On all of our visits to south west Wales we have
been very fortunate with the weather. It is always a risk you
have to take when arranging a holiday in the UK so it is advisable
to have something in reserve should the weather be not too good.
So when we awoke to a rainy day whilst there this year, Pembrokeshire's
County Museum at Scolton Manor beckoned.
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The Victorian manor house is set in 60 acres of park
and woodland which are an attraction in their own right on a
fine day but in inclement weather, the house itself provides
the main point of interest.
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The three floors of the house, basement, ground and
upper, are all furnished to show the visitor what life was like
above and below stairs in the Victorian age. The contrast between
the servants' quarters and the luxury of the masters' rooms is
only too apparent.
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A little way from the house the stable block surrounds
a courtyard accessed via an arched entrance.
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The block contains not only stables but also a carpenter's
workshop , a blacksmith's forge and carriage house in which the
museum has assembled a collection of old carriages.
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Beyond the stable block is an exhibition hall and between the
two a steam train stands on a short length of line and a signal
box has been erected to form a railway display.
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The dogs were optional extras as they belonged to
other visitors to Scolton and were not exhibits in the museum
but they did add a touch of realism to the static railway scene.
Once inside the exhibition hall, another display concentrated
on a different mode of transport. Against a painted backdrop,
a manikin sat in a small boat demonstrating a method of fishing
and two coracles completed the display.
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The bulk of the exhibits in the hall focussed on Pembrokeshire's
history and included many displays of farming machinery and equipment
but there was also a very interesting section about the Second
World War. In one corner an Anderson shelter complete with sound
and lighting effects, supplemented by posters of the day, gave
an impression of life in the blitz.
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Around the balcony, hands-on interactive puzzles and experiments
under the collective name of Sci-Trek brought the museum right
up to date and even took a look into the future but we concluded
our visit back on the ground floor at a cabinet full of corn
dollies.
A lot of superstition surrounds the corn dolly as it was once
believed that a spirit lived in the cornfield. When the corn
was cut, the spirit died so a corn dolly was plaited from the
last sheaf of corn to provide a resting place. This also ensured
the continuity of the harvest the following year. The display
contained a variety of corn dollies but all showed the patience
and skill that is required to make one.
Some of the publicity material for Scolton says it's "Worth
having a rainy day for!" but I would suggest it's worth
a visit even on a fine day - you might even get to see the Nature
Trails then.
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