Hi, Nicole, tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Amgueddfa Cymru. 

I'm Dr Nicole Deufel, and I'm Head of Museum here at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. My role is to lead the team, and at the moment we're looking at redeveloping the museum over the next few years.

What’s really special about this museum, the Waterfront within Amgueddfa Cymru, is that we’re in partnership with Swansea Council. A big part of my role right now is focused on that partnership, shaping it, strengthening it and securing it for the future.

We're so excited to hear about the plans you have for National Waterfront Museum, what can you share with us?

They’re big plans and coming in different phases, but we’re really keen to get started this year. In fact, we already have!

One of the key things for us is re-establishing the connection between our historic warehouse and its historic surroundings. We’re using that as a starting point to interpret the story of industry, development and innovation in Wales, and the global connections through the sea. It’s a really exciting story.

Personally, I’m just so thrilled we have the warehouse as a historic asset to help tell it.

Another big focus right now is identity. When you walk into the museum, I don’t think it’s immediately obvious who we are, especially when you compare it to other Amgueddfa Cymru museums. At Big Pit, for example, its identity is clear the moment you arrive. The same goes for the Wool Museum, I was there recently, and it just radiates what it’s about.

The Waterfront isn’t quite there yet, so that’s something we want to tackle. We want visitors coming in, especially through the city side entrance, to see wow objects that not only impress but also capture the essence of the stories we tell. We want our identity to shine just as brightly as it does in our other museums. So that people walk in and immediately know - I’m at the National Waterfront Museum!

You mentioned wow pieces. What role does the collection play in this new vision, and how important is the preservation and conservation of the collection? 

If I take the idea for the Weston Hall, the collection really helps us develop and illustrate the stories, which are the stories of people. The collection isn’t just a group of objects. They represent the story of Wales and the people of Wales.

That’s how we want to use the collection more. Not just showing the objects but digging deeper into the stories behind them and helping them shine.

As part of this redevelopment process, we’ll also be conserving and reinterpreting some of the objects by bringing out items that haven’t been on display for a long time and using them to tell the story here.

That’s what excites me about the collection. I was at the collection store recently, and the curator showed me the box van. That’s one of the objects we want to restore and use in an immersive exhibition space. Just by placing it in this space, it helps explain the colonnade, the warehouse, and the connections through the railways to the Welsh hinterland, and how goods travelled out into the world and back again. The collection enables us to share all of that. That’s why it’s so important.

What do you find most inspiring when you step into the Waterfront Museum, as it is today? 

We’re all just so excited to be here. I feel so lucky to come to work each day with an amazing, creative, professional team.

Together we’re looking at what works in the museum, what we can improve, and how we can place people, their stories and their experiences at the heart of everything we do. We want to connect people through their visit here and that’s what excites me.

I get to do this with a brilliant team, in a wonderful location. I absolutely love the warehouse, and so many of the objects in our collection. It’s all just so exciting. Every day, we really enjoy what we do.

Your GRAFT Garden is celebrating its seventh birthday this year, and it’s thriving, in a bustling city. How can we as Amgueddfa Cymru, or as visitors, get involved in the garden?

Everyone is welcome to visit and work in the garden.

At the moment, if you’re a general visitor, it might not be clear how the garden connects with the museum’s work. But there are so many innovative ideas and themes being explored in the garden, with people from all walks of life contributing their experiences.

We’re now looking at how we can make that more visible. We want to help people see that connection, so the garden becomes something they actively engage with and not just something they pass by.

It links so well with the themes we explore in our more traditional exhibition spaces, and it was such a brilliant idea to establish it. It’s a place where everyone can experience something meaningful, whether they’re volunteering or just popping out to have a look.

It’s a lovely contrast, this heavy industrial machinery alongside a sustainable, biodiversity-led garden. It really shows where Wales has come from and where it’s going. Sustainability is clearly at the heart of that. 

Absolutely. If we’re talking about deindustrialisation, which is one of the key themes we want to explore here, the garden is a great example.

The ground was polluted, which is why we use raised beds. Everything has grown from there. That’s what’s so exciting about it.

We hear you’ve been spending time exploring your new home, Wales. Have you had a chance to visit all of our museums yet?

Not quite. I haven’t made it to Llanberis yet, that’s top of my list. I’m going to Caerleon next week, and Big Pit on Friday. I’ve been to Big Pit before, but this time I’m really looking forward to going behind the scenes.

I’m loving it. And when it comes to our own development work here, it’s so important for us to understand our place in the wider story. That means really getting to know the other sites, beyond just the visitor experience.

Our National Slate Museum, the National Wool Museum, Roman Legion Museum and Big Pit all have such rich, recognised stories. How do you give industry and transport that same global recognition? It’s such an important part of Wales’s story, but not as synonymous as coal or slate. 

Exactly. Wales was the first industrial nation, and geography plays a big part in that. That’s something we’re really interested in.

The warehouse reflects all of it, you’ve got the railway lines coming through from the coalfields, the minerals, the docks, the people who worked here, and the connections to the sea.

But it’s not just a story of heavy industry. It’s also about geography, movement, innovation. One of my favourite pieces is the Robin Goch. It’s such a creative object, that kind of inventive spirit made industrial development possible, and it’s also central to the story of deindustrialisation and sustainability today.

We were just talking recently about community energy schemes happening now in Wales. These are stories we need to tell more strongly, and share with the world.

You mentioned the Robin Goch. Do you have a favourite object from the Amgueddfa Cymru collection?

I don’t have just one, but I absolutely adore the Robin Goch. It’s so ingenious, using everyday materials to make a flying object. It’s fantastic.

I also love the Penydarren locomotive. I probably have a soft spot for it because I worked in Wales previously, and Trevithick’s story was one of the first I came across.

To come here and see the replica is just brilliant. It’s not here at the moment it’s in Darlington, but when I saw it being moved and all the parts coming to life, it was really emotional. So yes, those two are probably my favourites.

In spring and summer, the grounds of St Fagans National Museum of History come alive with colour as wildflowers bloom across meadows, hedgerows, and gardens. These flowers are not only beautiful but have played an important role in Welsh rural life for centuries. From the wildflower meadows at the museum to the herbs grown in traditional cottage gardens, these plants connect us to the land and history of Wales. 

St Fagans is home to several wildflower meadows, each carefully managed to support biodiversity. At the front of the museum, a meadow welcomes visitors with a mix of native wildflowers, buzzing with pollinators throughout the summer. Another special meadow can be found in the apple orchard in the castle gardens; this Coronation Meadow is part of a UK-wide initiative to restore wildflower-rich grasslands. Among the wildflowers found in these meadows are yellow rattle, a plant known as the "meadow maker" for its ability to weaken grasses and allow other flowers to flourish and the dandelion, whose jagged leaves resemble a lion’s teeth. Daisy meaning "day’s eye," opens with the morning sun and closes at dusk. In nearby woodlands, bluebells or “cuckoo bells,” carpet the ground in a sea of blue; their name is linked to the arrival of spring and the call of the cuckoo. 

Wildflowers have long been a part of Welsh cottage gardens too. Several historic houses at St Fagans such as Nantwallter, Abernodwydd, and Hendre’r-ywydd Uchaf, feature herb gardens where families grew plants for cooking and medicine. These gardens are recreated using traditional methods and appropriate plant varieties to reflect the way of life of their former inhabitants. 

The garden of Nantwallter represents a farm labourer’s garden in Carmarthenshire in the late 18th century, when families relied on their gardens for food, medicine, and household essentials. The family would have been largely self-sufficient, growing vegetables and herbs. Alongside cultivated crops, they gathered wild plants for their practical and medicinal properties. These gardens would have included plant like tansy, an aromatic plant once used to repel insects, betony which was used in traditional treatments for headaches and anxiety and was commonly used to treat wounds. 

Many of these medicinal plants were also used by the Physicians of Myddfai, legendary healers from Carmarthenshire whose herbal knowledge was recorded in medieval manuscripts. The herb bed at Nantwallter contains plants linked to the Physicians, including fennel, wormwood and cowslips. These herbs treated all sorts of different ailments, and their use has been passed down through generations. 

Wildflowers are not only a connection to the past, but they are also important for supporting wildlife. In recent years, initiatives like No Mow May have encouraged people to stop cutting their lawns for a month, providing shelter and food for insects such as bees, butterflies, and small animals. 

During the summer, you can see wildflowers blooming at St Fagans. They were an important part of everyday life in the past, valued for their practical uses. Today, they are just as important, supporting wildlife and reminding us of the connection between people and nature through the ages. 
 

We’re excited to share Wales REACH (Residents Engaging in Arts, Culture and Heritage): a new creative collaboration between Amgueddfa Cymru and The Open University. This project is all about celebrating the rich heritage, creativity, and untold stories of communities across Wales. Wales REACH is working with five communities:

• Butetown, Cardiff
• Dyffryn Nantlle, Gwynedd
• Sandfields, Port Talbot
• People with learning disabilities in Rhondda Cynon Taf and the Vale of Glamorgan
• Rural communities in Pembrokeshire

Together, we’ll be uncovering hidden histories, spotlighting local talent, and exploring Amgueddfa Cymru’s collections. The project will result in a mix of online showcases and a physical exhibition.

Activities

At the heart of Wales REACH are heritage and creative workshops, designed not just to explore the past but to bring people together, develop new skills, and build lasting relationships.

REACH runs lots of free events and workshops across our five participating communities. These are opportunities for community members to get stuck into all types of artistic and creative fun inspired by local history and heritage. No prior experience is needed, and everyone is welcome.

Get Involved!

Do you live in one of these communities? We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a message at Wales.REACH@open.ac.uk to find out how you can take part. Want to find out more? Visit the Wales REACH website for updates on upcoming events and activities, local stories and much more.

Wales REACH is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It is a partnership between thirteen organisations and is led by The Open University and Amgueddfa Cymru. It is funded with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The current phase started in autumn 2024 and is scheduled to run until autumn 2026.

Hi Bulb Buddies,

As we reach the final day of weather data collection, we want to extend a huge thank you to all the schools that have participated in this year’s Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation. Your dedication to the project has been invaluable, and we truly appreciate the effort you’ve put in.

Final Data Submission

Now that the recording period is ending, we kindly ask you to upload all your collected data (both weather and flower records) as soon as possible. If your plants haven’t flowered yet, don’t worry. Please let us know, and when they do bloom, you can still enter the flowering data (in millimetres). Every data entry is important and helps make this citizen science project a success.

Bulbcast Competition

If you have created a Bulbcast entry, don’t forget to submit it! We’re happy to receive entries via email, WeTransfer, or shared links – whatever works best for you. If you’ve had any issues sharing your submission, please get in touch so we can help. 

Check Your Data

To ensure your data is complete, you can review your school’s graph on the project website. Remember, prizes will be allocated based on the data entered, so make sure everything is up to date.

Bulb Care Resources

Even though data collection is ending, there are other tasks for you to enjoy. We have plenty of resources on our website, including tips on how to care for your bulbs after flowering. Remember to repurpose your pots after your plants have flowered. We will be sending sunflower seeds to all schools who have submitted weather and flower data and extra seeds to high performing schools, so the pots can have another role to play here!  You can also save the pots and use them if you are taking part in next year’s project.  

February Weather Summary

As we reach the end of March lets take a peek at last month’s weather. February is the month that sees us transition from winter to spring, and this was reflected in the weather we saw. 

The temperature for the first two weeks was lower than average, but the warmer weather in the second half of the month means that the overall temperature for February was above average. Northern Ireland was the warmest country with temperatures 0.9°C above average. 

At the beginning of the month Scottland saw freezing conditions and snow. Mid-month Northern Ireland and England saw heavy rain and strong winds. Towards the end of the month Wales saw heavy rains and some flooding. The end of the month saw more settled weather with some fog and frost. 

February saw below average rainfall, with Northern England seeing nearly half of the expected rainfall. 

Sunlight hours increased throughout the month, reaching just under the long term average for the UK. Scotland was the sunniest country this month. 

Once again, thank you for your fantastic work as part of this year’s Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation. We couldn’t do it without you, and we hope you’ve enjoyed being part of this scientific adventure!

Please let us know if you have any questions or need support.

Professor Plant

Hi Helen, tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Amgueddfa Cymru.

I’ve been with Amgueddfa Cymru for a whirlwind 12 months. I am on secondment from Conwy County Borough Council where I usually look after the museum, library, arts, and archives services. Before moving to North Wales 14 years ago I worked across the Scottish islands as an archaeologist and community development worker.

My mum is from North Wales, and I always wanted to learn Welsh. It has taken me 14 years to get there, but I would say that a year at Llanberis has certainly supercharged my learning experience!

My role as Project Director means that I’m responsible for the overall management and delivery of the National Slate Museum Redevelopment project. I lead a number of wider project teams and report on progress to the Project Board. I’m charged with ensuring that the project stays on schedule and within budget and that we are meeting the expectations of our funders and stakeholders. Its also my job to make sure that we all share and drive forward the same vision to deliver the project together with our communities in a way that meets their own needs and aspirations.

The Llanberis project is really exciting, what can you share about it, as it progresses?

We refer to it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity and that really is true. Since the Slate Landscapes of Northwest Wales were designated as a World Heritage Site back in 2021, strategic funding opportunities have made it possible for us develop a really ambitious scheme. We will be able to create a brand new shop, café and learning space to transform the visitor experience. We are also going to install a lift to the first floor pattern lofts for the first time, as well as provide more accessible spaces throughout and better toilets (including a changing places toilet).

We are trying to create a nuanced balance between respecting the sensitivity of Gilfach Ddu and providing a contemporary experience. Visitors, locals and staff alike tell us that they love the site just the way it is – as though the workers have just downed tools and gone home for the day. That’s the spirit of the historic workshops that we are trying to honour, whilst at the same time making more significant improvements to spaces that have historically seen a lot of change already. For example, in our new gallery spaces, we will be able to show off more of our national collection, but also develop our role as a gateway to the wider slate landscape WHS.

We have just finalised our RIBA4 stage, which is the technical design phase where all the detailed specifications and materials are agreed. We have gone out to tender for the main works and with all being well are starting on site in April.

What’s happened to the collection while the renovation works are happening and can we still visit?

Almost the entire collection – around 10,000 objects - have been moved off site to a new dedicated accessible collections centre at Llandygai just outside Bangor. Anything that can move, has moved! This is to protect the collection but also to keep it accessible while the museum is closed temporarily. Our activity programme over the coming year will provide lots of opportunities for people to visit, experience and work with the collections in their temporary home and help select objects for display and decide how their stories will be told.

Is the Llanberis site open while works happen, it would be cool to have a tour of the empty museum!

The museum is closed temporarily, partly to keep staff and visitors safe because of the scale of the works, but also because we are working to a very tight timescale! We are offering some ‘Silent Spaces’ tours at the moment for the local community as we prepare to hand over to the contractor, and we will look to offer more sneak peak and behind the scenes tours over the coming months.

We’ve seen the Development and Llanberis Redevelopment Team working hard to secure funding, whose contributed to the project that we can shout about!

Goodness me, there are so many people doing extraordinary work. Certainly in the last 6 months I have been bowled over by Cadi, our curator, and the wider site staff for the work they’ve done to prepare the museum for closure. Kerry Vicker is my hero. She got me through our Stage 2 National Lottery Heritage Fund bid for just under £10m.

What sustainability measures are being considered, to protect the future of the museum and the collection?

We have Victoria Hillman working on the project team as part of the redevelopment so that we can keep a focused eye on sustainability and environment. There are so many elements to this which are a combination of preventative measures and new initiatives.

In terms of the collection we are being pragmatic and responsive to the types of industrial collections we have. We are conserving some elements – such as Una the engine – who will be brought back into steam through the project. The environments we achieve for the main gallery spaces will achieve a new level of conditioning, which will help us to display more sensitive objects for the first time.

We have also been working with Cardiff Met university on a climate adaptation pathway exercise and building this into the specification for things like landscaping materials, managing run-off, breathability of buildings and design of rainwater goods. We are also looking to achieve:

• BREEAM excellent for the new buildings
• New bat and swift boxes
• Translocation of lichens and mosses
• Planting of native and rare species
• Rainwater harvesting
• Highly sensitive lighting strategy
• Sustainability and environmental learning outcomes embedded across all interpretation

The list goes on!

What are you most looking forward to about the redevelopment?

I can’t wait to see my two young children playing in the spaces we create. I’m hoping to see nothing but delight and wonder on their faces as they explore.

Finally, we love asking this - what’s your favourite piece in the Amgueddfa Cymru collection?

Well, I haven’t been here very long, but I would say my favourite object so far is our beautiful Caban Eisteddfod Chair in the NSM collection. What a simple, beautiful expression of life in the slate quarrying communities and the lived experience of those who sat together in the Caban.