Strata Florida: Exhibition tracks rural life in Ceredigion

Strata Florida was founded by Cistercian monks

An exhibition tracking rural life in Ceredigion over the past two centuries has opened.

Mynachlog Fawr in 30 Objects portrays life on the farm that was built at the site of the 13th Century Cistercian Abbey Strata Florida.

Stones from the ruined abbey near Pontrhydfendigaid were used to build the farmhouse and outbuildings.

Andrew Green, chairman of the Strata Florida Trust, said it gave a "vivid glimpse" into the past.

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It is the first permanent exhibition opened by the trust, which is gradually restoring buildings at the farm.

The exhibition in located in the restored cart shed and "tŷ pair", or cauldron house.

The mangle before it was restored to its former glory

Parts of these buildings date from as far back as the 1600s and 1700s and remained in full use until the 1990s.

During the restoration process items that had been hidden within the fabric of these buildings because of superstition came to light.

This mangle was used by the last family to live in the farmhouse

They included a ceramic egg which was found inserted high inside a wall and three single shoes that were buried in the floor.

Life before electricity

It is believed they were put into the building to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

The items are now on display in cases where they were originally found.

The farmhouse has been slowly restored over recent years

Many of the items highlight the hard manual work people were required to do on the farm before the widespread availability of electricity.

Meanwhile letters and documents tell the story of the Arch family, the last family to work and live in the farmhouse.

Included among the 30 items are:

• Peat cutters used to harvest a fuel once common in the area

• A mangle used by the Arch family to squeeze water out of clothes and sheets on wash days

• An 1896 cheese press restored to its former glory

• School slates used by children for handwriting practice in the 19th and early 20th Centuries

• A child's gas mask from World War Two

• A dummy US army hand grenade which had never held explosives. It was used for training in the fields around Strata Florida when troops were based there during the war

• A chair won by Dafydd Jones at the 1943 eisteddfod in Pontrhydfendigaid

• A grandfather clock made in the 19th Century by J Jones of Tregaron. The trust is currently crowdfunding to pay for repairs

From medieval times to World War Two

The exhibition also includes a new wall hanging made during the Covid pandemic.

It depicts houses, old shops and is a large map of Pontrhydfendigaid as it would have been 100 years ago.

A child's gas mask from World War Two is among the items

There is also an interactive touch screen presenting a virtual history of both the farm and the abbey.

It will take visitors back in time to the farm in its heyday of the 1940s where they can meet the characters there and see them at work.

'Rich history'

Mr Green said: "We are thrilled that after many months of hard work we can finally welcome people inside the restored tŷ pair and cart shed to discover the remarkable social history of the house and community.

Shoes were discovered during restoration work

"We hope that through these items visitors will get a sense of what life was like for local people, and of the striking contrasts and surprising similarities between then and now.

"This project marks another milestone in the trust's work of sharing with the public the rich history of the site, from its medieval Cistercian beginnings through to its social and agricultural significance," he said.