Cosmeston Medieval Village

Some places of this type can be a little to school-​heavy and bring back memories of being handed a clip-​board and forced to record and write everything down; taking away every little enjoyment that a child might gain from the trip.
Cosmeston though, is a treat and is run in the kind of entertaining and educational way that doesn’t take away from the place. It is a small village and they are aiming to add to the array of cottages with a church (and possibly castle) in due course.
The enthusiasm shown by the tour guides is admirable and they all take on the persona of a historical member of the village from the 14^th century.
The entry fee is only £5 and a tour takes around 40 minutes. I intend to return for Halloween — when they put on a bit of a show– and drink myself silly with medieval brew. I wonder if there’ll be Mead…

The sort of place school trips drag kids round as a tangible educational tool, this medieval village stirs memories of days past bored to tears during a nigh-​on practical history lesson while you wondered why everything smelt like pig excrement. Thankfully, if you’re lucky you can avoid the regimented tours and the like as out of regular hours it seems possible to wander around undisturbed on your own. And without a guide popping the village’s time machine qualities, it’s infinitely more fun. Duck inside the basic period huts and outhouses, study an array of frightening medieval tools, even watch the small populations of farm animals kept onsite or try out the wooden stocks. Either way, next to the picturesque Cosmeston Lakes & Country Park, it’s a nice countryside escape hardly any distance out of Penarth. And so long as you don’t subject them to a snooze-​inducing lecture, it’s good place for anybody with kids to take the inquisitive little blighters, too.

The reconstructed medieval village at Cosmeston has been put together really well, and is both educational and good fun for children and adults.
You wander around the 14^th century Welsh village visiting different medieval houses and buildings, and encountering costumed people along the way, going about their daily routines — whether it’s cooking, farming, or making crafts. In this way, you kind of step back in time and enter medieval village life. There are also a range of animals such as chickens, ducks and pigs that would have been kept in villages during that period.
There are lots of special events taking place at the village throughout the year, too — from medieval fairs where you can buy crafts, play games, see falconry displays and have a go at archery, to Halloween at Cosmeston when you can experience the dark side of medieval life.

Having been forced here repetitively as a child the details of Cosmeston Medieval Village are burned into my subconscious but as a lover of all things historical I must admit, I do sort of love it here.
The reconstructed village is set in the year of 1350, during the hundred years war and is an authentic, living, breathing community seemingly frozen in time.
If you take a tour your guide will be well informed and in character, each inhabitant has a back story and interacts with the other villagers so if you’re slightly childish (as I am) feel free to ask them vaguely silly questions in order to see if you can crack their cool exterior.
It’s a really fun place to take little ones but equally good if you’re into embracing your inner child/​historical geek.

I always forget how much I enjoy this place, then I go back and manage to be pleasantly surprised every single time. Cosmeston Medieval Village is a fantastic place to visit with family and friends.
The reconstructed village is in situated in Cosmeston Park, near their visitor centre and café, so you really can make the trip a whole day if you want to (I recommend wholeheartedly), but it can also only be a few hours.
The tour takes you around a village, complete with barns, bakeries and roaming chickens. The guides are fun and informative, and there’s a multitude of people all wearing bright Medieval garb. There is also, of course, a chance to dress up, if so required.
This day is great fun and informative; a wonderful way to get kids and adults alike involved with history.