Sain Ffagan Gerddi Cymru

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-Did you know that Wales has hundreds

-of registered gardens?

-Big or small, formal or wild.

-Every garden delights the visitors

-that arrive every year.

-I'll visit some to show you the

-wealth that is on our own doorstep.

-Yes, it's the golden age

-of the garden.

-Welcome to Gerddi Cymru.

-Cardiff - the capital city of Wales.

-A bustling, cosmopolitan city

-with strong industrial roots...

-..that are now

-an attraction for city visitors.

-Five miles from the city centre

-towards the countryside...

-..lies a very special place.

-St Fagans village

-is on the outskirts of Cardiff.

-There's a church,

-The Plymouth Arms...

-..and half a dozen

-picturesque cottages.

-It's home to

-the National History Museum...

-..in the heart of the village.

-ST FAGANS

-NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM

-St Fagans Castle is a fine example

-of a manor house from Tudor times.

-In 1946, it was donated to

-the National Museum of Wales...

-..for it to be preserved.

-The Welsh Folk Museum

-opened on the site in 1948.

-A museum that stretches

-over 100 acres of land...

-..and home to more than

-40 important Welsh buildings...

-..that were transported here

-stone-by-stone.

-The only building that hasn't moved

-to St Fagans is the castle.

-Built on the site of

-an earlier Norman castle...

-..the manor house was home

-to an influential family.

-The Windsor-Clives of London

-were successful entrepreneurs.

-Their second home at St Fagans

-was used in summer.

-The historian, Catrin Wager

-knows more about them.

-Big changes occurred

-at this site in 1852.

-Robert Windsor-Clive

-married Lady Mary.

-The wedding was a big community

-celebration held at the castle.

-This terrace dates from that period.

-The couple had an early influence

-on the gardens that are here now.

-Unfortunately,

-Robert died six years later.

-Two women were left in charge...

-..namely his mother,

-Lady Harriet Windsor...

-..and his wife, Lady Mary.

-Rather than sitting at home

-grieving for her son...

-..Lady Harriet

-invested her family's fortunes.

-She established Penarth Docks

-to compete with Cardiff Docks.

-She developed Penarth

-as a seaside town...

-..and built Grangetown

-in the heart of the city.

-She took advantage of this

-exciting growth in the city.

-With land around Cardiff

-and the docks...

-..this family became

-very influential and wealthy.

-What better way to exhibit

-this wealth than through gardens...

-..that were floral

-and model masterpieces.

-Nobody knows flowers better than

-floral designer, Sioned Edwards.

-Stately homes from this period...

-..have formal areas, like a mini

-Versailles in front of the house.

-Yes, it's incredibly formal here.

-As you gaze from the windows

-and house itself...

-..the shapes look

-very striking and colourful...

-..with these statues

-dotted around the place.

-It's extremely formal.

-There'll be more flowers

-after they've replanted.

-Yes, it will be very colourful with

-strong shapes and extremely formal.

-It isn't my cup of tea.

-I'm not quite posh enough to have an

-area like this in front of my house!

-Not yet, maybe.

-I think I might be posh enough!

-The castle gardens look majestic

-and opulent from here...

-..and almost Italian.

-The Italian influence was introduced

-in the late 19th century...

-..when Lady Mary's son

-inherited the estate.

-Robert George Windsor-Clive...

-..was a prominent figure

-in this history of Britain.

-The government appointed him

-as Commissioner of Works.

-His most celebrated developments...

-..is the famous mall that

-approaches Buckingham Palace.

-He won this role because of his

-passion for art and architecture.

-This is evident in the garden.

-It's been influenced by someone

-who makes the best of a place...

-..and creates a feeling of

-flowing from one place to another.

-His wife, Lady Windsor

-had an influence on the garden.

-She had a socialite background.

-Her father was an ambassador

-in Italy...

-..and her mother lived in Florence.

-This is where

-the Italian influence came from.

-Most of her upbringing was in Italy.

-She and her new husband

-also spent a lot of time there.

-Hugh Pettigrew was appointed

-head gardener in 1900.

-Lady Windsor required him

-to create an Italian-style garden.

-A garden that's quite wondrous.

-The garden was originally designed

-back in 1902.

-But since then, it's been redesigned

-twice back in the 1970s and in 2003.

-I wonder if they had the design for

-the garden when they redesigned it.

-No, they couldn't find

-the original design.

-Staff searched meticulously through

-old diaries, cards and photographs.

-In the end,

-Hugh Pettigrew's son, Andrew...

-..created a sketch from memory of

-what was here in Lady Windsor's day.

-It needed to include

-these lawns, pools...

-..herbaceous borders

-to create a romantic theme.

-She enjoyed enamelling

-and composing poetry here.

-The garden meant a lot to her.

-The walls make it intimate.

-You wouldn't know it existed

-if it wasn't for the open door.

-It's a secret garden.

-It's quite different

-to everything else that's here.

-Everything is confined

-into one square space.

-They claim it's nicer at 5.00pm

-when the sun is at its best here.

-It reflects on the water,

-so let's return at 5.00pm.

-Many gardens surround the castle

-and form a patchwork quilt effect.

-The Thyme Garden is captivating

-and is now a sea of wild flowers.

-Well, have you ever seen anything

-so beautiful?

-It's fantastic.

-It's magnificent.

-It's so colourful.

-It's perfect and you want

-to touch it. It's wonderful.

-This is just one of many rooms.

-These various areas were referred to

-as 'garden rooms' by Lady Windsor.

-It's laid out in

-an arts and crafts style.

-There's an emphasis on

-architecture and gardening...

-..and both are combined.

-She wanted all these walls

-made from stone and yew hedges.

-She introduced nature...

-..and made it look convincing

-even though it wasn't natural.

-A large stone was laid to look like

-it was naturally positioned.

-A similar notion

-applies to this room.

-Wonders lie behind each hedgerow.

-Wonders lie behind each hedgerow.

-

-Yes, definitely.

-It's difficult for us to comprehend

-the amount of wealth that funded...

-..a greenhouse of this capacity

-just to grow grapes.

-Some of the vines have been here

-since the turn of the last century.

-They all mature at the same time.

-It means you'll have a lot of

-grapes for one month a year...

-..but for the other eleven months,

-these grapes have to be maintained.

-The vines are still looked after

-meticulously today.

-A dedicated team trim and prune to

-achieve a perfect bunch of grapes.

-The similar level of care

-is required in the Rose Garden.

-The garden is currently being

-restored to its former glory.

-A century ago, a rose garden would

-have been highlight at St Fagans.

-These roses were precious

-to Lady Windsor.

-There were 68 rose beds

-dotted around the garden.

-Ten beds were used for

-experimental purposes...

-..to grow the best roses.

-In a copy of Country Life

-from 1902...

-..there's a twelve-page spread

-about the garden...

-..and the Rose Garden.

-Today's garden looks similar

-to the images in the magazine.

-The roses aren't at their best now,

-but we can see how it used to look.

-What does Country Life

-say about the Rose Garden?

-'The rosary has been formed

-by the present Lady Windsor.'

-'A perfect dream of loveliness.'

-'An ideal home for

-the queen of flowers.'

-Oh, that's you!

-Oh, that's you!

-

-Yes, of course!

-Queen of flowers.

-Isn't it nice?

-In the second part...

-..we visit the cottage gardens

-on the other side of the castle.

-Gardens for the common folk

-and for you and me.

-A total contrast to these gardens.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-St Fagans National History Museum is

-popular among visitors of all ages.

-An average of 500,000 visitors

-walk through those gates every year.

-The cottages and houses

-are main attractions here.

-Beyond these buildings lie some

-glorious and important gardens.

-They boast a more interesting

-history than these buildings.

-We have already witnessed the style

-of garden the wealthy could produce.

-But what style of garden

-was kept by the hoi polloi?

-I'm not sure what these are.

-Either potatoes or tomatoes.

-Abernodwydd Farmhouse was one of the

-first buildings to reach the museum.

-The stately abode dates back to the

-17th century from Llangadfan, Powys.

-It's typical of the

-timber-framed houses of Mid Wales.

-As Head Garden Conservator

-at the museum...

-..Juliet Hodgkiss' role is to ensure

-that historical details are correct.

-What era does this garden date from?

-What era does this garden date from?

-

-It dates back to 1720.

-Who occupied the home?

-An affluent family

-lived in the house.

-They grew a lot of produce.

-I notice that they grew a lot

-of different varieties of onions.

-What are these ones?

-What are these ones?

-

-They're shallots and garlic.

-What else did they grow?

-What else did they grow?

-

-Leeks, peas and a lot of cabbage.

-What isn't here and is seen

-in most gardens is potatoes.

-There aren't any potatoes here...

-..because they were introduced

-to Wales in the late 18th century.

-What happens to this produce?

-It's taken to the restaurant

-and turned into soup.

-Do you keep some of it here?

-Some of it will provide seeds

-for next year.

-There are enough crops to feed

-the five thousand for many years.

-There is also a fruitful crop in

-the next garden from a later era.

-We've moved forward by 200 years to

-a prefab house from 1950s Cardiff.

-But what does this garden have

-in common with the previous garden?

-Shallots and cabbage are grown here.

-But we also grow potatoes.

-Finally, some potatoes!

-Red currants and blackcurrants.

-And runner beans

-were grown for the first time.

-Food rationing still existed

-during this period.

-Therefore, families had to grow

-as much food crops as possible.

-Yes, growing your own food

-was imperative.

-This productive garden

-is also a colourful one.

-Flowers added a splash of colour.

-What grew at the front of the house?

-They planted hydrangeas

-and popular flowers.

-Yes, especially hydrangeas.

-They're popular now.

-One of the museum's most interesting

-attractions is Rhyd-y-Car Terrace...

-..that arrived here

-from Merthyr Tydfil.

-It's inclusion at the museum

-was almost revolutionary.

-Up until this point

-the only houses that came here...

-..were from rural areas in south,

-north, east and west Wales...

-..and situated

-in the fields around us.

-For the first time ever, workers'

-houses were viewed as an attraction.

-It was an insight into

-their gardens and homes.

-Over 200 years compact

-into one street...

-..starting from 1805

-and finishing at 1987.

-The Estate Manager, Andrew Dixey...

-..knows every nook

-and cranny of this place...

-..and how each garden reflects

-a different period in history.

-Our first house is from 1805.

-It appears quite primitive and bare.

-But the inhabitants originated

-from Nant Wallter near Llandeilo.

-They left West Wales

-for bustling Merthyr Tydfil.

-This house was fantastic

-compared to their previous home.

-Having an upstairs

-was extraordinary for them.

-The large windows

-also threw in plenty of light.

-Did West Walians

-grow anything different?

-West Wales inhabitants

-remained as West Walians...

-..despite living in Merthyr.

-They still made 'cawl erfyn',

-a swede and potato Welsh broth.

-We reach 1855,

-which is the house next door...

-..and the West Walians start

-to make the local leek stew.

-What period have we reached now?

-This is 1895

-at the end of the Victorian era.

-I assume that's a toilet.

-I assume that's a toilet.

-

-It's the first of its kind.

-What did they use before it?

-There was a patch of land

-around the corner.

-Cholera, typhus and typhoid

-were rife in those days.

-An outhouse was the solution.

-Which era is this garden from?

-This is 1987.

-The houses moved from Merthyr

-after this date.

-This reflects the final period.

-This reflects the final period.

-

-Exactly.

-It shows what people were able to do

-with a house like this back in 1987.

-This garden differs to the others

-as there isn't a vegetable patch.

-The aim was to have

-a more leisurely way of life.

-Greenhouses

-were introduced to gardens.

-They weren't affordable

-in previous years.

-Tomatoes aren't staple foods

-like potatoes and swede.

-They decorate your plate.

-They decorate your plate.

-

-Yes, they're like a decoration.

-We also have a rockery.

-We also have a rockery.

-

-Yes, we do.

-And some paving slabs.

-There'll be furniture here soon.

-There'll be furniture here soon.

-

-We should have plastic seats.

-And a gin on the table.

-And a gin on the table.

-

-I was going say a few pints!

-Rhyd-yCar gardens

-are a patchwork of plants...

-..reflecting over 150 years

-in the history of common folk.

-The formal gardens are a patchwork

-reflecting periods...

-..in the history of the area's

-most wealthiest families.

-It's quite a responsibility

-for Andrew.

-How do you maintain

-all of these gardens?

-We've got great staff members.

-We aim to maintain the gardens...

-..in the way

-we think they were kept...

-..when the estate and house

-were at their peak...

-..from the late Victorian era

-to the start of the Great War.

-There's never one story.

-You've got to have your

-own interpretation of it.

-How easy has it been for you

-to preserve the gardens?

-A historical garden

-doesn't usually stay in one place.

-But here, the house doesn't move.

-Therefore, we try to stop time.

-It's not quite pickling in aspic,

-but it's that sort of thing.

-And unlike others,

-we don't follow conservation styles.

-What does the future hold

-for the gardens?

-We'll make use of what we've got and

-maintain them for as long as we can.

-If there wasn't a museum here...

-..it would be

-one of our best gardens...

-..that people would

-happily pay to visit.

-But because the museum

-settled here...

-..the gardens

-blend into the background.

-One thing I've tried to do is not

-make it part of the background...

-..and make it

-an integral part of the museum.

-I think the cottage gardens are

-as important as the castle gardens.

-They reflect the lives of the people

-who lived in those houses.

-The wealthy could buy plenty of food

-unlike the Nant Wallter folk.

-The dedication from the

-small team of gardeners...

-..covering this large area

-is remarkable.

-Their work ensures

-that a legacy continues.

-It's possible to learn a lot

-about our past at St Fagans.

-The gardens make it possible to

-learn about a Welsh way of life...

-..whether its rich or poor.

-It's easy to recognize

-our forefathers...

-..by inserting a shovel

-in their borders.

-S4C Subtitles by Tinopolis

-.