Abergavenny Museum

Over het museum

Abergavenny Museum is housed in the square keep on top of the motte of Abergavenny Castle. The motte is generally thought to date from 1087, when the Norman lord Hamelin de Ballon held the site. The medieval stone castle was later destroyed, and the present building on the motte was put up in 1819 as a hunting lodge for the Marquess of Abergavenny.

The idea of a town museum was first raised in 1903, but it was only after the demolitions of the 1950s turned up historical and archaeological finds that local people acted. A committee formed after a talk to the Rotary Club in 1957, and volunteers opened the museum in 1959.

The collection focuses on the town and its surroundings. It includes prehistoric tools, Roman finds, medieval and Tudor objects, old photographs, and material linked to Father Ignatius and Lady Llanover. Reconstructed rooms show a Welsh kitchen, a mid-nineteenth-century saddler’s shop and the Basil Jones grocery shop, and a basement air raid shelter recalls the Second World War.

The museum is run by MonLife, the heritage and leisure service of Monmouthshire County Council.

Hoogtepunten

• The Keep Gallery with local finds from prehistory to the Tudor period
• A reconstructed Second World War air raid shelter in the basement
• The Saddler’s Shop, a typical mid-nineteenth-century workshop
• The Welsh Kitchen, a Victorian farmhouse-style room with hands-on activities
• Basil Jones grocery shop with packaging from the 1930s

Vaste collectie

• The Keep Gallery – Local history from prehistoric tools and Roman armour to objects linked to Father Ignatius and Lady Llanover.
• The Welsh Kitchen – A Victorian farmhouse-style kitchen with a fireplace rescued from Tudor Street, redesigned with a local school and offering hands-on activities.
• Air Raid Shelter – A reconstructed Second World War shelter in the basement with siren sound effects.

Opgericht

1959

Beheerder

MonLife (Monmouthshire County Council)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Admission is free for everyone. Some special events charge a fee, and pre-booked school workshops are charged; school visits themselves are free.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The castle grounds are uneven and a steep ramp leads to the museum entrance. The Keep Gallery can be reached from the front door, while other areas are accessible to varying degrees through outer doors. Staff help with doors and a custodian must assist with access, so visitors may have to wait when it is busy. The museum recommends bringing at least one companion and is working on other ways to view collections for visitors who cannot reach them.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Doe- en voelstations

The museum has no separate family section, but the Welsh Kitchen has hands-on activities developed with a local primary school, and children can also explore the air raid shelter and the grocery shop.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Service & horeca

• Wifi

Free Wi-Fi is available. Refreshments are listed among the facilities.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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