University collections secure £350,000 funding boost

Nation.Cymru staff

Two projects aimed at opening up historic and cultural collections to a wider audience have secured almost £350,000 in Welsh Government funding.

Swansea University’s Egypt Centre and Richard Burton Archives will receive the money as part of £5.2m awarded to 31 museum, library and archive projects across Wales.

The Egypt Centre has been awarded £199,945 to complete the redevelopment of its House of Death gallery.

Previous funding from the Welsh Government, the Wolfson Trust and Garfield Weston Foundation has already supported extensive renovation work, including the installation of a vaulted ceiling featuring the names of staff, volunteers and supporters in hieroglyphs.

The latest funding will pay for new conservation-grade display cases, immersive technology in the centre’s mummification room and additional security measures.

The Egypt Centre, based at the university’s Singleton Campus, houses a collection of Egyptian antiquities and has previously won awards for its work.

Exhibition space

A further £150,649 has been awarded to the Richard Burton Archives to create a dedicated exhibition space near the entrance to Singleton Park Library.

New display cases and digital projection technology will be installed to showcase material from the archives.

The space will also be used to display items from other university collections, including the South Wales Miners’ Library and Rare Book collections.

Siân Williams, Swansea University’s head of library and collection engagement and curation, said: “We are delighted to have secured two such significant awards.

“Together they will allow us to make even more of our Cultural Collections accessible, engaging, and relevant to all members of the University and wider communities, including those who currently have limited opportunities to interact with cultural heritage.”

The funding forms part of a £5.2m Welsh Government investment in cultural organisations across Wales.

Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan said: “Museums, libraries and archives are at the heart of our communities across Wales.

“These are places where people connect with our culture and history, where children discover a love of reading, and where older people share their memories. They are places everyone should feel welcome.

“This investment will make a real difference, protecting vital collections, improving access and ensuring our cultural spaces are fit for the future.”

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