Contrasts in Living

Today I have some more pictures to show that I took at The National Museum of Wales in St Fagan's. The museum brings to life the folk history of Wales through all the various buildings that have been reconstructed there. It gives a real insight into how people lived.

 It is some of the contrasts in the way people lived that really strikes home. I have already shown some pictures of the house St Fagan's Castle which is original to the site and was the home of the Earl of Plymouth. A relatively grand Elizabethan house.

This rather wonky photo shows the number of staff needed to run the house.

The size and grandeur of the kitchen also indicates the number of people it supported.

Contrast this then to the row of 6 terraced houses that have been brought from the industrial  town of Merthyr Tydfill. Each house had one rooms downstairs and one up. There was then an extra bedroom/pantry in a lean too at the back. They are portrayed through time depicting life in each house and garden during different eras namely 1805, 1895,1925,1955 and 1985.

Even the 1985 house was pretty basic and with space being of a premium the bath situated in the kitchen doubled up as work surface!