Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

Founding (1905–1907) The National Museum of Wales was founded in 1905, with its royal charter granted by King Edward VII on 19 March 1907. The 1907 Charter stated that the museum's purpose was to be achieved primarily by the complete illustration of the geology, mineralogy, zoology, botany, ethnography, archaeology, art, history and special industries of Wales. The establishment of the museum was part of a broader movement of Welsh cultural and educational institutions, coinciding with the founding of the National Library of Wales, which received its Royal Charter on the same date. suggesting the formation of a National Museum of Wales, June 1876. Part of the bid for Cardiff to obtain the National Museum for Wales included the gift of the Cardiff Museum Collection, then known as "Welsh Museum of Natural History, Archaeology and Art," which was formally handed over in 1912. The Cardiff Museum had previously been sharing the building of Cardiff Library and was a sub-department of the library until 1893. The Foundation Stone was laid by King George V on 26 June 1912. However, owing to the First World War, construction was significantly delayed and the museum did not open to the public until 28 October 1922, with the official opening ceremony taking place in 1927. The first directors to lead the institution were William Evans Hoyle (1908–1924) and the renowned archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler (1925–1926), followed by Sir Cyril Fox (1926–1948), who oversaw much of the museum's early development and expansion. Network expansion (1940s–1960s) The museum began expanding beyond its Cardiff headquarters in the mid-20th century. The most significant expansion came with the establishment of St Fagans National Museum of History. The museum was founded in 1946 following the donation of St Fagans Castle and its surrounding 18 acres of land by the Earl of Plymouth. It opened to the public on 1 July 1948 under the name of the Welsh Folk Museum, becoming the first National open-air museum within the United Kingdom. The concept was the brainchild of Welsh poet and museum curator Iorwerth Peate, who was inspired by Skansen, the outdoor museum of vernacular Swedish architecture in Stockholm. St Fagans' collections have their roots in the 'Welsh Bygones' gallery which opened at the National Museum in Cathays Park in 1926. Modernisation and industrial heritage (1970s–1990s) By the early 1970s, the Museum had new exhibition galleries, offices and workrooms. Three new galleries were opened: the Gallery of Material Culture in 1970; the Agricultural Gallery in 1974; and the Costume gallery in 1976. By the 1980s, Wales' industrial communities were as threatened as the rural way of life had been in the 1940s. A change of direction was needed. In 1987, the Rhyd-y-car ironworkers' cottages from Merthyr Tydfil were relocated to St Fagans. This marked a significant shift in the museum's focus to include Wales's industrial heritage alongside its traditional rural collections. The network continued to grow with the establishment of specialist museums focused on Wales's industrial past, including the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon, and the National Wool Museum in Dre-fach Felindre. Contemporary developments (2000–present) The 21st century has seen significant investment in the museum network. St Fagans underwent a six-year, £30-million revamp that was completed in 2018, and the museum was named the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2019. This redevelopment included three new galleries showcasing Wales's history, improvements to buildings, and enhanced visitor facilities. In 2015, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales agreed a new Vision, "Inspiring people, changing lives", to guide all future activities. The organisation has also undertaken significant rebranding, with the current logo introduced in August 2022. In October 2025, the museum launched its digital image library, Amgueddfa Cymru Images, offering free access to more than 2,000 images from the national collection, including photographs and images of objects reflecting Wales' social, industrial and natural heritage. along with images of artworks from its collection by Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir. ==Museums and sites==

Amgueddfa Cymru comprises seven museums throughout Wales, plus one gallery partnership and a collections storage facility. The museums span different aspects of Welsh cultural and natural heritage, from fine art and natural history to industrial heritage and archaeology. The industrial heritage museums, Big Pit National Coal Museum, National Slate Museum, and National Wool Museum, preserve and interpret Wales's industrial past, offering immersive experiences including underground mine tours at Big Pit and working demonstrations of traditional crafts at the other sites. The National Roman Legion Museum houses one of Britain's most important collections of Roman military artefacts from the Isca Augusta fortress. Collections Amgueddfa Cymru's collections span multiple disciplines and include internationally significant holdings. The natural history collections comprise over 6 million specimens including botanical, zoological, geological, and palaeontological materials, with particular strength in Welsh biodiversity and geological formations. The archaeology collections encompass material from prehistoric times through the medieval period, with notable Roman finds from Caerleon and prehistoric artefacts from across Wales. The art collections include Welsh works from the 16th century to the present, European Old Masters, and one of the world's finest collections of Impressionist art, largely formed through the Davies sisters' bequest in the 1950s and 1960s. The industrial heritage collections document Wales's role in the Industrial Revolution, including tools, machinery, and social history material from coal mining, slate quarrying, and textile production. ==Administration==

The following persons have served as Directors of the National Museum of Wales: ==References==