Llangollen Museum re-opening soon after getting its new roof

 

* Llangollen Museum in Parade Street with its watertight new roof.

Here is the latest news from Llangollen Museum:

Hello everyone. 

The builders, Team Roundhouse, have now finished the work on the new roof and so we are watertight again, with a very slightly different looking building on the outside and a much improved Museum on the inside.

We have had grants from a number of different funders to help with the work, allowing us to improve the Museum and keep our local heritage accessible to everyone. 

Funding from the Lottery Heritage Fund, the Community Ownership Fund, the Denbighshire Key Fund, the Clocaenog Wind Farm Fund and the Welsh Government Collection Management Capital Improvement programme have helped us to not only replace the roof, but also to increase our artefact storage, along with a new environmental monitoring system, install a stairlift, improve signage, create new displays and improve our website, as well as purchasing the Museum building off Denbighshire County Council.

We will be spending February cleaning, moving the collection back into the Museum, setting up the displays and cabinets and getting ready to open again on Saturday 8th March. 

On that day, we will be having a Museum re-opening launch day event to which everyone will be welcome. The daytime on the 8th will see our first Finds Day of 2025 in the Museum. Dr Susie White, from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, will again be with us to identify objects that you have found, helping to unlock more of the secrets of the past, so please do bring along all of your finds for identification. Details will be posted on Eventbrite and on our Facebook events page.

In the evening, we will have the official re-opening event. Doors will open at 6.00pm and everyone is invited. The Llangollen Silver Band will be playing in the background as people arrive, look around and help themselves to food and drink. 6.30pm will see the official opening. Dave Crane from the Museum will say a few words about the programme and thank people. Our MP, Becky Gittins, who has been very supportive of the project, will then officially re-open the Museum, followed by a few pieces played by the Silver Band. 

Following the Silver Band, we will show the Animated Dee Valley heritage video, produced by the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB and the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site. This short film shows some of the important changes that have happened around Llangollen in the last 2,700 years, but packs it all into 7 minutes. It reminds us why keeping places like Llangollen Museum alive in our community is so important, so that future generations can find out about their past.

Then people can mingle, have some more food and drink, and look at the displays, including our re-opening display of some of the paintings and prints that are usually kept in the archive stores.

Our first talk of the year will be on March 26th, at 7.00pm, in the Museum. Graham Edwards will follow up on his fascinating talk about the Welsh in Patagonia with 'The unique friendly relationship between the Welsh settlers and the native Tehuelches tribe in Patagonia'. Without a doubt, the settlers would not have survived without the friendship of the natives, who traded with them and taught them how to hunt. The amazing thing is not one drop of blood was spilled in their relationship and the Tehuelches referred to the Welsh as "Los Amigos".

April 30th will see Dr Jack Hunter give a presentation on 'The Paranormal Ecology of the Tanat Valley'. Watch our Facebook page for the details of this talk.

Although there have been a few delays, the setting up the Llangollen Museum Young Archaeologists’ group is ongoing. we are hoping to have a full programme for 2025 in place very soon. 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. Anyone wanting to join our mailing list for updates please email cdv.yac@gmail.com.

For all of the latest information about what is happening at the Museum, do keep an eye on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/p/Llangollen-Museum-100057657969751/. If you want to be more involved with the history of the area, and become a volunteer at the Museum, please contact our manager Gill Smith at gilliansmith2@hotmail.co.uk or on 07516 023524.

* The new museum roof from the inside.