Press Releases

The grant will enable NMGW to extend its existing collections facilities at the National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff and the Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, as well as at its storage site at Nantgarw, Rhondda Cynon Tâf. This will allow the Museum's wide ranging collections to be housed in better conditions whilst addressing recommendations made in the National Audit Office's recent report on the Museum's collections management strategy.

With the National Waterfront Museum, highlighting the history of industry and innovation of Wales, opening in summer 2005, the improved facilities will enable NMGW to provide a series of rotating displays on a wide range of industrial topics at the site in Swansea's maritime quarter. The money will also allow NMGW to further develop its partnership work across Wales.

Whilst the main funding for this work has come from the Welsh Assembly Government, NMGW continues to seek private and wider public sector funding to finalise the financial package for the scheme, which will cost approximately £5 million in total.

"We are delighted to announce our exciting plans for developing and improving our collections facilities at NMGW," said Michael Houlihan, the Museum's Director General. "The money allocated by the Welsh Assembly Government is a great boost to our work, and will help us to make our collections, including our important but little-seen reserve collections, more accessible to the public than ever before."

Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, Alun Pugh AM, added:

"I am delighted that NMGW is using this previously promised Assembly funding in such a strategic way, not only to improve its storage facilities but also to extend public access to its vast range of collections"

NMGW currently has six sites across Wales, the National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff; the Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans; Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon; Big Pit: National Mining Museum, Blaenafon; National Woollen Museum, Dre-fach Felindre and the Welsh Slate Museum, Llanberis. The National Waterfront Museum at Swansea opens in 2005.

Entry to all NMGW sites is free of charge thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

For more information please contact:
Julie Richards, NMG Press Officer
Direct line: 029 2057 3185
Email: Julie.richards@museumwales.ac.uk