St Fagan's, just outside Cardiff fitted the bill perfectly: buildings of historical interest re-erected amongst trees and fields, the Castle and gardens, and indoor galleries containing all manner of items relating to past ways of life, including a costume gallery. And being part of the Museum of Wales, it's all free!
The guide book reckons that most visitors take between 2-4 hours to go around - we got there at noon and by 5pm had only seen half; we didn't make it to the Castle and gardens, or all the houses, but we did 'do' the costume gallery. Standing inside the old farmhouses, cool and dark on such a bright sunny day, was strangely calming. The simple furniture and lack of adornment makes you realise how busy our modern lives are with trivia. 400 hundred years ago, life was undoubtedly harder than now, but I can't help feeling that we have lost something along the way.
Anyway - do visit if you get the chance, and do take longer than a couple of hours to really absorb the atmosphere of the buildings. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/
The photos here are of some details and textures, especially the undersides of roofs. Old buildings didn't have the underfelting and insulation that we have today of course, and it's really interesting to be able to see the construction.
layers of stone in a wall
Wattle on a barn
Underside of thatched roof
contrasts against the blue sky
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