Hay Shed Construction, National Museum of Wales 1977

This authentic 1970s colour photograph documents the reconstruction of a traditional Welsh hay shed (Tŷ Gwair) at the National Museum of Wales, St Fagans, Cardiff, in 1977. The image provides a factual record of the museum’s efforts to preserve rural vernacular architecture, specifically a structure originally from Maentwrog. The scene documents the building in a semi-completed state, featuring sturdy stone gable walls and massive slate pillars supporting a timber roof frame. A section of the roof is already finished with traditional slate tiles, while the remaining rafters are exposed. In the foreground, a green information board provides historical context and architectural diagrams of the project. A vintage metal wheelbarrow and a wooden ladder are documented at the site, which is situated against a backdrop of mature deciduous woodland. As a self-contained archival record, this shot is an essential resource for architectural historians and collectors of vintage Welsh heritage and folk life photography from the 1970s.