WW1 series. Where the Great War shook the Earth; the story of the Lochnagar Crater.
/Some historians of World War One have stated that any tour of the Battle of the Somme area should start with the Lochnagar Crater. It is a massive crater one hundred metres (328 feet) in diameter and 30 metres (98 feet) deep. Why on earth was it made or rather, how on earth was it made? The Lochnagar Crater was created by the British, when two batches of explosive, 16 metres deep and 20 metres apart, went up at 7.28 am on July 1st. It was hoped that loads of the enemy near La Boiselle, would be killed and others would be stunned and not know what was going on. This, along with another eighteen mines, was the signal for men to “go over the top”, ie get out of their trench, make their way through the already cut barbed wire protection and then run at the enemy.
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St Teilo’s Church, now lovingly re-erected within the open-air precinct of St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life, is a remarkable testament to Wales’s medieval and 16th century heritage. Originally constructed in the early 16th century, this humble parish church was painstakingly dismantled, transported, and restored to its former glory — not least its dazzling wall paintings, which have been carefully recreated with scholarly precision. These vivid murals, brought back to life through meticulous craftsmanship, offer visitors a rare window into the devotional art and storytelling of the late medieval period. Stepping inside St Teilo’s, you’re transported back half a millennium, immersed in a world where faith, community, and artistic expression converged on plastered walls that still speak with vibrant colour and enduring power.