Standing out from the surrounding buildings, this modern museum building housed a great collection. There were two different theaters inside that showed very informative videos about old time Waterford. The top floor video showed the history of the conflict between the Royal Port of Waterford and the Nuevo riche newbies of New Ross. Multiple Kings had decreed that all ships need to unload at Waterford. This was done to bestow favor on certain loyal royalists and to make sure that all of the King's taxes were being collected. This rivalry went on for generations and through successive Kings and at a few points it broke out into open warfare between the towns. At one point in 1373 the conflict fired up again and the town leaders made a scroll that attached all of the previous royal charters bestowed on Waterford. They added illustrations of the previous kings to liven up the scroll. This was taken to London and presented to the king to remind him of the history of the connection between England and the city of Waterford. It worked and another charter was issued. The first floor video followed the back and forth between the Catholics and Protestants. The vehicle used to tell this story was a set of golden vestments made for the cathedral at its height of power. They were grand on a grand scale and were extradentary works of gold cloth and were the pinnacle of the technology of the time, 1468. The vestments were worn proudly in pro-Catholic times and hidden away in anti-Catholic times. In 1650 during a siege they were buried in a lock box under the cathedral where they remained for 123 years. The city fell and all the priests were slaughtered. Thus the secret location was kept a secret and they were not rediscovered until the old cathedral was demolished to make way for a new protestant church. When they were re-discovered they were presented to the head of the Catholic church in Waterford.
A Viking ship outside Reginald's Tower
Fine tilework
So many historical markers
Reggie for short
Arghhh!
Walking to the museum
When it started to rain
Viking or Tony Beets from Goldrush?
Bees knees
These kids don't care about the rain but they do play chess
Part of the uniqueness of the museum is that is contains the museum but also an old tower and a reed arch wine cellar
In the wine cellar the outlined of the reeds can still be seen
A most fancy silver sailing ship that is 100 years old. It is one of three made as the silversmith went bankrupt after making the third
It rotated on its stand
Part of the old building that the museum was build around
Another huge rack of the now extinct Irish Deer
Lavish staircases in the Mayor's wing
The Mayor must get a workout wearing this regalia
Must fancy
A great chair too
Here lies the Waterford Charter Scroll from 1373. To remind King Edward III of Waterford's special Royal Port charter, they created a patchwork of all the original charters given by previous Kings. They added 17 illustrated portraits of the past kings.
It was viewed by Queen Elizabeth II on her visit in 2011
Manny of the Kings were flamboyantly dressed
Others were more modest
Always the trappings of Royalty, crowns and scepters and the like
Here we could see the giant shoes that the king was wearing
A few heads on pikes to liven up the place
The bearing sword of Henry III
Phallic much?
The king with the large shoes
No touching!
The two pronged beard
Ring my belllllll, ring my bell
Gold!
A most elaborate locking mechanism
The vestments were in such dim lighting that it was hard to photograph
The detail was incredible
Another good workout for the wearers
Angelic
Wowzers
Henry the VIII was very anti-Catholic
Here is how folks depicted his policies
A painting on a wedding. Too much drink for the lightweights
Bkck outside
Dodging the drops
Irish time
So many painted buildings
Very artistic
And another downpour
