of its new home at the museum. Painstaking research and expert craftsmanship restored Kennixton to its 18th century splendour with its distinctive red coloring, intricate thatch and goose-pen burglar alarm. But for Glyn Rogers and his family the building, now far removed from its original home in the Gower, still belongs in spirit and memory to them. Mr Rogers lived at the farmhouse in his youth and will return to the building at the museum with his family for this special celebration.

But why is Kennixton such a special building? Part of the answer must lie in its colour, a deep red, mixed originally with ox blood and lime and thought to ward off witches. Calch Ty Mawr from the Brecon area now supply a less bloody pigment to the museum and so popular has “Kennixton Red” become that it is the company's best seller. The berries on the Rowan tree and the carved figures, just visible inside the door were also intended to ward off evil spirits. Outside the front door is a small stone structure, just large enough to house a goose. This goose acted as an early form of burglar alarm, warning the occupants of the approach of any visitors.

The interior houses a beautiful wooden Gower box-bed, wonderful Welsh vernacular furniture from Glamorgan and a beautifully stencilled parlour along with colourful textiles, a simple country dairy and a beaten earth floor made using clay, sea shells and crushed stone made from an 18th century recipe.

The woven straw underthatch is also spectacular and extremely rare. Sections of the original interior matting used in the thatch were saved in the 1950s and it was by studying these intricate bundles of straw that the craftsmen were able to re-discover how they were made. The beautiful woven under thatch made for the re-erected building was made for the first time in over century and it is thought that no contemporary thatcher uses this technique or knows how to use it.

Around Kennixton and its garden lie the stone outlines of the outbuildings of the farmstead. Mr Rogers and his family would in the future like to donate these farm buildings for re-erection at St Fagans.

Curator of Historic Buildings Gerallt Nash is delighted to welcome the Rogers family to this very special anniversary; “It will be a special day when the Rogers family return to Kennixton. Over the decades their local knowledge and family research has been invaluable to the Museum and the house has come to represent the home in Wales, excellence in craftsmanship and the magic of the museum at St Fagans"

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is the new name for the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, which operates seven museums across Wales - National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Entry to all Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales sites is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.