Carmarthen art gallery set for £2m revamp to boost visitors

Oriel Myrddin Gallery offers arts activities as well as exhibitions

Nearly £2m could be spent revamping a Grade II-listed contemporary art gallery to boost visitor numbers.

Carmarthenshire council leaders have pledged £890,000 to expand Oriel Myrddin Gallery in Carmarthen, to match £1m from the Arts Council of Wales.

The former Victorian art school, which now specialises in contemporary art, would take over two derelict buildings.

Carmarthen Mayor Jeffrey Thomas said the scheme could help create a cultural quarter on King Street.

Originally built in 1892, the gallery on Church Lane opened in its present guise in 1991, offering a range of exhibitions and activities, plus a shop selling crafts, books and cards.

If the redevelopment and expansion is approved, a new main entrance would be built on the busier King Street.

Council bosses heard that the investment could lead to Oriel Myrddin becoming one of several regional sites chosen to show national collections of contemporary art.

Oriel Myrddin Gallery was originally built as an art school in 1892

Presenting a report, Peter Hughes-Griffiths, cabinet member for culture, said there was "a great opportunity" at hand.

"It could become one of the best modern galleries in Wales," he said.

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The mayor, who also chairs the town's regeneration forum, said the forum and the town council had been trying to turn part of King Street into a cultural quarter.

"The investment will enhance that vision and undoubtedly aid footfall into that part of town," he said.

"I hope it will be approved."

The plan will now be considered at a budget meeting in March, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.