Pupils mark a moment of history at Carmarthenshire Archives

This week, a specially designed plaque to commemorate the official opening of the brand new Carmarthenshire Archives building was unveiled.

The official opening was attended by year 6 pupils of Ysgol Y Dderwen, along with their Headteacher Mr Dylan Evans, who designed the plaque by compiling various artwork and sketches that are housed at the Archives.

Established in 1959, Carmarthenshire Archives is the local authority archive service for the County of Carmarthenshire and the new building is located at St Peter’s Street, Carmarthen.

The new £2.2 million Carmarthenshire Archives officially opened in July in a purpose-built facility at the rear of Carmarthen Library.

Carmarthenshire’s archive collections have been held outside the county since 2014 whilst the new facility was built.

The state-of-the-art accommodation is home to an extensive collection of historic documents that date from the 13th century to the present day and includes various records, maps, books, photographs, videos and sound recordings.

With its energy-efficient design the building minimises the energy required to maintain storage conditions and ensures that the collection remains protected even in the event of a power outage.

The new building includes a search room with a map table and seating to accommodate 10 people, two strongrooms with specialist shelving, a conservation suite equipped for digital preservation, an isolation room, cataloguing rooms and a cleaning room for inspection of newly arrived documents.

Pride of place

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, Cllr Gareth John commented:

“Congratulation to the pupils of Ysgol Y Dderwen, they have designed an excellent and appropriate plaque that is inspired by the treasure troves of our archives.

“It was wonderful to welcome them to the official opening so that they can see their work take pride of place at a building that holds great significance to us in Carmarthenshire.

“This is a brand new and modern building that is fit to keep and protect our county’s most precious historical documents.

“But of course, these documents are meant to be viewed and studied by school children, students, academics and anybody who has an interest in Carmarthenshire’s rich history; and this excellent facility provides the perfect space for people to come and view these treasures.”

Admission to Carmarthenshire Archives is free and open to anyone who wishes to use the Council’s records. Most of its services are free, but we do charge for some extra services and help.