Popular Welsh museum forced to close as extreme weather warning issued

Amelia Jones

A beloved Welsh museum has announced a temporary closure due to severe weather conditions

St Fagans National Museum of History made the announcement on their social media earlier today.

The announcement comes after the museum was voted the best free day out in the UK last year.The ranking, which was based on a survey conducted by Which? said: “This open-air museum has a reconstructed historic street as well as demonstrations of traditional crafts such as blacksmiths and clog-making. Farm animals and the large play area will be popular with children.”

St Fagans National Museum of History , commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village where it is located, is an open-air museum in St Fagans, Cardiff, Wales, chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture, and architecture of the Welsh people. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.

It consists of more than forty re-erected buildings from various locations in Wales, and is set in the grounds of St Fagans Castle, a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor house. In 2011 Which? magazine named the museum the United Kingdom’s favourite visitor attraction.

A six-year, £30-million revamp was completed in 2018 and the museum was named the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2019.

The museum was founded in 1946 following the donation of the castle and lands by the Earl of Plymouth. It opened its doors to the public in 1948, under the name of the Welsh Folk Museum. The museum’s name in Welsh (also meaning “Welsh Folk Museum”) has remained unchanged since that date, whereas the English title was revised to Museum of Welsh Life, thereafter St Fagans National History Museum, and again to its current title.

Announcing the closure on their social media, the museum said: “Nodyn i ymwelwyr Dydd Iau 25 Mehefin | Visitor notice Thursday 25 June

“To help keep everyone safe and comfortable during the hot weather, the museum will be closed today from 1pm.