National Museums & Galleries of Wales
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NATIONAL MUSEUMS & GALLERIES OF WALES report Annual Report of the Council 1998-1999 The President and Council would like to thank the following, and those who wish to remain anonymous, for their generous support of the National Museums & Galleries of Wales in the period from 1st April 1998 to March 1999 Patrons Other donations Mathew & Angela Prichard The Friends of NMGC Captain Norman Lloyd Edwards Cardiff & Bristol Channel Incorporated Major & Mrs HFR Homfray Shipowners’ Association Mr G Wyn Howells The Rt Hon The Earl of Plymouth DL FRSA Sponsors and In-Kind Miss Mary Cashmore Grosvenor Waterside Dr Margaret Berwyn Jones Legal & General Mr John & Mrs Jane Sorotos Coutts & Co Mrs Christine Eynon Royal Mint Mrs Meriel Watkins CableTel Mr John Foster Thomas Tower Collery Mr Alan Smith Marathon Oil UK Ltd Mr & Mrs David Andrews Lloyds Bank Commercial Service Mr Wynford Evans CBE Cywaith Cymru Neil & Glenys Kinnock Alfred McAlpine Slate Products Ltd The National Heritage Arts Sponsorship Scheme Benefactors Heritage Lottery Fund Dr Roderic Bowen Sir Kyffin Williams Trusts & Foundations Dr Hilary Yewlett Anonymous Mr Dafydd Bowen Lewis Headley Trust John Lovell G C Gibson Charitable Trust National Art Collections Fund Seat Endowers Derek Williams Trust Mr HG Jones Esme Fairbairn Charitable Trust G & AP Robinson Founder and Corporate Members Gala Dinner in-kind sponsors Golley Slater Group Gardner Merchant Leisure SA Brain Theatre Vision Coutts & Co Golley Slater & Partners MEM Group Zenith Media Palser Grossman SA Brain & Co Ltd NCM In-Plant Design Whitbread Beer Company Ty Nant Spring Water Barclays Wales & West EPC K2 (Cardiff) Ltd Lloyds Bank Commercial Services Cardiff Bay Development Corporation Midland Bank Legacies Research Grants Clara Ellen Smith Will Trust CADW Miss H A Rees Cardiff University REPORT 1998-99 The Ninety-first Annual Report of the Council REPORT 1998-99 © National Museums & Galleries of Wales, 1999 Editor: Penny Fell Translation: Siân Roberts, Elin ap Hywel Design & Production: Arwel Hughes Printing: Mid Wales Litho ISBN: 0 7200 0475 6 2 REPORT 1998-99 CONTENTS FOREWORD BY THE PRESIDENT 5 REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES NATIONAL MUSEUM & GALLERY CARDIFF Archaeology & Numismatics 8 Art 10 Biodiversity & Systematic Biology 12 Geology 14 Access 15 MUSEUM OF WELSH LIFE 17 3 INDUSTRY 20 MUSEUM OF THE WELSH WOOLLEN INDUSTRY 21 WELSH SLATE MUSEUM 22 ROMAN LEGIONARY MUSEUM 24 SEGONTIUM ROMAN MUSEUM 24 TURNER HOUSE GALLERY 25 PRIMARY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR FIGURES 26 MAKING THE MUSEUM’S WORK POSSIBLE 27 APPENDICES i. Court of Governors and Council 28 ii Staff 29 The Summary Financial Report for 1998-99 is published as a companion volume to this Report. REPORT 1998-99 4 Richard Trevithick’s Penydarren Locomotive, 1804 Painting by T. Cuneo REPORT 1998-99 NATIONAL MUSEUMS & GALLERIES OF WALES The Mission The Future The National Museums & Galleries of Wales This Annual Report starts by addressing key issues (NMGW) exists for the advancement of education which have concerned our museums during the of the public, through a general knowledge of the year, and outlines some of the major issues for the archaeology, art, biodiversity, geology and social immediate future. and industrial history of Wales. Its aims are: 1. To create an industrial museum, 1. To advance knowledge of Welsh culture and and a wider strategy, fitting for the heritage in a worldwide context and thus improve world's first industrial nation. understanding of Wales as a nation, and of its place in the world. The sale of the Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum in Cardiff Bay 2. To be the best possible repository for the (reported on page 20) gives us, for collections of national and international renown the first time, money which can be and importance held in its care. used to match grants from funding bodies. With this we shall create a 3. To enable the study and appreciation of the new National Waterfront Museum 5 arts, humanities, sciences and technology in order in Swansea, a city which can claim a to promote an understanding of the present, and significant place in the industrial Mathew Prichard inspire informed discussion about the future. story of Wales. President 4. To inspire an increasing number of people to Swansea was chosen as the key industrial site visit our museums and to make use of their diverse because it offers the space to display the technolog- resources. ical giants of industry and maritime history; the proactive involvement of the City and County of Underpinning all these aims is the need to develop Swansea; and a chance for NMGW to serve more wisely and to use creatively all our resources, so that closely the people of west Wales. we might adapt successfully in a climate of cultural, economic and technological change. A consultation document Wales - the first industrial nation - was circulated in 1998/9, outlining NMGW'S During this year, NMGW saw the retirement of its concern to co-ordinate its industrial interpretation Director Colin Ford who made innovative changes on a national scale. We plan that the National at many of our museums, in particular at the Welsh Waterfront Museum should act as a signpost to Slate Museum (WSM) and Roman Legionary other industrial sites: WSM, already in develop- Museum (RLM) and increased emphasis on richer ment; the Museum of the Welsh Woollen Industry interpretation and access throughout NMGW. Dre-fach Felindre, for which a Heritage Lottery During his five years, he laid foundations for Fund (HLF) bid is being prepared; and Big Pit significant developments planned for the next Blaenafon, also the subject of development decade. We also welcomed his successor, Anna proposals, with whom we will be working in Southall, who was Assistant Director of NMGW partnership to tell the story of coal mining in with responsibility for Wales, combining its industrial and social history. Operations & Developments. 2. To improve the care of our collections, in particular developing the new Nantgarw Collections Centre. At a pivotal time in Welsh political history, Our collections of genuine objects differentiate us we have reformulated a from a university on one hand, and a theme park Strategic Corporate Plan on the other. Most museum objects are never which will build on past shown to the public, but are collected for the events and achievements, knowledge they can give us. We hold some and take us into the new 7,000,000 items or groups, collected during the Anna Southall Millennium. past century. Only a third of these are currently Director REPORT 1998-99 adequately curated: we wish urgently to address this backlog, so that we can look forward and collect properly for the future. The acquisition of a new Collections Centre, at Nantgarw in Rhondda Cynon Taf, gives us a base from which to plan so that all our industrial collections, an Archives Resource Centre, and facilities for conservation and reserve collections can be housed beneath one roof. We are planning to develop this centre to cater better for research collections held at all our sites. A family visit to Rhyd y car at the Museum of Welsh Life St Fagans 4. To make our Museums, and what they offer, 6 available to the widest number of people We will achieve this by inspiring an increasing number of ‘real’ visitors to our museums. Exhibitions and activities help to encourage new visitors and stimulate repeat visits. During this year, NMGW undertook to streamline its programme, The Collections Centre at Nantgarw concentrating on fewer and more powerful exhibitions. Until three years ago, our museums undertook no 3. To take a key role in national and international sustained visitor research, a serious gap in our strategies on biodiversity. provision. The second summer visitor survey took place at five museums, in 1998, commissioned from Our extensive collections form the greatest pool of Beaufort Research. We discovered, for instance, that information about the natural history of Wales and, 70% of visitors to our Cardiff museums come from in some cases, about other parts of the world. within thirty minutes drive time: this gives us The Museum is uniquely placed to bring together valuable information on which to base future aspects of Welsh culture with the environment Marketing strategies. which influences it, as articulated in Agenda 21, the global action plan promoting sustainable use Virtual visitors - and their potential for conversion of resources. to ‘real’ visits - have been encouraged by development of our World Wide Web site. Biodiversity (the variety of living things) is a major Re-launched in July 1998, with a full time Web natural resource from which we derive food, Officer, the site has already won critical acclaim. We medicines, industrial material and cultural will develop the web as an information resource, enjoyment. Through our Departments of and become an active part of the Government's Biodiversity and Geology, we will continue to National Grid for Learning. contribute to the understanding of the variety of life in Wales by undertaking surveys and carrying In 1998/99, we planned for the introduction of free out research on critical species, both in marine access to school groups, introduced on 1 April environments and on land. By continued research, 1999. A major thrust of our future planning is to and by making this information available to the work for free access to all school-age children and public, we shall contribute to government and local senior citizens, empowering NMGW to fulfil its initiatives in biodiversity, helping to safeguard our mission for lifelong learning. natural resources, and develop a sustainable economy. REPORT 1998-99 5. To use our resources effectively and wisely, adapting New funding sources will be sought, both through to new climates of funding and priority. entrepreneurial income generation and through partnerships with business and funding agencies.