The Wrexham Tailor’s Quilt, 1842–52 Elen Phillips, 2 March 2020 Wrexham Tailor’s Quilt, 1842–52 Collections Online: Patchwork Bedcover Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is home to over two hundred examples of quilting and patchwork. This vast collection includes a wide variety of styles and techniques, ranging in date from the early 1700s to the present day. The Wrexham Tailor’s Quilt is probably one of the most well-known patchworks produced in Wales. Made by James Williams – a military master tailor from 8 College Street, Wrexham – its design is unlike any other in the Museum’s collection. The quilt’s background is a pieced composition of diamond patches, chevrons, squares and rhomboids. Biblical scenes dominate the centre – Adam naming the animals, Jonah and the Whale, Noah’s Ark with a dove bearing an olive branch, and Cain and Abel. Other figurative motifs include Thomas Telford’s Menai Suspension Bridge (opened in 1826), a Chinese pagoda, and Cefn Viaduct, complete with a crossing steam train. Details are picked out through embroidery in silk thread. Meticulously pieced, James Williams made his quilt by recycling a variety of felted woollen cloths, possibly off-cuts of broadcloth from military uniforms. In total, it consists of 4,525 separate pieces of cloth, butt-joined with overcast stitches worked from the reverse. Examples of this type of inlaid (‘intarsia’) patchwork found in museum collections are usually the work of professional tailors. The technique requires a high degree of skill and the use of thick cloth that does not fray to accommodate the oversewing required. According to family history, James Williams spent a decade completing the piece, the work being done in his leisure hours between 1842 and 1852. The quilt soon became an exhibition piece; it was displayed at the Art Treasures Exhibition in Wrexham in 1876, at the Palace of Arts in Wembley in 1925, and to much public acclaim at the Wrexham National Eisteddfod of 1933. Census returns for the Wrexham area suggest that James Williams was born in 1818. His tailoring establishment appears in numerous trade directories from the 1850s onwards. He died in 1895, leaving his son to inherit the family business. Forty years after his death, the economic depression of the 1930s prompted Williams’s grandson to sell the quilt to the Museum, stating that “it has always been my wish that the quilt should be sent to [the] National Museum of Wales so as my fellow countrymen should have the opportunity to admire a work of art that today could not be done if you were to pay the most skilful craftsman £1 a minute to do”.
The Gilbern – too good to be a ‘one-off’ Ian Smith, 30 July 2019 Gilbern is a name synonymous with Welsh car making. Over 1,000 vehicles were produced in a factory at Llantwit Fardre, in the Rhondda valley, between 1959 and 1974.The cars were the brainchild of Giles Smith and Bernard Friese; 'Gilbern' came out of a combination of their first names. Bernard was an engineer and Giles a butcher. Giles wanted to build his own car and Bernard had experience of working with fibreglass, so they worked together to produce a car that was destined to become the Gilbern GT. The first car was built in 1959 in a shed behind the butcher’s shop in Church Village near Pontypridd.Local racing driver Peter Cotterell was invited to view the car and loved it from the start. It was decided that the car was too good to be just a one-off and that they should form a company and go into production. Cotterell himself owned many Gilbern GTs and modified them for racing.The original mechanical parts were from Austins and Austin Healeys, although Cotterell fitted a number of different engines in his racing cars, including 1600 MGA and 1800 MGB engines. One car, made for racer Ken Wilson, had a 4.5 litre V8 Chevrolet engine and a Jaguar independent rear axle! Gilbern Invaders on show at an owners’ rally in 2009 In 1961, the pair bought premises in Llantwit Fadre and started production in earnest. At first the company produced one car a month, but by 1965 production had increased to four a month.In 1966 a new car, the Gilbern Genie, was produced. This was a bigger family car than the sporty GT, and with a V6 Ford engine it had plenty of power. The GT 1800 was produced in tandem with the Genie for a little while, but was then gradually phased out in 1967.The company never made huge sums of money but Giles and Bernard kept the company ticking over until April 1968, when it was sold to the ACE Group, which was based near the Gilbern factory. Gilbern GTs on show at an owners’ rally in 2009 Giles and Bernard were to stay on as directors but Giles left soon after the takeover. Bernard stayed for about a year before he also left the company.The Genie was replaced by the Gilbern Invader Marks I, II, and by 1972 a Mark III; an Invader Estate was also built in 1971.The company produced the exciting prototype two-seater sports car – the T11. Only one of these was built and the model never went into production. This T11 is still around, though; it's been fully restored and looks fantastic! The Gilbern T11 only got as far as the prototype stage From 1972 to 1974 the company struggled to make a profit and, even with a succession of investors, it finally closed in 1974.We have three Gilberns in our collection at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. One, a Gilbern GT Mark 1, is on display at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. The other two Gilberns are normally to be found in the National Collections Centre in Nantgarw and are brought out from time to time for exhibitions or special displays. Both are Gilbern Invaders – a Mark II which is green and a Mark III automatic in purple. The Mark III was the last production model to be made by the company, but they did produce two prototypes which never went into production.Following a suggestion that the Invader would make a good police car the company extended one to make a four-door version – four doors being needed to allow passengers or prisoners to get in the back easily. This idea never came to fruition, though.
Uncovering our Collections: Half a Million Records now Online 26 March 2018 As we reveal half a million collection records for the first time, we look at some of the strangest and most fascinating objects from National Museum Wales Collections Online. This article contains photos of human skeletal fragments. The Biggest We have some real whoppers in our collections - including a full-size Cardiff Tram and a sea rescue helicopter - but the biggest item in our collection is actually Oakdale Workmen's Institute. Built in 1917, the Institute features a billiard room, dance hall and library - and is nowadays found in St Fagans National Museum of History. Horace Watkins testing his monoplane in 1908 Many of the buildings in St Fagans are part of the national collection - meaning they have the same legal status as one of our masterpiece Monets or this coin hoard. The buildings are dismantled, moved, rebuilt - and cared for using traditional techniques, by the museum's legendary Historic Buildings Unit. The Oldest The oldest human remains ever discovered in Wales These teeth belonged to an eight year-old Neanderthal boy - and at 230,000 years old, they are the oldest human remains in Wales. They were discovered in a cave near Cefn Meiriadog in Denbighshire, along with a trove of other prehistoric finds, including stone tools and the remains of a bear, a lion, a leopard and a rhinocerous tooth. These teeth are among some of the incredible objects on display at St Fagans National Museum of History The Shiniest People in Wales have been making, trading and wearing beautiful treasures from gold for thousands of years - like this Bronze Age hair ornament and this extremely blingy Medieval signet. At around 4000 years old, this sun disc is one of the earliest and rarest examples of Welsh bling One of the earliest examples of Welsh bling is this so-called 'sun disc', found near Cwmystwyth in Ceredigion. Current research suggests that these 'sun discs' were part of ancient funeral practice, most likely sewn onto the clothes of the dead before their funerals. Only six have ever been found in the UK. Most Controversial At first glance, an ordinary Chapel tea service - used by congregations as they enjoyed a 'paned o de' after a service. A closer look reveals the words - 'Capel Celyn'. The chapel, its graveyard and surrounding village are now under water. Capel Celyn, in the Tryweryn Valley, is now underwater Flooded in 1965 by the Liverpool Corporation, the Tryweryn valley became a flashpoint for Welsh political activism - creating a new generation of campaigners who pushed for change in how Welsh communities were treated by government and corporations. Curators from St Fagans collected these as an example of life in Capel Celyn - to serve as a poignant reminder of a displaced community, and to commemorate one of the most politically charged moments of the 20th century in Wales. Honourable Mention: an Airplane made from a Dining Room Chair Made from a dining room chair, piano wire and a 40 horsepower engine, the Robin Goch (Red Robin) was built in 1909 - and also features a fuel gauge made from an egg timer. The Robin Goch (Red Robin) on display at the National Waterfront Museum Its builder, Horace Watkins, was the son of a Cardiff printer - here he is pictured with an earlier, even more rickety version of his famous monoplane. Horace Watkins testing his monoplane in 1908 Our collections are full of stories which reflect Wales' unique character and history. The Robin Goch is one of the treasures of the collection, and is an example of Welsh ingenuity at its best. Half a Million Searchable Items The launch of Collections Online uncovers half a million records, which are now searchable online for the first time. “Collections Online represents a huge milestone in our work, to bring more of our collections online and to reach the widest possible audience. It’s also just the beginning. It’s exciting to think how people in Wales and beyond will explore these objects, form connections, build stories around them, and add to our store of knowledge." – Chris Owen, Web Manager Search Collections Online Plans for the future Our next project will be to work through these 500,000 records, adding information and images as we go. We'll be measuring how people use the collections, to see which objects provoke debate or are popular with our visitors. That way, we can work out what items to photograph next, or which items to consider for display in our seven national museums. Preparing and photographing the collections can take time, as some items are very fragile and sensitive to light. If you would like to support us as we bring the nation's collections online, please donate today - every donation counts. Donate Today We are incredibly grateful to the People's Postcode Lottery for their support in making this collection available online.
Everything except the squeal 30 August 2012 Pigs were once an important part of everyday rural and urban life. They were the ultimate in recycling, converting waste into a useful product. They produced large litters and fattened quickly, eating anything from grass to scraps and leftovers. Killing a pig was a social occasion and friends and neighbours would often take it in turns to slaughter their pigs and share the meat. Share and share alike Bacon hanging from the loft. It shows the way the two pieces are kept separate to ensure they do not touch each other. Slaughtering would usually be carried out between early October and late March, thus providing families with a regular supply of fresh meat throughout the winter. Pork steaks and joints incorporating the ribs and back chain were the usual cuts shared among the community. Dishes prepared from the pig's offal (e.g. faggots and brawn) were also bonus gifts exchanged between friends and relatives, and this custom was practised in parts of south Wales well into the second half of the 20th century. The pleasant task of delivering the cuts of meat was generally allocated to the children, who would be given some money for their trouble. In some districts, this custom was known as hebrwng asgwrn (sending a bone). The remainder of the pig would be salted, and would serve as the main source of meat for the household throughout the year. Nothing Wasted Before the age of mass-produced footballs, children often used a pig's bladders to play ball, shown here with a quill inserted for inflating. Nothing was wasted. The pig's head would be boiled to make brawn. The pig's bristles could be used for brushes, its skin for making leather, blood for black pudding, and even its bladder for a football. It's no wonder that so many people kept pigs. Some even say that the 'piggy bank' acquired its name because it was fed the leftovers of people's small change until it was fat enough to be smashed, and the savings retrieved. Boiling a pigs head to make brawn Part of a film recording all the processes that resulted from pig killing. The work would follow the same pattern all over Wales, apart from making faggots. This would not normally happen in Gwynedd. In that part of Wales, the liver would be fried with onions as a main meal. Making liver and onions: Mrs Edith May Hughes This particular dish was popular as swper chwarel (the evening meal after returning home from the quarry) in the slate quarrying districts of north Wales. Oral history in Welsh: Mrs Edith May Hughes, Llannerch-y-medd, Anglesey describing how her mother used to prepare liver and onions. Mrs Hughes was born in 1904. "Then there was the liver. Mam had a big iron pan on the hob. And she'd cook the liver very slowly. She always had flour to hand, and a board. Then when she went to cut up the liver, there'd be flour on the board, and the liver would be put in it. She'd slice it, and dip it in the flour before frying it. The the onions would be fried, with the liver, slowly. There'd be a panful, by the time the liver was ready. She'd take the liver out, and make a pan full of good gravy with all these onions. The liver would be put in with it and would keep nice and tender, and hot. By the time we came home from school in the evening, you see." Mrs Edith May Hughes, Llannerch-y-medd, Ynys Môn. Born 1904. Recipe: half a pound bacon rashers one pound liver onions salt and pepper a little plain flour Slice the liver and toss in seasoned flour. Fry the bacon rashers lightly and lift out on to a warm dish. Fry the liver and chopped onion in the bacon fat and then place with the bacon. Make gravy by mixing a tablespoonful of plain flour into the fat in the pan, adding a little boiling water and stir well. Boil for a few minutes. Serve this dish with boiled potatoes.
Food from our shores 23 July 2012 Introduction Cockle-gathering on Llan-saint beach. Cockle–gathering tools — a large sieve, a rake and cocses (a bent sickle blade). For centuries, communities living close to the coast have taken advantage of the source of food available to them on the beach or coastal rocks. There is extensive evidence from prehistoric and Roman sites that shellfish have been harvested in Wales throughout the centuries. Free for their collecting, shell-fish have been found in profusion along the coast, the types most commonly collected and marketed by ordinary people being cockles and mussels. Cockle gathering During the latter half of the nineteenth and early decades of the 20th century, female cockle-gatherers were regular stall-holders at urban markets in south Wales. Others sold their harvest from door to door in industrial and coastal villages in both north and south. Cockles, boiled and removed from their shells (cocs rhython), were usually carried in a wooden pail, balanced on the vendor's head, while the untreated variety (cocs cregyn) were carried in a large basket on the arm. By the time she reached her eightieth year one woman from Llan-saint, a coastal village in south Wales, had experienced sixty years of beach-combing for cockles. She referred to the usual pattern of daughters succeeding mothers in this occupation. They were dependent on this source of income. She recalled selling cockles for halfpenny a pint, but towards the end of her career the same quantity was sold for sixpence, a very mean reward for the tedious work involved. Gathering, washing and transporting them home from the beach was the initial stage, which had to be followed by a second process of washing, boiling and further transporting for marketing. Served with bread and butter or oatcakes, cockles made a light meal and were included in various dishes containing eggs or milk and chives. Women in the village of Penrhyndeudraeth, Merioneth, would sing the following rhyme as they sold the shellfish from door to door: Cocos a wya Bara ceirch tena Merched y Penrhyn Yn ysgwyd 'u tina (Eggs and cockles Thin oatcake The girls of Penrhyn Their bottoms ashake) Welsh caviar? Laver gatherer huts (1936) Another important food product from the sea was an edible seaweed called laver. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries women living in the coastal regions of Anglesey, Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire were ardent gatherers of laver. Collected from sea-shore rocks and stones, it had to be washed in seven lots of water to rid it of all its grit and sand. All excess moisture was then removed, and the clean laver boiled away slowly in its own moisture for some seven hours. Finally, it was drained and chopped very finely to give a greeny-black pulp. Tossed in oatmeal and fried in bacon fat, it was usually served with bacon. Know as bara lawr, llafan or menyn y môr, laverbread was prepared as a commercial product by Glamorgan families, and was sold along with the cockles on the market stalls. At one time, these two items were prepared and sold strictly by low-income families. Eventually their marketing was developed into commercial enterprises of considerable importance. Today laverbread, often called Welsh caviar, has found its way on to delicatessen counters and is offered as an hors d'œuvre in first-class restaurants.
