Llanicach Fawr Manor - Cadw open days

Situated near Caerphilly in Treharris is a manner of times gone by. The manor has been set within the era of 1645 with actors and actresses dressed in that time. The whole house has been designed to represent the era from the bedrooms, kitchen and even the gardens. 

As part of the open doors event ran by Cadw, admission was free for 5 days but normally there is a charge. The event did require booking as there was an hour time slot for the tour. 

Firstly when you arrive you are escorted into the kitchen. There is food eaten in the era as well as the cook telling you of the kitchen practices of the time. For example, olive oil is called oil of the olive within that century. 

You then go on to go upstairs in the house, firstly to the grand hall. Here you are told about courts that have been held as well as the celebrations. Such events of the king's recent visit and the costly amount it came too. Before you move onto the small dining room there is an opportunity for questions. 

When you enter the smaller dining room there are minimal items. The thing that catches your eye most is the family portrait. As the servant points out the proportions in the picture are slightly off which is quite amusing. 

You are then moved through some bedrooms, but not kept in them to talk. As you go through the corridor you can see the young girls rooms with toys of the time. 

You then end in what is called the study, but when you enter it's not what you would consider a study in today's standards. The walls are plastered with weapons and benches scattered against the walls. We then got told about the weapon know as a musketeer. Around the civil war, these were a popular weapon of choice. This then ended the tour of the house, but outside there was much to see. 

The gardens blooming with herbs and plants. They were sectioned off into different beds depending on the plant's properties. For example, one section was for lungs another for the heart and so on. If only we used these old remedies in today's cooking who knows they may save the NHS loads. 

There's also was huge open grassland with sheep roaming.  Inside there is an education centre with lots to do. Interactive screens as well as a huge family tree of the Pritchard family. 

The experience was very educational as well as comical. You can see the actors take much pride in their jobs and answer your questions with much knowledge.