Museum Blogs

Change is coming to the National Waterfront Museum. You may have already notice small changes around the museum. But the Weston, Hall, the museum’s vast modern heart is about to be reimagined as the beating centre of a bold new story about Wales and its ever-evolving relationship with the sea. 

Wales’s maritime heritage is so much more than ropes, anchors, and model ships. Therefore, our vision for the Weston Hall is far more dynamic – a space that aims to inspire, surprise and spark conversation. A place where the stories of people, trade, migration, innovation, culture and sanctuary meet at the water’s edge.

A Beacon Reborn

One of the first objects that will capture your eye as you enter the museum will be a magnificent lighthouse optic, dating back to the mid 19^th century.

For decades, this great glass giant has rested in storage, its prisms silent and still. Now it will rise again, radiant and alive, transforming into a symbol of hope and renewal. Each day, visitors will be able to watch as the intricate mechanism is wound – a ritual that will power the optic to spin and shine. 

It won’t just illuminate the hall with its light, but it will also illuminate with meaning. The optic will represent the lives spent at sea and the safety Welsh lighthouses provided. Here at the National Waterfront Museum, it will also stand as a beacon of sanctuary, reflecting the museum’s status as a Museum of Sanctuary and our commitment to being a welcoming space for everyone. 

From this point, visitors will be invited to journey deeper, into the heart of Wales’s maritime heritage and the people whose lives it shaped. 

A Journey Along the Rails

Stepping further into the Weston Hall, and you’ll encounter something unexpected: a restored Rhymney Railway covered van, and the only surviving example from over 300 covered vans owned by this Welsh railway company. It will once again be poised on the original tracks that still cut through the museum floor. 

To bring the story of our historic home alive, the railway van will be used to interpret the trade handle by the warehouse, and to provide context for the colonnade and its integral railway tracks set into the floor. 

When it takes its place in the Weston Hall, it will stand as a reminder that Wales’s connection with the sea doesn’t start at the shoreline, but with the industry and innovation that dominated the Welsh landscape and communities from North to South. 

Art on the Horizon

From the old to the new, our exciting art commission will soon rise into the air, to be unveiled in early spring 2026. Suspended from the roof of the Weston Hall, this remarkable piece by Jacqui Symons will interpret Wales’s connection to the sea through creativity and emotion. It will challenge visitors to look at familiar waters with new eyes.

Jacqui Symons was the successful artist from over 30 submissions of inspirational and creative concepts and ideas, and we cannot wait to see the vision transform from paper to reality. 

Shaping the Story Together

The transformation of the Weston Hall marks the beginning of a new voyage for the National Waterfront Museum. So, make sure you join us on the journey, watch the carriage roll into place, be there when the waves of creativity rise and discover the stories of the sea and the people shaped by its tides.  

There’s a familiar hush in the air as winter settles in – a soft woolly quiet that signals the arrival of our favourite season here at the National Wool Museum. The temperatures outside might be dropping, but inside, everything is warm and welcoming. 

Step into the museum and straight into a celebration of heritage, craft and comfort. The museum is adorned with hand-knitted Christmas decorations, lovingly crafted by our talented craftspeople. From plump stockings to a menagerie of woollen animals, every piece carries the charm of handmade warmth.

Our craftspeople have also been busy weaving this year’s exquisite Christmas blankets in the newly renovated Weaving Shed, and trust us they are as cosy as they are beautiful. Each blanket is a blend of traditional techniques, design and festive flair. They’re selling fast, so if you’re on the hunt for a gift that feels like a hug, make sure you visit the shop before they all disappear!

Speaking of gifts… there’s something special for every kind of wool-lover in our shop. Choose from beautiful soft scarves, produced right here on our Hattersley Loom, thick woven socks and a variety of beautiful textile and woollen gifts. Treat the crafter in your life to a place on our Learn to Spin courses – always popular and a perfect present for hands eager to create something unique.

This year, we’re delighted to offer even more festive fun for the whole family! Little ones (and big fans too) will be thrilled to meet Bluey, who’s popping in for a festive visit and special story time. Bring your best smiles and snap a photo or two with everyone’s favourite character. 

And for those with a sweet tooth, don’t miss the chance to decorate your own Christmas Cookie activity – a delightful way to spark creativity and festive joy with your children. This hands-on activity is available at an extra cost and includes everything you need to craft your own tasty masterpiece. 

Once your cookies are decorated and your woolly shopping bags are full, take a moment to unwind in our cosy café. Warm up with a steaming hot chocolate, treat yourself to a slice of delicious cake and enjoy the company of friends and family as the winter winds swirl outside. 

So, come in from the cold and get wrapped up in wool. With magical decorations, heartwarming crafts, family fun, and delicious treats, the National Wool Museum has something for everyone this Christmas. 

We can’t wait to welcome you – wrapped in warmth, laughter and woolly magic!

It's been an extraordinary twelve months for the National Slate Museum Redevelopment Project. 

Since we temporarily closed our doors in November 2024, the team has undertaken the incredible feat of preparing the museum for redevelopment. 

We've been successful with a hugely ambitious £12m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This, together with the investment from our other supporters, has finally enabled us to realise the full ambition of the project.  

We've safely packaged  and moved our collections to their temporary home at Llandygai Collections Centre and we've appointed MPH Ltd as lead contractor and started the exciting and highly specialised work of conservation and repair on site. 

During the enabling works phase, we've seen the demolition of the old shop and café buildings in preparation for the new developments on site. It has been incredible to see these parts of the site temporarily returned to how they looked when the workshops were in operation.

Our staff and collections have taken the museum experience beyond the museum walls into partner locations across the World Heritage Site with our ambitious 'Museum on the Move' campaign. Some of our staff are located at the Quarry Hospital here in Llanberis where we've introduced a new Museum character - Margaret the Matron!  Our slate quarrymen have made themselves at home in their temporary location at Penrhyn Castle, a powerful and symbolic moment for the story of slate and its place in the history of our local communities here in northwest Wales. Our Blacksmith meanwhile has a space at Crefft Migldi Magldi in the slate quay in Caernarfon working alongside another young Blacksmith. 

We've also been working very hard on designs for some of the key areas for reinterpretation in the Museum which has been very exciting. 

Below is a list of some of the things that have taken place thanks to the dedication of our extraordinary team and wider partners. 

• 123 people attended our Silent Spaces Tours of the Museum before closing. 
• 27,643 people have visited our semi-permanent locations
• We’ve been to 19 community events where we’ve met and engaged with 1068 people. 
• 1,115 children have enjoyed our digital and in person Learning activities including the Quarryman’s Day, the waterwheel challenge and 'Strike!' 
• We used 1,734 cable ties to label all the original nails in the walls of the Museum. 
• 165 objects have been boxed up at the Museum to protect them from damage.
• We've packed away 13,208 objects to our new collections centre in Llandygai by 
• The collections team have hosted 13 visits to the Llandygai Collections Centre and provided guided tours to 119 people.

It feels like a good time to pause, reflect and celebrate what we have achieved over the last year but the pace of the project shows no signs of slowing! 

Over the next two years we will continue to evolve the visitor experience on site including the exhibitions that will define a truly world-class gateway to the world heritage site of the Slate Landscapes of North-West Wales alongside our partners across this special region. Watch this space! 

As part of the Wales REACH project, we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with a range of housing associations and community organisations across Wales. Among these are Adra and Yr Orsaf, both dedicated to supporting people in North Wales with housing and community initiatives.

Discover what Lotti, Yr Orsaf’s Heritage Officer, has been organising and delivering in Dyffryn Nantlle as part of the Wales REACH programme.

How do cultures, histories, and language sit within the open arms of this valley, swim with the rivers, and dance across the etched cliff faces? These are some of the things I have been ruminating on as a Heritage Officer - neu Swyddog Treftadaeth - in Dyffryn Nantlle over the past few months. See Fig 1.

I arrived to this role at Yr Orsaf community hub feeling a post-uni-lostness; I had returned to my childhood home near Clynnog after spending time away in Oxford and felt pretty rusty in my Welsh. Thus, working as a heritage officer in Dyffryn Nantlle was a time re-turn and re-connection. 

Our first session - Noson Hen lunia/Old Pictures Evening - was a chance to open up conversations about heritage. It was golden to hear people’s pride and passion for their sense of place, and to see such care that people had for material pieces relating to their past.  See Fig 2.

Seeing old images of Penygroes shocked me: a bustling place of independent shops, trains, quarrying, a cinema, when compared to its relative understatedness now. Someone told me about the fun they had dancing and singing at farms for Noson Lawen and the excitement of meeting people from different towns at Clynnog disco. Beyond nostalgia, seeing how Dyffryn Nantlle has changed over time also gave me excitement at the feeling of possibility and was a reminder of the importance of ongoing community work happening at places like Yr Orsaf. See Fig 3.

Our Noson Streuon - storytelling night - was bustling with eager listeners for Gwynn and Gethin’s tales. I was mesmerised by Gethin’ delicate, unfurling image of the oak sampling sprouting up before the grand tale of Blodeuwedd and Lleu Llaw Gyffes. What felt most meaningful were that the stories were rooted in this landscape - that the story of the tylwyth teg unfolded on a farm just across from the top of the high street and another one just down at the river I cycled passed on the way to work. It added cultural depth to my internal map of home. I had never been to a storytelling yn Gymraeg. It felt right to hear these stories in the language of which they had been borne, the language of this land; a powerful holder of heritage. 

Heritage is a personal thing, where complex feelings towards it are shaped by particular moments and experiences. As a heritage officer, this means a humble approach that recognises that people already have their own heritages and connect to them in a range of personal ways.

Our collaging afternoon with year 6 from Ysgol Bro Lleu and our fortnightly coffee club for older members of the community - BeNawnNi - was an example of the reciprocal learning that can emerge from intergenerational exchange. Many of the older members were unsure about collaging since it was something that they did not have much experience of. Meanwhile, the primary school kids got stuck right in and took up the opportunity to show their older counterparts what they were doing. They worked together to collage their favourite places in Dyffryn Nantlle and talk about what it meant to them. See Fig 4. 

Our three open evenings in May - Nosweithiau Treftadaeth - provided a space for people to share their knowledge and experiences of living in Dyffryn Nantlle. I got to hear about captivating things that have punctuated people’s lives: the trembling cupboards of the 1984 Llŷn Peninsula earthquake (5.4 Richter scale!), traces of old ways of land ownership in the landscape such as names carved on rocks, and a familial pride at the sight of old farming equipment such as maen melin (millstones). Even mysterious, ghostly musings of a flying circus act that once came to Dorothea Quarry. See Fig 5. 

From these heritage events arose particular challenges. How, for example, to engage secondary school age people in heritage? I found the recent work by Gwyrddni with local schools on the theme of climate change very inspiring. Their work culminated in a bright, big book and a beautiful range of singing and poetry performances for the crew at BeNawnNi. What struck me was that their work not only touched on themes of climate change but were also deeply rooted in a sense of place and heritage. This performance showed me the opportunities that arise when we approach heritage with loosened meanings, one that does not wholly have to be fixed on the past, but is an ongoing process; a conversation that encompasses practices and ways of living that are important for the future. 

Following this theme of heritage as an ongoing process, later workshops explored heritage by actively doing arts and crafts. We had weaving and natural dyeing sessions with the artist Ella Jones, made sculptural portraits of local famous figures with Luned Rhys Parri, and braided willow baskets with Eirian Muse while listening to Welsh folk on BBC Radio Cymru. See Fig 6. 

Following a theme of wool, we had a series of sessions on natural dyeing woollen embroidery threads with a local community textiles company called Tecstiliau, and a bowl felting workshop with Nicole LeMaire. Angharad Tomos kindly showed me poems along the way which were relevant to the agricultural love of place that has been nurtured in this area. Reading them during the workshop provided a lovely framing for reflecting on the relationship between wool and this landscape while working with our hands. Many people mentioned grandmothers who had been skilled quilters, embroiderers and makers of clothing. See Fig 7 and 8. 

Heritage will continue to be cultivated in Dyffryn Nantlle. The very active ‘Criw Kate’ group in Penygroes are organising a festival for the prominent writer - Kate Roberts - at Cae’r Gors in September. I am particularly excited about an old place names project which we started off in August with a session for collecting field names from farmers. Place names - like ‘mini pdf files’ - give interesting and surprising clues about past land use, topographical features like water sources, or can even connect to folktales. Names can change with different ownership or be passed down for generations. Elinor Gwynn and Carwyn Graves - who recently did a talk about the ‘Iaith Yn Y Tir/Language in The Land’ at Yr Orsaf - have been particularly inspiring in this regards; attending to the ways relationships with land have been carried in Cymraeg - is key to making a more just future which respects the beautiful ways that people have inhabited places across time. 

I am grateful to have been entrusted with people’s memories and stories over the past few months. To braid these strands together, I hope that we can make something creative and collaborative with these place names, such as a quilt or an embroidery piece, to celebrate their beauty and rootedness in this landscape.

Keep an eye out for others upcoming blogs, showcasing the amazing work that’s been happening across all our participating communities. 

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. 

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.