The Vulcan Hotel to open at St Fagans next month

One of Wales’ most historic pubs will welcome its first customers in over a decade when it reopens in St Fagans next month.

The Vulcan Hotel closed its doors in Cardiff in 2012 and was then dismantled brick by brick.

It has since been re-erected in the grounds of the St Fagans National Museum of History and will open to visitors on 11 May 2024.

The iconic building was built on Adam Street in Cardiff in 1853 to serve the mainly Irish community of what was then called Newtown.

During its long history it saw major changes as Cardiff grew to become an industrial
powerhouse and then the nation’s capital, finally closing its doors for the last
time in 2012.

Following a campaign to save it from demolition, the owners of The Vulcan
Hotel formally offered the building to Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales in
2012.

Amgueddfa Cymru’s historic building team then dismantled the famous Cardiff landmark.

The Vulcan Hotel will be displayed as it was in 1915, an important year for the
pub.

Redesign

At this time, it had just undergone a major refurbishment that saw the distinctive green and brown tiles added to the frontage, as well as a redesign of its interior.

When it opens to the public, The Vulcan will serve exclusive beer brewed by
Glamorgan Brewing Co. Visitors can now pre-book a table in the pub ahead of the opening.

They can also pre-order a beer flight containing a third pint of three beers, including a Vulcan Pale and Vulcan Ale, developed by Glamorgan Brewing Co. in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru.

Bethan Lewis, Head of Museum at St Fagans National Museum of History
said: “We are very excited to open The Vulcan Hotel in May 2024.

“We know how much people have been looking forward to seeing The Vulcan open at St Fagans and it will be a great addition to our collection of historic buildings.

“Our team of historic building experts and curators have been hard at work meticulously recreating the 1915 pub and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to experience this iconic piece of Cardiff history.”

The Vulcan is the latest addition to over forty historic buildings re-erected at
St Fagans National Museum of History.

The 100-acre site features buildings from all over Wales which showcase how people have lived, worked and spent their leisure time through the ages.

St Fagans was awarded Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2019 and was voted best museum by Which? members in 2023.

Raise a glass

Jane Richardson, Chief Executive at Amgueddfa Cymru said: “St Fagans National Museum of History is an award-winning museum, and we welcome over 500,000 visitors annually.

“The Vulcan Hotel is a significant addition to the collection as it allows us to tell the story of Newtown and the Irish diaspora who lived there.

Visitors to the pub will be able to experience what life was like in 1915 and we
look forward to welcoming the first customers in May.

“I am also looking forward to raising a glass to celebrate and visitors will be able to enjoy a drink of our Vulcan beer on site.”

Amgueddfa Cymru would like to thank the Simon Gibson Charitable Trust,
The Swire Charitable Trust and The Radcliffe Trust, as well as individuals and
families, whose generous support has made re-erecting The Vulcan possible.

You can still be part of The Vulcan’s story by donating to the project. Please
go to Support the Vulcan Hotel project | Museum Wales.