Wrexham Museum Diary – April - May 2010

John Exhibitions

April 6th

Builders uncover the flagstone floor of the corridor for the police cells and the original blocks in the entranceway to the Militia depot inner courtyard.

April 8th

Install the Wrexham Community Heritage Project display at Bersham Heritage Centre.

April 9th

Meeting at Bangor on Dee racecourse about hosting the road show. Great views into Wales!!

April 11th

Exploring the history of Rhos. A challenge: can anybody show me the boundaries between Rhos, Johnstown and Ponciau?


Former headgear wheel from museum collection
re-used as village entry sign in Rhosllannerchrugog

April 12th

Inspired by our Wrexham Lager Beer bottler, BBC Radio 4 make contact. They are searching for an expert on Wrexham Lager Brewery.

April 13th

Finished installing new display at Bersham Heritage Centre. Now anyone can contribute their ideas to the Wrexham Community Heritage Project.

April 15th

Central gallery looks so much bigger and airier now the false ceiling has gone. A total transformation and we haven’t even started on installing the displays.


Inside the main gallery – the new roof line
transforms the feel of this room. 15.04.2010


Demolishing a modern wall at the back of the museum to create
a corridor wide enough to allow wheelchair access upstairs. 15.04.2010

April 16th

The Volcanic ash cloud from Iceland prevents museum design meeting. Designers stranded far far away from Wrexham.

April 19th

Meeting with Holt Local History Society. Their enthusiasm for history is very infectious and I get a new view of Holt Castle – from above.


Holt Castle from the north. The concrete below the walls is the
result of recent conservation work to save the castle from collapse.

April 21st

Research visit to museums in Manchester to see how different companies’ display cases work in practice. It’s the best antidote to the sales spiel.

April 22nd

Meet James the Designer. It’s about to get very busy!! Builders uncover the vaulted ceilings of former police cells. There were five cells behind the front corridor and the arches.


Steve the Boss, on site, checking up on the builders. 22.04.2010


The ‘arch’ on the wall shows the location of the vaulted ceiling of one of the
former police cells. There were five police cells at the front of the building. 22.04.2010


Just above the former window light into the small gallery, the builders found
the original window lights into the police cells’ access corridor. 22.04.2010

April 23rd

Builders working upstairs uncover more of County Building’s history. We might be able to date some of the alterations by the Llay Hall bricks found in a blocked up window.

April 27th

Big meeting at Bersham to plan this year’s History Alive on August 1st!. Roman Tours will be setting up camp and training their legionaries. Should be entertaining.

April 28th

Write first draft outlines for the displays in the new galleries.

April 29th

The BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? magazine contact us for pictures of Wrexham Lager memorabilia for a feature they are planning.

May 4th

Meet with Karen Collections to check the spec for the cases in the new galleries.

May 5th

Still writing the first draft outlines for the displays in the new galleries.

May 6th Election Day

Guided tour of Hanmer Parish Church with the local history group to see some of the artefacts they could display in the ‘Our Heritage, Our Stories’ exhibition next year.


Workmen secure the reinforcing bars for the foundations
of the new glazed extension. 06.05.2010

Building a new support column for the glass wall between
the ‘National Gallery’ and the entrance corridor. 06.05.2010


The holes in the stone lintel were for the bars in the original window
lights into the corridor leading to the police cells. 06.05.2010

May 8th

Meant to be going on holiday to Portugal. Volcanic ash cloud leaves me stranded on the runway at Liverpool John Lennon airport.

May 10th

Source historic images for family activity for the road show. It will be like the game show Play Your Cards Right, but based on history (chronology) instead.

May 12th

Call into Abergavenny Museum to collect our Dinosaur activities. They have gone down a real treat – nearly 600 extra children visited while the activities were available.

May 14th

Museum on Wheels (Amgueddfa Ar Daith) hits the road. First stop – Queen’s Square. Meet some very knowledgeable locals!!

May 18th

Site visit to the revamped People’s History Museum in Manchester. We are using the same architects. The new museum is definitely an improvement and certainly no ‘dumbing down’.


Everything’s in place. Just need the concrete to arrive… 18.05.2010


The concrete ‘slab’ has been poured and is slowly setting. 19.05.2010


New exit from what will be the ‘National Gallery’.

May 20th

Out promoting the Corridor Cases project to community groups in Caia Park. Back via Alexandra School to help with their centenary celebrations.


The approach to the main gallery where the corridor cases will be. 19.05.2010


A view into the planned ‘National Gallery’ where we will display collections from Amgueddfa
Cymru-National Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales. 19.05.2010

May 21st

New plaque design for History Alive arrived today. Great design done for free by local artist, Carl Parry.


Initial design by Carl Parry, Bark Design, for this year’s rally plaque.


Final plaque design for this year’s plaque. Available to all vintage, veteran and
classic vehicle owners who register in advance to attend History Alive!!

May 24th

Researching for Wales Unique exhibition that will coincide with the 2011 National Eisteddfod in Wrexham. This is the sixth time the town has hosted Wales’s biggest cultural event.

May 25th

Delving into old newspapers today. Did you know about a bust up between the local militia and the Liverpool Volunteers on Hope street?

May 26th

Out promoting the Corridor Cases project to community groups in Hightown.

May 27th

Go through our few Roman artefacts with Karen Collections. Now is the time for anyone who removed material from Plas Coch in the 1990s to hand it in as we need it, please.

May 28th

Really useful meeting with Hedd the librarian, the first of many knowledgeable people I am contacting to assist with the Wales Unique exhibition.

May 29th

Working on the Smelly Olde Wrexham interactive for the new galleries. Ideal for those who like to follow their nose… into the past.

Karen Education

April 2010

Hope you had a good Easter. I spent some time leading craft workshops at Bersham. We made Easter cards, mobiles and nests and a good time was had by all.


Symbols of Wales – badges and thaumatropes


Examples of Easter themed artwork to help children with their own designs.

Week beginning 12th April

Interesting meetings to progress the new displays in the main gallery.

April 20th

Welcomed Minera School to Minera Lead Mines to look at the history and science of mining on the site. Thanks to Techniquest Glyndwr for the science know-how.


Not a gravestone, but a boundary marker for mineral rights at Minera Lead Mines.

April 21st

Welcomed St Mary’s School, Ruabon to Minera Lead Mines to look at the history and science of mining on the site. Thanks again to Techniquest Glyndwr for their help with the science.


One of the many footpaths used by men from Coedpoeth
to go to work in the lead mines at Minera.

April 24th

Welcomed 1st Coedpoeth Brownies to Bersham Heritage Centre. The girls were working towards their Culture Badge so we looked at the life and work of John Wilkinson using the Wilkinson gallery, walked to the Ironworks for a look round there and also designed and decorated a love spoon. A good time was had by all.

April 26th

Visited Ysgol Bryn Tabor, Coedpoeth to help Year 3 with their World War Two project. I enjoyed going into the school and judging by the feedback from the pupils they enjoyed the day too.

May 5th

Visited Ash Grove Care Home to talk to the residents about games they used to play. Took along some examples and had a great time playing, none of us tried the skipping ropes!

May 11th

Visited Ysgol Penycae as a Victorian School Ma’am. We concentrated on the 3R’s and all the staff and most of the children had dressed up too. Quite hard not to smile but good for the posture.

May 12th

Began a project with Victoria Infant and Junior Schools to celebrate the centenary of Bellevue Park.


The bandstand in Bellevue Park/The Parciau, Wrexham.

Examples of the illustrations created by the school children for the centenary patchwork quilt:


The bandstand, Bellevue Park.


The bandstand, Bellevue Park.


The bowling green, Bellevue Park.


Queen Victoria, Bellevue Park.

Took the mini ‘Museum on Wheels’ to Barker’s Lane After School Club. We looked at childhood in the past and got dressed up in costumes from different periods, looked at photographs and played with toys.

May 14th

Attended the Learning Event on Queen’s Square with part of the main ‘Museum on Wheels’. The old photographs and the timeline were a big success.

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