Press Releases

Visitors to St Fagans National Museum of History, the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019, will now be able to see one of Cardiff’s best preserved Victorian pubs – the Vulcan Hotel - being re-erected on the site of the open air museum. The building work is planned to take place over the next three years.

 The Museum’s historic buildings team are currently working on the cellar and exterior walls of the building.

 The Vulcan was built on Adam Street in Cardiff in 1853 to serve the mainly Irish community of what was then called New Town. During its long history it saw major changes as Cardiff grew to become an industrial powerhouse and then the nation’s capital, finally closing its doors for the last time in 2012.

 Amgueddfa Cymru’s historic building team then dismantled the famous Cardiff landmark brick by brick before moving it to St Fagans in 2012.

 For the past eight years, St Fagans has undergone a major £30 million redevelopment to become Wales’ National Museum of History, opening new galleries and workshop spaces and transforming its visitor experience with new buildings such as Bryn Eryr and Llys Llywelyn. Now that the redevelopment is complete, the historic buildings team on site have turned their attention to re-building the Vulcan at the Museum.

 The Vulcan has received financial support from the Simon Gibson Charitable Trust and the Swire Trust towards the construction, skills training and participatory elements of the project.

 Amgueddfa Cymru is a registered charity and will be seeking further support to complete the project. To donate, please go to museum.wales/donate/  

 Bethan Lewis, Head of St Fagans National Museum of History said:

“It’s fantastic to see the building work starting on the Vulcan. The pub will be a welcome and unique addition to the Museum’s collection of historic buildings. This is an important part of Cardiff's heritage and gives us the opportunity to tell some of the area's rich history."

 Jennifer Protheroe-Jones, Principal Curator – Industry, Amgueddfa Cymru, said:

“When it is open, The Vulcan will be displayed as it was in 1915, an important year for the pub. At this time, it had just undergone a major refurbishment that saw its distinctive green and brown tiles added to the frontage, as well as a redesign of its interior.

 “Our curators have already been out and about conducting oral histories with former customers and landlords of the former Adamsdown pub, recording and filming their experiences and memories.

 “We’d love to find out more so if anyone has any stories or photographs or objects related to the Vulcan, we’d love to hear from you.”

 Visitors can keep up to date with the development of the Vulcan through our website www.museum.wales and through following @stfagans_museum

 Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is a family of seven museums and a collections centre, which are all free to enter thanks to the support of the Welsh Government. Together, it is home to the nation’s art, history, heritage and science collections, which will continue to grow so that they can be used and enjoyed by both present and future generations.

 One of its museums, St Fagans National Museum of History which explores the history and culture of Wales, won the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019.

As a registered charity, Amgueddfa Cymru is grateful for all support. The events and exhibitions programme is supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. 

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