Heritage Lottery Fund ensures the Cardiff Story is told

Christmas has come early for the Cardiff Story as the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) today (14 December) awarded a grant of £440,000 towards the first phase of re-opening a museum for the city. 

The last dedicated city museum closed in 1924 but now the Cardiff Story, located at the site of the 19th century Grade II* listed Old Library building in the Hayes, will explore and celebrate the history of the capital city of Wales and the people who made the city what it is today.

The museum will act as an introduction to the city for visitors, highlighting other city attractions such as the Castle and will also be a community resource, a discovery point and educational facility for local people.  

The Museum will be based on a core collection of around 8000 Cardiff artefacts, which have been stored by the National Museum Wales since the old museum closed. The Museum is also appealing to the public for further objects and stories to add to the collection.

The artefacts which include fine art, industrial, maritime, social history, photographs, oral histories and archaeology will now be displayed and interpreted using digital stories, interactives and people's stories to help bring them to life.

The HLF money will fund part of the new ground floor gallery and the creation of an entertaining and interactive history lab and learning suite, with classrooms and group activity spaces in the basement for use by school and community groups. 

The magnificent Old Library building which sits in the very heart of Cardiff's busy shopping centre was restored with the support of an HLF grant of £758,300 in 1998.  This latest grant will ensure further public access to areas such as the historic tiled corridor. 

It is estimated that Phase 1 of the Cardiff Story Museum will cost £2.4million.  It is expected to be completed by November 2010 and to attract 120,000 visitors in its first year. 

Dan Clayton-Jones, Chair of HLF Committee for Wales, said: "Cardiff is one of the few major cities without a dedicated museum and we wanted to help correct that. The success of the temporary exhibitions staged at the Old Library proved there is a real demand for the story of Cardiff and its people to be told.

"This project will bring Cardiff's historic past back to life, helping local people and visitors explore the making of our capital city. It will provide new and exciting opportunities for people to play their part in telling Cardiff's diverse stories." 

Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Councillor Nigel Howells said: "I am delighted that the Cardiff Story has been awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant along with funding from the Council will help bring the Cardiff Story to life. Cardiff is both a vibrant city which is steeped in history and a modern city which continues to develop, the aim of The Cardiff Story is to capture not only the past but also the present."

Dr Kathleen Howe Cardiff Story Museum Manager said: "The museum is a very unique and interesting project, and will bring together items, photographs and stories of events that have helped shape the city. The input of the people who live or have lived in Cardiff will be essential in telling the true story of the Capital city".

Case study 

Told through a number of themes which show just how much Cardiff has changed over the last 200 years, the Museum will look at Cardiff's history through the eyes of the people who have lived and worked here.  The Sense of Cardiff gallery opening in 2010 will tell how Cardiff's buildings, housing, transport links and working life have shaped the city we know today. 

Items already collected include a very well travelled teapot, decorated with an image of the docks. Dating from the beginning of the 20^th century, the donor's grandfather bought it for his wife before they set sail from Cardiff docks to immigrate to Canada in the 1920s. Having sold her china to pay for their tickets the teapot remained in pride of place on the family's mantelpiece in Canada. When their granddaughter (the donor) moved to Wales to live, she brought the teapot back with her. 

After having such an adventure, the teapot will have pride of place in the Cardiff Story Museum

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For further information contact Kate Sullivan or Helen Newton on 029 20764100 or kate@equinox-pr.co.uk / helen@equinox-pr.co.uk 

Notes to Editors

Heritage Lottery Fund

•·         Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. Website: www.hlf.org.uk

Fast Facts on HLF funding in Wales

•·         HLF has helped buy land equivalent to 1,380 rugby pitches for nature conservation.

•·         Every £1million of HLF funding in Wales attracts £620,000 from partner organisations, making a huge impact on conserving the heritage of Wales for the future.

•·         HLF has invested around £38million in projects revitalising the country's industrial heritage

•·         62% of HLF projects in Wales have been led by local community groups and voluntary organisations.

•·         More than 1,300 historic buildings and monuments in Wales have been granted a new lease of life, and 21 town centres from Denbigh to Pembroke Dock rejuvenated

•·         1,500 young people have played an active part in their own heritage projects funded by our Young Roots grant programme in Wales.

• Research at a sample of attractions across the UK, including the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, shows that on average spending in regional economies by visitors to these sites doubles following HLF funding
• HLF has given £24.6million for the regeneration of 15 public parks across Wales, boosting their visitor numbers by up to 70%.

•·         More than  £32million of HLF funding has helped 50 museums and galleries across Wales, improving learning facilities, collections, displays and the overall visitor experience

•·         On average 13 volunteers are involved in every HLF project, providing nearly 450 hours of volunteering time per project, a total of 667,800 volunteering hours across Wales.

ID: 492   Revised: 15/1/2010