St fagans makes its own history after £30m investment
HAVING long documented hundreds and thousands of years of life in Wales, one of this country’s most loved national treasures is itself about to become a part of history.
To mark its 70th anniversary, St Fagans National Museum of History has launched a £30m facelift – the biggest redevelopment project in the history of the museum since opening on the outskirts of Cardiff in 1948.
The culmination of a six-year, “once in a lifetime” overhaul, it is hoped the transformation will help turn the popular Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales heritage site into one of this county’s largest tourist attractions, gaining almost a quarter of a million extra annual visitors by 2023.
Funded by the National Lottery and the Welsh Government, among others, it has also been shaped by the advice and expertise offered by 120 community organisations, street charities and local groups, with more than 3,000 volunteers contributing in excess of 21,000 hours of free time to the project.
The work includes a completely refurbished main entrance building, along with a new covered courtyard, restaurant and improved visitor facilities, making the museum a truly all-weather, all-year-round destination.
There are also three new galleries combining Wales’ social history and archaeology collections; replicas of a medieval prince’s court; an Iron Age farmstead and a Bronze Age burial monument – all combined to tell the story of Wales from 230,000 years ago to the present day.
Standing in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle, a late 16th-century manor house donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth, the museum has, over the last several decades, re-erected dozens of original buildings from different historical periods in the 100-acre parkland.
The recreations have included houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and Oakdale Workmen’s Institute, the latter being a faithful facsimile of an early 20th-century Caerphilly public hall, now re-imagined as a dementia-friendly exhibit and a space to support Welsh learners.
Regular workshops, exhibitions and festivals have also been held to explore all aspects of how people in Wales have lived, worked and spent their leisure time.
“St Fagans has long been Wales’ most popular heritage attraction and holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Wales,” says David Anderson, Director General, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.
“This is because St Fagans is a people’s museum, exploring history through everyday lives.
“We believe we have preserved everything that people love about St Fagans, but introduced important new dimensions.
“The new St Fagans has been created through the practical help and generosity of many people from Wales and beyond.
“We see this as the beginning of a new era at St Fagans and all of Wales’ national museums.”