A FORMER St Davids man, who has spent more than 30 years saving some of Wales’ most loved buildings, retired last week.

Visitors to St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff often ask how the museum decides on which buildings should be saved for the nation, and over the past 34 years, that choice has been directed by Gerallt Nash.

Gerallt graduated in architecture at Cardiff University. In the 1970s his avid interest in vernacular architecture led to an opportunity to study the architecture of the Welsh settlers in Patagonia. After working for a firm of architects, he joined the staff of St Fagans in 1980.

Gerallt’s hand-drawn, detailed architectural drawings are works of art in themselves; these are the plans followed by the museum’s specialist as they re-construct historic buildings.

His mark can be seen on impressive projects such as the re-building of Oakdale Workmen’s Institute and St Teilo’s medieval church.

More recently he was responsible for the reconstruction of two buildings from his native Pembrokeshire - a Tudor Trader’s house from Haverfordwest and a Clogmaker’s Workshop from Solva.

Gerallt has published extensively on a number of subjects including education in Victorian Wales, workmen’s halls and institutes and timber-framed buildings. He is actively involved with a number of societies including the Welsh Religious Buildings Trust and is founder and chair of the Welsh Mills Society.

Despite Gerallt hanging up his tools, his architectural drawings will be crucial to several projects in the pipeline, including recreations of an Iron Age Farm and a Medieval Prince’s Hall and the rebuilding of The Vulcan Hotel, Taff’s Well Police Station and Raglan Rail Station.