Press Releases

New look for Welsh dresser

Johnstown’s treasures on display at St Fagans’ new gallery

The traditional Welsh dresser, as seen at Oriel 1 at St Fagans: National History Museum, is typically used to display the family’s best china collection and favourite ornaments. Therefore, faced with the challenge of curating a dresser of contemporary objects for the Museum, the Youth Management Committee of Johnstown, near Wrexham, chose items that were important to their community. These will be revealed during a launch event at the Museum on Saturday 10 November 2007.

One of the members, Dorothy Hind chose a letter from WWII. She said:

“My late Uncle Tommy went away to war, and escaped twice from the Germans. On one escape he was on a train going to a prisoner of war camp, and he loosened the floorboards, and dropped on to the railway line. He was found by a French farmer, who put him in touch with the French Resistance. I just think that he deserves to be remembered in some way.”

 

An integral part of Oriel 1, the exhibit will be on display for six months. Other objects chosen include a Johnstown 2000 keyring, a miner’s helmet, a commemorative tile, a present from South Africa and a fencing foil. The collection also includes one of Mark Hughes’s Welsh shirts, on loan by kind permission from Wrexham County Borough Museum. Mark Hughes opened a Community Centre in Johnstown in July, and used to play for a Johnstown junior team there before becoming famous.   

 

Councillor David Bithell from Johnstown said:

“I am pleased Johnstown is displaying local items as part of St Fagans’ Welsh Dresser to remember the history of the village and surrounding communities. The project is an excellent initiative to communicate stories behind local historical items with people from other parts of Wales.”

This is the second of a series of community schemes for Oriel 1, one of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’s centenary projects, which is sponsored by Principality Building Society. Owain Rhys, Curator of Contemporary Life at St Fagans: National History Museum commented:

“The contemporary dresser in Oriel 1 – curated by Johnstown Youth Management Committee – is a modern-day response to the traditional Welsh dresser. Oriel 1 focuses on what it means to be Welsh and to live in Wales today. Working with Johnstown community has been fantastic and we’re pleased their efforts will be on view for others to appreciate.”

If you’d like to get involved, please contact Owain Rhys (029) 2057 3529 or e-mail owain.rhys@museumwales.ac.uk.

Admission to Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

 

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales operates seven national museums across Wales. These are National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

 

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales celebrates its centenary in 2007. For more details go to the 07 pages on our website.

 

Ends

 

For further information, photographs or interview opportunities, please contact Catrin Mears, Communications Officer, on (029) 2057 3486 / e-mail catrin.mears@museumwales.ac.uk.

 

Photo caption: Johnstown Youth Management Committee (left to right): Dorothy Hind, Sarah Jones, Ken Valentine and in the front, Leonard Broadbent.

 

Notes to Editors:

  • Oriel 1 is one of St Fagans’ newest attractions which uses objects, photography, film, art, personal stories and experiences to show what it means to be Welsh and to live in Wales today. Exploring the theme of Belonging, the Gallery demonstrates that there are many different ways of feeling a part of our country. The gallery encourages visitors from Wales and beyond to play their part and share their views on how the languages they speak, their family and friends, their roots and their beliefs influence who they are.

 

  • Johnstown Youth Management Committee was formed in September 2004 and has been working to improve youth facilities in the village. They also have a steering group looking at the local heritage and have been involved in projects such as the ‘time shadow sculpture’ which is today at the summit of Hafod, nearby.

·         Principality Building Society - Wales’s biggest building society - is the main sponsor of Oriel 1, one of St Fagans: National History Museum’s newest attractions. By investing in this new gallery, which was created in partnership with local groups, schools, authors, artists and poets, Principality Building Society is honouring its longstanding commitment to supporting the communities of Wales.

Formed in 1860, Principality Building Society now has 50 branches across the country and over 420,000 members.

For further information, please visit www.principality.co.uk.

·         WESTCO flooring, suppliers of real wood and laminate floors, are proud to sponsor a series of activity booklets for families to use in Oriel 1 and the wider museum site at St Fagans.