A Window into the Industry Collections Mark Etheridge, 1 May 2014 One major acquisition that entered the industry collection this month was a collection of 76 film negatives of collieries in South Wales. 61 of these film negatives show the reconstruction at Hafodyrynys Colliery in 1956. Two images showing the ongoing work are shown here :- Another object to enter the collection this month is this receipt is from the Dinas Steam Colliery Co. Ltd. to Mrs Thomas of the Graig Ddu Inn, Dinas, and is dated 3 December 1887. The Graig Ddu Inn was 100 yards from the colliery, and the tram of coal would have been delivered direct to the house. This set of five British Coal South Wales Area rescue and fire fighting plans are for Marine/Six Bells Colliery. They are dated 23 September 1988. The five plans are stapled together, and the top one is shown here. These two paintings are an important addition to our art collections relating to the coal industry in Wales. They were donated recently and are both oils on canvas. The first is dated January 1862 and is a portrait of Thomas Powell aged 81. Thomas Powell founded the Powell Duffryn Coal Company. In 1840 Powell sunk the first deep mine at Cwmbach, Aberdare. This was followed by further deep mines in Aberdare (Cwmdare, Abernant, Abergwawr, Middle Duffryn and Cwmpennar) and in the Rhymney Valley. At their peak these collieries produced over 400,000 tons of coal each per annum. Thomas was the world's first coal millionaire, and he died in March 1863. The second painting shows Thomas Powell's eldest son, Thomas Powell Junior (1827-1869) with his wife Julia and son John, and dates to about 1862. The family along with the entire safari party they were part of were killed in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in 1869 whilst elephant hunting. Mark EtheridgeCuratorial Assistant (Industry)Follow us on Twitter - @IndustryACNMW
Breeding failure Katie Mortimer-Jones, 30 April 2014 It now looks that the breeding attempt by Peregrine Falcons in the clock tower has failed. All indications were that eggs were laid during late March and early April and if all had gone according to plan, they should have been hatching about now (eggs are usually incubated for 31-33 days). Unfortunately, no birds have been seen at the nest or perched nearby on the clock tower for several days now so it seems certain that the nest has been abandoned. We do not know why this breeding attempt has failed but the most likely cause is that the eggs have been eaten by predators, perhaps crows, ravens or gulls. Although peregrines only raise one brood each year it remains possible that the birds will make a second attempt to breed and we remain vigilant in case that happens.Adrian Plant
Super Scientist Awards 2014 Catalena Angele, 28 April 2014 Ninety five schools across the UK will be awarded Super Scientist Certificates from Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales this year, in recognition of their contribution to the Spring Bulbs – Climate Change Investigation.Huge Congratulations to all these schools! They are listed below, is your school listed?Thank you to every one of the 4200 pupils who helped this year! Thank you for working so hard planting, observing, measuring and recording - you really are Super Scientists! Each one of you will receive a certificate and Super Scientist pencil, these will be sent to your school around the middle of May.Many thanks to the Edina Trust for funding this project and helping to make this all happen! Winners 2014Well done to our three winners for sending in the most weather data! Each will receive a class trip of fun-packed nature activities. Ysgol Clocaenog in Wales Abronhill Primary School in Scotland Dallas Road Community Primary School in England Runners UpEach school will receive a gift voucher to purchase lovely things for your gardening projects. Ysgol Gynradd Cross Hands in Wales Wormit Primary School in Scotland The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School in England Highly commendedEach school will receive certificates, pencils, flower seeds and herb seeds. Abergwili VC Primary Archbishop Hutton's Primary School Arkholme CE Primary School Balshaw Lane Community Primary School Bleasdale CE Primary School Burscough Bridge Methodist School Carnforth North Road Primary School Christchurch CP School Combe Primary School Coppull Parish Church School Cutteslowe Primary School Darran Park Primary Freuchie Primary School Gladestry C. in W. Primary Glyncollen Primary Kilmaron School Raglan VC Primary SS Philip and James CE Primary School St Athan Primary School St Blanes Primary School St Ignatius Primary School St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Leyland St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School St Michael's CE (Aided) Primary School St Nicholas Primary School St Patrick's Primary School Stanford in the Vale CE Primary School Ysgol Bro Eirwg Ysgol Deganwy Schools with special recognitionEach school will receive, certificates, pencils and flower seeds. Auchengray Primary School Britannia Community Primary School Cawthorne's Endowed Primary School Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor Culross Primary School Greyfriars RC Primary School Holy Trinity CE Primary School John Cross CE Primary School Llanishen Fach Primary School Red Marsh School St Anne's Catholic Primary School St Laurence CE Primary School Woodplumpton St. Anne's Primary School Ysgol Gynradd Dolgellau Ysgol Terrig Ysgol Y Plas Schools to be awarded certificatesEach school will receive Super Scientist Certificates and pencils. All Saints' CE Primary School Balcurvie Primary School Ballerup Nursery Blenheim Road Community Primary School Brockholes Wood Community Primary School Brynhyfryd Junior School Catforth Primary School Chatelherault Primary School Cleddau Reach VC Primary School Cobbs Brow Primary School Coed-y-Lan Primary School Flakefleet Primary School Glencairn Primary School Golden Hill School Henllys C/W Primary Hillside Specialist School Ladywell Primary School Lakeside Primary Lea Community School Manor Road Primary School Manor School Milford Haven Junior School Newport Primary School Pinfold Primary School RAF Benson Primary School Rogiet Primary School Rougemont Junior School Scotforth St Paul's CE Primary School St Bernadette's Primary School St Gregory's Catholic Primary School St John's CE Primary School St Nicholas C/W primary school Trellech Primary School Tynewater Primary School Woodstock CE Primary School Ysgol Bro Tawe Ysgol Glan Cleddau Ysgol Iau Hen Golwyn Ysgol Nant y Coed Ysgol Rhys Prichard Ysgol Santes Tudful Ysgol Sychdyn Ysgol Y Berllan Deg Ysgol Y Faenol Daffodil Drawing Competition 2014Congratulations to the following pupils who produced some excellent botanical drawings! Winners will receive Bird watching kits with mini binoculars. 1st: Abbey – Coppull Parish Church School 2nd: Louise – SS Philip and James CE Primary School (Pink 3) 3rd: Amelie – Stanford in the Vale CE Primary School Well done, you have all done an AMAZING job.Professor Plant
Constable goes down a storm in Cardiff Stephanie Roberts, 25 April 2014 Last week we created a storm in the galleries at National Museum Cardiff with our Easter workshops. Families who took part got to make their own pop-up landscapes inspired by John Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831. This activity was part of the Aspire programme, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund.Here are some of the mini masterpieces created.We were impressed by the variety of skies! Some were stormy and brooding. Others filled with colour and light. Butterflies, bees, and a murder of crows all made an appearance – and, of course, some beautiful rainbows.If Constable were alive today he surely would have approved! For him the sky was the most important part of a painting. It creates feelings, mood and emotions. I wonder what mood our families were in when they created theirs?Whatever mood they were in at the time, they left the workshop feeling happy! Families were asked to complete the sentence ‘the workshop made me feel...’, and to hang it on our specially-created comments cloud. ‘Happy’ was the most popular response! Here are some others:The workshop made me feel… Happy happy and I loved it a lot - Jack Interested because I like learning about Constable Hapus fel y gog achos rwy’n hoffi celf a chrefft Welcome ♥ Find out more:Explore Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 with this interactive guide.Download a free pack for teachers from our Learning Resources page.Download our Landscape and Lights family trail AspireSalisbury Cathedral from the Meadows was purchased by Tate with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Manton Foundation, the Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation) and Tate Members in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service, National Galleries of Scotland, and Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, 2013.To secure the painting, a unique partnership initiative was formed between five public collections: Tate Britain, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, Colchester and Ipswich Museums, Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and the National Galleries of Scotland. This initiative, named Aspire, is a five-year project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund enabling the work to be viewed in partner venues across the UK. National Museum Cardiff is the first venue to display the work.
Exploring biodiversity in the Amazon Adrian Plant, 15 April 2014 Adrian Plant continues his fieldwork in the Amazon in collaboration with Jose Albertino Rafael and Josenir Camara from INPA (Brazil’s national Amazon research organisation) in Manaus.So far two field-trips to remote corners of the Amazon have been successfully completed. The first was to Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira high up the Rio Negra not far from Brazil’s borders with Colombia and Venezuela and the second to a major tributary of the Amazon along the border with Peru at Benjamin Constant.The forests of the Amazon Basin are flood forests; they become seasonally inundated by the flooded river and the waters bring with them many of the nutrients essential to the forests great productivity throughout the region. This year the forest remains unusually wet for the time of year which has caused a few practical problems for field entomology.- it is an acquired pleasure to slosh around in deep mud and water searching for new and interesting insects under a constant plague of biting mosquitoes. Yet, to an entomologist this is more or less a definition of “fun”!The biodiversity is amazing of course and many of the insects seen and collected are undoubtedly new to science but will require much study in more comfortable surroundings after returning from the field. Meanwhile, Adrian will shortly be setting out on a third fieldtrip, this time to a little known area between the mouth of the Amazon river and French Guiana where many exciting discoveries will undeniably be made.
