Volunteering

Since January 2025, I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of helping Archaeology staff at the National Museum Cardiff alongside my fellow volunteer, Jeff. Together, Jeff and I have worked with the amazing Dr Elizabeth Walker, the all-knowing Evan Chapman, and the excellent Siân Iles (who you might recognise from a previous Museum Voices blog). This is a short blog about what we’ve accomplished so far. At the end, I have linked to some additional online material for those who wish to discover more of what is presented here briefly.

First on our journey through the Archaeology stores is the Stone Age (or the Palaeolithic). Here, Elizabeth introduced us to Coygan Cave, an important Middle Palaeolithic cave site (destroyed by quarrying) near Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.

The cave appears to have been used as a den by hyenas for the most part, given the accumulation of large prey animal remains, including those of mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, giant deer, and horse alongside an assortment of small mammals and birds. Remains of some other carnivores were present such as brown bear, wolf, and arctic fox. Equally of note from Coygan are three wonderful examples of so-called bout coupé handaxes, one of which is on display and pictured here. 

Elizabeth kindly took the time to explain how stone tools are made (something which I still find mind boggling) and how to spot signs of their use. Previously, the skeletal remains from Coygan were stored in plastic boxes to keep them in their “comfortable” temperature and humidity ranges. Upgrades to the stores’ environmental conditions meant that the remains could be repackaged into archival cardboard boxes, and the plastic containers repurposed for other artefacts. Jeff and I were tasked to work on rehousing the teeth, bones and coprolites (fossilised dung) whilst tracking their new home location and ticking off each bag of remains from a list. All in all, we transferred over 2,000 bags of remains and managed to reclaim a few shelves of storage space! Having not really considered the life (and death) of prehistoric creatures before, it was humbling (and terrifying) to think of the size and kinds of animals with which Neanderthals and modern humans would have cohabited.

One of our next projects saw us jump forward in time to the Roman occupation of Britain! More specifically, we find ourselves in the Roman city of Venta Silurum, the “market” and administrative capital of the Silures tribe that was established and located in what is now Caerwent.

Large portions of the stone city walls and the foundations of some buildings still stand today – visit and see for yourself! Several excavations were undertaken at Venta Silurum,  first by the Caerwent Exploration Fund (CEF) in 1899-1913 and later by Amgueddfa Cymru from 1981 to 1995. Amongst the discoveries from the later excavations (missed by the CEF!) was the beautiful copper alloy belt-buckle below, which you can read more about here.

Besides the wonderfully decorative metalwork, the Museum’s excavations of the forum-basilica (local government building with an open-air market) at Caerwent uncovered a veritable hoard of……oyster shells, thought to have been consumed by the government officials. Curator and fountain of knowledge for all things store-related, Evan, tasked us with the job of auditing these oyster shells and sorting them by excavation phase. While the work was dusty, it was a great opportunity to learn about the more civil dynamic between Empire and local tribes which contrasts sharply with the military fortification at nearby Caerleon.

The final highlight in this whistle-stop tour through history lands us in the Medieval period, and to a certain degree at the beginning of the Museum’s collections. Museums have long been places for education and for “showing off” artefacts to which most people have little access; Amgueddfa Cymru, in its early years, was no different. Other than acquiring new and unique artefacts, one way that museums and scholars in the 19th century could display or study artistic or archaeological objects was by replication. A noteworthy example of this practice was the making and sale of plaster copies of carved Medieval ivory objects for example. The skilfully furnished copies were called “fictile ivories”. A recent exhibition by the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museums has also explored this topic, which you can read about (and watch) here. A collection of such fictile ivories had been purchased and catalogued by Amgueddfa Cymru (then the Welsh Museum of Natural History, Arts and Antiquities) and has since been housed within the Archaeology Stores, one example being the panel carving of various saints. 

Siân, Senior Curator Collections Development: Medieval, Jeff and I set about scouring the text-only 1902 catalogue of over 130 “ivories” to attempt to match up the descriptions with what we saw in the collection. The reasoning behind this approach was twofold: firstly, to understand which copies were still present in the collections; secondly, to better be able to identify and connect the artefacts to those housed in museums like the V&A and indeed to the original objects from which the replicas were derived. Fortunately, the magic of photography and extensively digitised collections made the work a little easier, as most of the “ivories” and the Museum’s catalogue reference biblical scenes or mythological scenes less known to contemporary audiences (me!). Though a maddening experience of déjà vu and (carefully) rifling through boxes of (sometimes large and unwieldy) casts, I am honoured to have been connected in some small way to part of the early collections of the Museum. The slightly odd-looking faces and unexpected creatures present were certainly a bonus. 

Were it not abundantly obvious – I’ve had a fantastic time volunteering with Amgueddfa Cymru. Not only was it a chance to get up close and personal with some incredible artefacts and pieces of Welsh history, but I’ve also met some amazing and kind people in the Museum staff. Everyone from the Security to the Volunteering team, to the Archaeology department have been generous and welcoming. I shall treasure the time spent laughing and learning in the Archaeology stores (and in the break room!).

A very special thanks go to Elizabeth Walker, Evan Chapman, and Siân Iles without whom I would not have had the pleasure of the above-described adventure, nor would I have understood half of what I do now. Thanks also to Jeff for his friendship, support and, especially, his voice in reading out various numbers and coordinates.

Further Reading:

The Museum’s Collections Online database is a great place to find photos of and information about objects!

Prehistory

[ARTICLE] ‘A Day in Archaeology – Sorting out the storeroom’ by Elizabeth Walker

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/resource/sorting-out-the-storeroom-dr-elizabeth-a--walker--principal-curator--collections---access--amgueddfa-cymru---national-museum-wales-.html

[ARTICLE] ‘The Cave Men of Ice Age Wales’ by Elizabeth Walker

https://museum.wales/articles/1317/The-Cave-Men-of-Ice-Age-Wales/

[ARTICLE] ‘The oldest people in Wales – Neanderthal teeth from Pontnewydd Cave’ by Elizabeth Walker

https://museum.wales/articles/1014/The-oldest-people-in-Wales---Neanderthal-teeth-from-Pontnewydd-Cave/

[VIDEO] Cambrian Archaeological Association Presidential Address 2022 (Elizabeth A Walker): The significance of Welsh Caves to Palaeolithic Archaeology

https://cambrians.org.uk/elizabeth-a-walker-presidential-address-2022/  [Mention of Coygan begins at 27:16]

Roman

[ARTICLE] ‘A Day in Archaeology – The Llantrisant Fawr Hoard’ by Evan Chapman https://www.archaeologyuk.org/resource/llantrisant-fawr-hoard-by-evan-chapman--senior-curator--archaeology-at-amgueddfa-cymru-museum-wales.html

[ARTICLE] ‘Segontium – The Romans in North Wales’ by Evan Chapman

https://museum.wales/articles/1322/Segontium---The-Romans-in-North-Wales/

[ARTICLE] ‘Gelligaer Roman fort’ by Evan Chapman

https://museum.wales/articles/1328/Gelligaer-Roman-fort/

Medieval

[ARTICLE] ‘Medieval Cardiff’

https://museum.wales/articles/1334/Medieval-Cardiff/

[ARTICLE] ‘A Day in Archaeology – Medieval Floor Tiles Project at Amgueddfa Cymru’ by Jennifer Frost (Volunteer)

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/resource/medieval-floor-tiles-volunteering-project-at-amgueddfa-cymru-museum-wales.html

[ARTICLE] ‘A Day in Archaeology – Medieval Floor Tiles Project at Amgueddfa Cymru: Part 2’ by Siân Iles 

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/resource/medieval-floor-tiles-volunteering-project-at-amgueddfa-cymru--part-2--museum-wales-.html

Sources:

Aldhouse-Green, S., Scott, K., Schwarcz, H., Grün, R., Housley, R., Rae, A., Bevins, R. and Redknap, M. 1995. ‘Coygan Cave, Laugharne, South Wales, a Mousterian Site and Hyaena Den: a Report on the University of Cambridge Excavations’, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 61, pp. 37-79.

Guest, P. 2022. ‘The Forum-Basilica at Caerwent (Venta Silurum): A History of the Roman Silures’, Britannia, 53, pp. 227-267.

Una is undergoing essential repairs at Boston Lodge, the engineering works of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways. In December and January, a group of volunteers spent a couple of weekends offering their time to help with the task! 

Una the engine was built in 1905 by the Hunslet company of Leeds and worked at Pen-yr-Orsedd until about 1960, being used mainly to haul wagons of rubble inside the Quarry. Sadly, she failed her safety tests a few years ago and has had to remain out of action since then - much to the disappointment of staff and visitors.

This opportunity to help with the repairs has been a part of the collaboration between Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways and the National Slate Museum, as we knew people would jump at the chance to be a part of Una’s story! 

Over the course of two weekends, several volunteers helped to sand, scrape, clean and prepare metalwork from Una, ready for repainting. This is an essential part of restoring Una and ensuring the steam engine is preserved for future generations, as fresh paint helps protect the metal. 

"The day I spent working on Una has led to me pursuing the opportunity to volunteer on other projects within the Northwest Wales Slate Heritage Site... I really enjoyed the day" 

- David, volunteer

A big thank you to all those who came and contributed their time on cold winter weekends! It was wonderful to share Una’s story and see everyone’s passion shine through. 

As work continues with Una, we hope to offer more opportunities for people to engage with the journey! Join our mailing list to ensure you are kept up to date with the latest opportunities: 

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The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government via Cyngor Gwynedd as part of the Llewyrch o'r Llechi project, Welsh Government including the Community Facilities Programme, the Wolfson Foundation and The Garfield Weston Foundation and other funders. We are extremely grateful to all our funders for their support. 

I know, archaeology is not something you would automatically associate with the Slate Museum – it’s usually geology! But in December, three volunteers joined us to take part with the archaeological surveying required for the enabling works of the redevelopment project at National Slate Museum, Llanberis.

Archaeology Wales were commissioned to survey and record two features at the Gilfach Ddu workshops, where the museum is based. They were recording a post-1970s staircase in the Foundry, and original railway tracks outside in the yard. This surveying is required due to the Gilfach Ddu workshops being a listed building, and to ensure anything changed during the redevelopment project is recorded. The staircase is being replaced with a more accessible and safer design, whereas the railway tracks will be replaced once drainage has been installed beneath them. 

Three volunteers, Nicola, Donna and Shay, joined buildings archaeologist Emily to draw and photograph these features, creating a permanent record for the future. This provided volunteers with a good base of knowledge of buildings archaeology and how to survey features by drawing and photographing. It also gave a great opportunity to learn about the Slate Museum redevelopment and the improvements being made. 

DIOLCH Nicola, Donna a Shay! 

Sign up to the mailing list to hear about any future volunteering opportunities with the Slate Museum:

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The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government via Cyngor Gwynedd as part of the Llewyrch o'r Llechi project, Welsh Government including the Community Facilities Programme, the Wolfson Foundation and The Garfield Weston Foundation and other funders. We are extremely grateful to all our funders for their support. 

My name is Anna Watson and I’ve been volunteering with the National Museum of Wales since November 2024. I volunteer every week as a collection care assistant in the conservation department. I have enjoyed the experience immensely as every week is different, so I am always learning something new and developing my skills. I began this volunteering role after finishing my MSc in Care of Collections with Cardiff University and this opportunity has been fantastic for putting the skills I gained from that course into practice. So far, I have been able to help with exhibition maintenance in the art galleries and natural histories department, microclimate maintenance in archaeology, collection audits in entomology and have helped clean and relocate the fluid store (pictured here)! The opportunity to work in multiple departments and meet so many different curators, conservators and technicians who are all specialists in their fields has been invaluable and each week I am excited to see what we will do next.

Between October 2024 and May 2025, I have been lucky enough to volunteer within the archaeological collections of Amgueddfa Cymru. Every Thursday, myself and my fellow volunteers were able to handle, identify and catalogue a vast collection of prehistoric stone tools gathered by Henry Stopes in the late 19^th century. 

During our weekly sessions, we were encouraged by our supervisor, Principal Curator Elizabeth Walker, to understand and recognise the uses that these tools had within their communities across the globe. Beginning with this identification, we learnt how to categorise the tool’s usage based on their markings. We then numbered and categorised the tools using Stopes’ system so that they could be inputted onto the online database.

Our work as volunteers meant that Amgueddfa Cymru could succeed in completing its counting of the Stopes collection, which was acquired by the museum in 1912, allowing the collection to become fully accessible to the public. As a Cardiff University student, volunteering at Amgueddfa Cymru allowed me to gain experience relevant to my degree and work hands-on with artefacts ranging from flint arrowheads to jewellery made from bone! 

I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore the inner workings of this amazing institution and meet the dedicated professionals and volunteers that work within it. Being a volunteer has truly been an enriching and valuable experience!