There’s something lurking in the bushes...
DINOSAURS are back in the Vale of Glamorgan as life-sized models lurk in the trees of the Fonmon Estate, which has recently re-opened.
Dotted throughout a woodland trail at the estate visitors will have to be careful not to bump into a T-Rex around a tree, and there’ll also be a Dino Hunt Team on hand to teach dino-lovers fun facts and interactive activities.
The living history attraction also has a medieval farm manned by actors who will show visitors life in old times. For history buffs, there’s also reconstructed Norman ring works and wooden towers so you can get a slice of Fonmon life back in the 11th century.
The attraction, called Step Through Time, is run by Game of Thrones actor and living history expert Ross O’Hennessy, who has sourced his medieval peasants and farm hands from the actors he has trained.
He said: “This has enabled me to create opportunities for actors during lockdown, when so many of them are without work.
“I’m passionate about living history: with the help of these actors, visitors get to see, hear, touch, smell and breathe what life was like in medieval times. You really can step back into the past.”
Ross said he was enthusiastic about the power of the medieval village and the estate’s other outdoor attractions to boost visitors’ health and wellbeing.
Step Through Time is one of three new businesses founded at the newly opened Fonmon estate.
The others are a wedding village run by Zoe Binning, and Wild Wales
Seeds, Wales’ first large-scale seed business.
You can find out more about the Fonmon Estate and castle at their website, fonmoncastle.com
Fonmon Castle was bought by businessman Nigel Ford last year, and he has made it a priority to open it to the local community while creating opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs.