Event:‘A Faire Howse Within the Old Walls of a Castle’: A Special Lecture on St Fagans Castle

Join Dr. Bethan Scorey for a special lecture at St Fagans Castle to celebrate the release of her new book, St Fagans Castle: the Architectural and Social History of a Welsh Country House.

Published by University of Wales Press, this monograph provides the first comprehensive history of the Grade I-listed, Elizabethan manor house at the heart of St Fagans National Museum of History.

In this lecture, Bethan will provide a fascinating overview of the Castle’s history from the twelfth to the twentieth century, delving into architectural, garden, and social history. You’ll learn about Dr. John Gibbon, the local gentleman-lawyer who built the house, and how it made a splash as one of the first symmetrical houses in Wales. You’ll hear about the three successive generations of Windsor-Clive women who shaped the house and gardens in the Victorian period. You’ll find out once and for all why this house is called a ‘Castle’. There will also be an opportunity to purchase a signed copy of the book.

This is an exciting time for St Fagans Castle, as a major re-roofing project is underway which will give it a new lease of life. This building is so familiar to so many of us, but you’re guaranteed to leave this lecture with a whole new appreciation for it. 

Dr. Bethan Scorey is an architectural historian from Cardiff. She recently completed her PhD at the Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates at Bangor University. Now you can find her co-presenting the S4C series ‘Cartrefi Cymru’, which brings Welsh architectural history and design to wider audiences. Bethan’s identity as an architectural historian is firmly grounded in her decade of experience as a Museum Assistant at St Fagans, interpreting the historic buildings for visitors, from Bryn Eryr Iron Age Roundhouses to the 1940s Prefab. She is delighted to be returning to present her latest research on St Fagans Castle.

This event is held in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates and University of Wales Press.

Important Information

• The lecture will be delivered in English (the language of the book), with attendees welcome to ask questions in either Welsh or English.
• Age suitability: 11+     
• This event will take place at St Fagans Castle. Please meet at the Castle (access information is provided below).
• The lecture will last for approximately 50 minutes, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.
• Tickets are non-refundable, and no refunds or exchanges will be given to latecomers.
• The Castle entrance is approximately 450m from the Main Building and involves climbing several steep steps.
• An accessible route for wheelchair users is available and is approximately 650m from the Main Building. The terrain on the Castle side of the Museum is steep in places and may prove challenging for some wheelchair users and their helpers. A map showing the recommended wheelchair-accessible route and identifying steep gradients is available.
• The Castle can also be accessed via the Castle Entrance gates in St Fagans village.
• Once at St Fagans Castle, access to the Hall is via a few steps with no handrail.