Latest news from Llangollen Museum

* Two items that were auctioned at Plas Newydd, as illustrated in the sale catalogue of 1932.

Here is the latest news from Llangollen Museum:  

It is now five months since the Museum re-opened its doors, following the installation of the new roof and other improvements.

The new exhibition featuring items from an archaeological dig by the Clywdian Range Archaeolgy Group at a rare Bronze Age ritual site in Bryneglwys, is now on display. 

Also on display, in our item of the month cabinet is a Mesolithic hand axe found by Gill Henry. The hand axe is still being researched, but so far it is considered to be at least 7,000 years old. Axes like these would’ve been an important tool in the everyday lives of the people of the period, with the flint possibly being imported from elsewhere.

 

Other donations over the last three months include items from Dafydd Rowlands Hughes, featuring, amongst other things, printing blocks used for the Llangollen Advertiser, sales catalogues for Plas Newydd (1932), Llantysilio Hall (1933), Bryntysilio (1939), Abbey Dingle (1948) and Bache Issa (1953), and an embossing stamp for the Llangollen General Cemetery Company.

 

Sally Knight’s talk on May 28 about her grandmother, one of the early pioneering female pilots, attracted a good audience, as did Humphrey Gibson’s presentation on June 25, about coal mining in Denbighshire. We would like to thank them both for their fascinating insights into these stories. Sadly, Lisa Smith’s talk on the July 28, about the Role of Women in Anglo Saxon Literature, had to be postponed. Watch out on our Facebook page for the re-scheduling of this.

August 27 will see Sam Thomson giving his third and final talk about the Romans in Britain – this time looking at the Decline and Fall. Sam’s first two talks proved very popular, so do come along and discover how the Roman domination in Britain and Wales ended. 

On September 24 Peter Dickinson will be talking about the anniversary of the heritage railway at Llangollen and, on October 29 Dr Pauline Clarke will give a presentation entitled the Material Culture of Offa’s Dyke. Talks will all start at 7pm. Tickets for all are £3 at the door, refreshments will be provided.

 

July in the gallery hosted a collection of paintings from the Pen y Cae Art Group. August is featuring a display of work by the Llangollen Art Group, followed by an exhibition by Llangollen Railway in September, to tie in with the heritage railway anniversary celebrations. The October exhibition will be another photography exhibition by Emma Petruzzelli.

 

Other work that has been recently completed at the Museum includes the installation of a new CCTV security system and the laying of new tarmac on the car park (many thanks to Cefn Mawr Driveways for doing such an excellent job and to the Lottery Heritage for the funding). 

Over the next month, we will be fitting security fencing on either side of the Museum building and installing some external storage in the corner of the car parking area, utilising funds granted by the Clocaenog Wind Farm Fund. The next three months will also see the installation of a new noticeboard on the front of the Museum, the fitting of a new, or rejuvenation of the existing, front entrance door and a total website rebuild.

 

Unfortunately, the setting up of the Young Archaeologist’s Club has been delayed for a few weeks more. The Clywd and Dee Valley YAC has now been officially approved by the Council for British Archaeology.  

Training courses in First Aid and Child Protection are in the process of being arranged for all of the leaders and the first meeting should be around the end of September. 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. Emails are being send to schools and groups, but, if you are interested in joining, please email cdv.yac@gmail.com. 

 

We had a special visitor to the Museum in mid July. Martin Horspool, one of the grandsons of the Horspool family who opened the Dorothy Cinema in Llangollen in 1932, was visiting from New Zealand. He came in to look at old photos of the cinema that had been given to the Museum many years ago by he and his brother. 

As he was looking at the photos he was reminiscing about his childhood and naming people in the photos. All this was of real interest to the curators on duty, He was also looking for newspaper articles about his mother who was a very good singer and had competed in the National and International Eisteddfodau. Through searching our archives, we were able to find a piece on his mother in an old Llangollen News. The Museum was really pleased that he took time out to come and visit us.

 

If you would like to find out more about any of your relatives and where they lived in Llangollen or, the surrounding area, then call in and speak to one of the Curators or email the Museum on enquiries@llangollenmuseum.org.uk.

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.