St Fagans National Museum of History's new buildings unveiled

  • Published
Main building exteriorImage source, National Museum Wales
Image caption,

The old courtyard has been covered, creating an atrium with a new entrance

A new entrance to St Fagans National Museum of History - the latest phase of a £30m redevelopment - has been unveiled.

A new Gweithdy, a sustainable building for craft making, will also be opened. Both will welcome visitors from Friday.

The redevelopment project, due to be completed in October 2018, is National Museum Wales' biggest ever.

It also marks the greatest period of change for the St Fagans open-air museum since it was founded in 1948.

The facility's existing Grade II-listed main building, originally designed by the Percy Thomas Partnership and completed in 1975, has been refurbished and public space doubled.

Image source, National Museum Wales
Image caption,

The Gweithdy is a new building for craft and making

The old courtyard has been covered, creating an atrium with a new entrance.

Visitor facilities include:

  • the Weston Centre for Learning with activity spaces and a lecture theatre

  • a Collections Study Centre

  • a new reception area, shop and cafe.

Visitors to the Gweithdy will be encouraged to experience traditional skills first-hand.

There will be a wide range of courses and craft workshops on offer, run by skilled craftspeople and artists.

Image source, National Museum Wales
Image caption,

The view inside the new entrance building