Military Medicine museum planned
The planning application for a Museum of Military Medicine has been approved subject to conditions set by Cardiff Council. The new museum in Cardiff
Bay will bring to Wales the most comprehensive collection of archives and exhibitions documenting the legacy of British military medicine.
The Museum, which is currently based in Surrey, tells the story of military healthcare disciplines including medicine, nursing, dental, veterinary and Allied health professions, from the civil war era to the current day. It explores developments in military medicine, including many that have gone on to be used in hospitals around the world to save lives and provide treatments that improve quality of life and wellbeing. Those stories are told though exhibitions, archives and collections that incorporate over 30,000 objects that preserve the heritage of those who have saved lives through service.
Cardiff’s historical connections to military medicine include the Royal Hamadryad Hospital and before that, HMS Hamadryad, a hospital ship that first arrived in Cardiff’s docks in 1866. The Museum will gather stories from around Wales, like that of the
130th St John Field Ambulance, a unit that saw trained rescue and ambulance teams from the South Wales coal fields travel to France to save lives in World War I.
Situated on the water’s edge, approximately 90% of the Museum’s ground floor will be transparent to maintain a view of the dockside. The majority of the facility – 80% – will sit on existing rough stone or hard landscaped land on the site of the previous Cardiff Bay Visitors Centre, The Tube. The Museum will also provide a café, shop, public toilets, a reading room, research facilities and an auditorium, which will be open for the community use.
Landscaping surrounding the Museum will follow conditions set by planners. This will see the Museum work with Cardiff Council on a landscaping plan for Britannia Park and its delivery, which include the relocation of the Locky’s Cottage by specialist contractors.
Jason Semmens, director of the Museum of Military Medicine said, “This decision by Cardiff Council’s planning department is a major milestone in our vision to create a world class visitor attraction that will showcase and inspire further medical advancements and bring new resources to Wales.
“Our goal is to create a national venue that will benefit its local community as we work with educators, healthcare providers and those creating lifesaving technologies. The Museum will become a centre for new educational programmes, and create in Cardiff Bay an institution that demonstrates Wales’ place at the forefront of UK innovation in healthcare.”