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Museum of Welsh Life The Museum of Welsh Life opened in 1948, and since then it has established itself as one of Europe's foremost open air museums and become Wales' most popular heritage attraction. The Museum shows how the people of Wales lived, worked and spent their leisure time over the last five hundred years. The 100 acre parkland has over thirty original buildings, moved from various parts of Wales and re-erected to show how the people of Wales have lived. The buildings include a school, a chapel, and a Workmen's Institute, as well as several workshops where craftsmen, such as the blacksmith and the cooper, demonstrate their skills to the public. Native breeds of livestock can be seen in the fields and farmyards, and demonstrations of farming tasks take place daily. You can gain an insight into the rich heritage and culture of Wales and the Welsh language can be heard in daily use amongst the craftsmen and interpreters. House of the Future: The Museum is not just about the past. One of the most challenging projects was the building of the 'House for the Future'. The structure was inspired by a joint Museum of Welsh Life/BBC Wales competition to design a house showing how housing in Wales could evolve over the next fifty years. It was to be based on traditional building techniques as seen in many of the buildings on site but using them in innovative and forward-looking ways. As with many houses in the Museum collection, timber is the main building material for the house, combining tradition with sustainability. The roof is shaped as a natural water collector and is insulated with a thick layer of sedum, which also acts as a natural filter. This 'grey water' is then re-cycled so that the House is frugal in its water consumption. The south face of the House is extensively glazed to maximise solar energy, controlled by a 'skin' of shutters, which are automatically adjusted. The House makes highly efficient use of energy. Local materials were used wherever possible and earth removed from the foundations was used to make bricks for the spinal wall, providing the building with thermal mass, and wool is used as a highly effective insulation for the walls. By keeping the use of externally produced electricity to a minimum, it is estimated that the House is virtually self-sufficient and produces no carbon dioxide emissions. Central heating and hot water is provided by means of an electric ground-source heat pump - a kind of fridge in reverse - which pumps cold water down to a depth of 35 meters, taking natural heat from the ground and releasing it as warmth. The House for the Future embodies one of the primary aims of the Museum, which is to use knowledge of the past to inspire informed discussion about the future. Free admission. Museum of Welsh Life Information and photographs Museum of Welsh Life |
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 House of the Future |
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