Llangollen Museum closes to prepare for new roof.

* Llangollen Museum is to have a new roof fitted.

From today (Monday) Llangollen Museum will be closed in preparation for the building having a new roof put on. 

Paid for by the Community Ownership Fund and another funder which they museum cannot yet disclose, the entire roof will be replaced with a new structure with steel girders. 

The appearance of the building will change slightly as the new roof will not have a parapet and the rainwater will drain through external pipes, rather than the internal ones that have caused flooding problems when they have become blocked.

Building work by the contractor, Team Roundhouse of Frodsham in Cheshire, will commence on August 19. 

The three weeks until then will be used to clear the museum before handing over to the contractor. 

The work is estimated to take around six months, meaning the museum will be closed until January 2025.

For updates on the work, and exact dates of re-opening people are invited to keep an eye on the museum's own Facebook page.

However, heritage will not stop in Llangollen, according to the museum.

A spokesperson said: "During the period of the closure some of our display cases will be relocated to other public venues around Llangollen. Look out for displays in the Tourist Information, the Library, the Dory Gallery, the Health Centre and St Collen’s Church.

"Our programme of talks will continue. There will be no talk in July but the next talk will be on Wednesday, August 28, at 7.30pm, in the Council Chamber on the opposite side of Parade Street from the museum. 

"Entitled ‘The reasons the Welsh went to Patagonia in 1865 and how they overcame early hardships,’ it will be a presentation by Graham Edwards. 

"Why did 162 Welsh people go to Patagonia, one of the most remote and inhospitable places in the world, in 1865?  How did they eventually succeed, despite incredible hardship and overwhelming difficulties when they arrived?

"On Wednesday September 25, again in the Council Chamber at 7.30pm, the Portable Antiquities Scheme Officer, Susie White, will give a talk entitled ‘Buried Beneath our Feet’. She will describe what the Portable Antiquities Scheme is – who they are, why they do what they do – and then look at some of the objects recorded on the database from the local area. 

"October 30 will be Gill Smith with Andy the storyteller. The talk will be entitled 'Brenig, Landscape of the Dead,' and on November 27 Sam Thomson will give his second talk looking at the Romans in Britain and North Wales, again in the Council Chamber. Watch out for posters, and on our Facebook page for full details."

The spokesperson added: "Plans for the Llangollen Museum Young Archaeologists’ group are well on the way, and will continue during the period of closure. We are hoping to have a full programme in place by the end of 2024. 

"Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) is the only UK-wide club where young people aged 8–16 year olds can participate in real archaeology and discover why it matters. If you want to become a professional archaeologist in the future or just feel like taking up an amazing new hobby, YAC is the right place for you.

"YAC members take part in all sorts of exciting, hands-on activities, such as excavation, working with artefacts, visiting historical sites and undertaking experimental archaeology. As a YAC member, you will also have access to the YAC Pass, giving free or discounted entry to hundreds of heritage sites across the UK, including those run by English Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland and Cadw. Anyone wanting to join our mailing list for updates please email cdv.yac@gmail.com"