 From Robins To Dragons
New exhibition at Wrexham County Borough Museum
'From Robins to Dragons' is a photographic exhibition centred on Wrexham FC and the Racecourse Ground, both of which have been at the centre of high drama in recent years.
Les Evans, Wrexham FC supporter and former Wrexham Evening Leader photographer, has followed the club for many years. In this his third and most ambitious exhibition, Les has selected a series of his own striking photographs that capture the passion of the supporters, the action on the field and the characters central to the events that have so threatened the future of Wrexham FC and the Racecourse.
When the exhibition was first planned, neither Les Evans or the museum staff knew if the exhibition would be a celebration, with the club saved, or a wake for a club that had lost its home. On many occasions during the run-up to the opening, Wrexham could so easily have lost both its football club and the historic ground. However, with new owners at the Racecourse, the photographs tell a positive story that will hearten fans and make outsiders ask questions why the club’s future was so much in doubt.
The exhibition includes football memorabilia from the Welsh Football Collection and on loan from famous Wrexham players. The exhibition also tells the story of the club from its beginnings in 1872 and allows you to contribute your own memories of Wrexham FC to the storyline.
The exhibition was officially opened by Anthony Fairclough, the chief executive of Wrexham Football Club on Monday 27th November at 6.15pm. The exhibition is on show at the museum until April 14th 2007 and will feature a series of children’s activities for younger football fans. Look out for news of the on-line version of the exhibition!
Conquest & Occupation - The Evidence the Roman Legionaries left behind
Wrexham Archaeology Day School, NEWI, Saturday 11th November 2006.
The Roman occupation lasted over three and half centuries. What evidence did they leave behind? The answers can be found at this year’s archaeology day school.
Wrexham Heritage Services are once again staging their popular archaeology day school. This year’s theme is ‘Conquest & Occupation - The Evidence the Roman Legionaries left behind.’
You’ll have the chance to hear from leading specialists in the field of Roman archaeology and discover from real archaeologists the latest research on the impact of the Roman army on Wales and Britain.
Our archaeology day school is for everyone who is interested in archaeology, whether you are a student at college, an avid metal detector, a fan of ‘Time Team’ and ‘Meet Your Ancestors’ or someone who likes to visit ancient ruins in your spare time.
The day school is on Saturday 11th November starting at 10.0am and continuing until 4.0pm. Tickets are available to purchase from Wrexham Museum. Just call into the museum: Mondays to Fridays 10.0am – 5.0pm and Saturdays 10.30am –3.0pm. Tickets are priced at £10 adults, £8 concessions, £5 students in full-time education.
Alternatively, ring the museum on 01978 317 970 or email museum@wrexham.gov.uk and a booking form can be sent to you by post.
Mysteries of the Museum
Wrexham Museum is marking Museums & Galleries month with a competition to challenge all inquisitive children. Staff have searched the collections and uncovered the mysterious, the obsolete and the plain odd. They are all on display and the challenge is to work out what they are and what they did.
The objects will be on display during half term and the school holidays. Entry is free and professional judges will be appointed to choose the winners in the prize competition.
Footprints: A Journey Through Our Past
Wrexham Museum's latest exhibition opened on Saturday May 7 th . The exhibition gives an overview of the history of Wrexham County Borough from the Stone Age to modern times. This is the first time the county borough's history has been presented in one exhibition.
During the exhibition there will be a rare chance to see the 1563 Charter of Holt and the two ceremonial maces of the Borough of Holt. Thanks are due to the Holt Town Trust for agreeing to lend these important artefacts for display in the museum.
The exhibition closes on June 25th . However, Footprints will go on-line later in the year.
Schools Out to Minera Lead Mines
A new series of school workshops has been created for Minera Lead Mines. The workshops cater for pupils in Key Stage 2 (7 - 11 year olds). The children learn about the history of Minera Lead Mines and explore the properties and uses of materials such as rocks and metals. A visit will be an enjoyable learning experience while still being linked to the National Curriculum.
The workshops are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays during May and June. For details call the Education Officer at the museum.
Into the Future - Have Your Say
Work is progressing on the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the refurbishment of Wrexham County Borough Museum. If you want to see a 21st century museum fit for Wrexham County Borough, make your views known. You can fill in the online survey (available on this website), fill in a survey in the museum or write to your local councillor.
Sixty Years On
It is the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. If you would like to reminisce about what was life was like then and how the world has changed, try our reminiscence boxes. The boxes feature original artefacts, printed material and replicas to help jog those memories and get you talking about the good olde days.
There are eight boxes available for hire:
- Old Wrexham
- A Day Out
- Living through the War
- In the Home
- That's Entertainment
- How We Used to Eat - Food on Ration
- How We Used to Eat - Dig for Victory
- How We Used to Eat - 1945-54
Contact the museum on 01978 317 970 for more information.
Digital Stories
Wrexham Heritage Services and Legacy Environmental Education Centre are work on a new project with local schools. The schools involved will explore the coalmining heritage of Wrexham in tailored workshops at Bersham Heritage Centre. Each school will also visit the colliery headgear at Bersham and the pupils will get the chance to find out more about mining from a real life former miner.
The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Countryside Council for Wales.
New Discovery beneath Minera
Local cavers have discovered evidence of prehistoric mining in Minera Lead Mines. 150 feet underground and a quarter of a mile into the mines system, the cavers discovered a prehistoric grinding stone. Initial tests found quartz and galena on the inside of the grinding stone proving it was used in the processing of ore at Minera.
Karina Kucharski, the County Archaeologist says the stone is an exciting find. "Though research continues into dating the stone, it is probably the first proof of early mining at Minera. Luckily the finders have agreed to let us display the stone at the museum."
Bersham Ironworks
Brian Gresty, the Ironworks Assistant and David Bowers, Visitor Services Officer, are preparing the Ironworks for another summer season. Work is ongoing to get the paths repaired and new interpretation is planned for the summer to tell visitors about this historic site.
Brian Gresty has been promoting the Ironworks across the pond in the USA. He gave a talk while touring the States and the Americans learned a little about how John Wilkinson played his part in the American Wars of Independence.
Minera Lead Mines
Minera Lead Mines are open once again. New interpretation has been installed telling the history of the lead miners. A new reconstruction drawing will help the site assistants guide visitors. The reconstruction drawing shows how Minera Lead Mines would have looked in 1870. An online version will be available later in the year.
Bersham Heritage Centre
Bersham is a great place to take the children for an afternoon out. There is the Clywedog valley and its trail to explore, easy parking and refreshments available at the Heritage centre and this summer plenty of gallery activities for younger visitors. Mini Miners will be available until the end of June. During the summer exhibition, there will be puppet-making activities in the gallery everyday.
 
For more family fun, the Veteran and Vintage Rally always has activities for children as well as the chance to see some great old cars and motorbikes.
 The County Borough Council have exciting plans to refurbish and expand the Wrexham County Borough Museum
The plans will restore an important listed building in the town and create a new flagship visitor attraction in the town. The refurbished Museum will have innovative and changing exhibitions that celebrate the history and culture of Wrexham and its local communities, and provide good access to its archives and local studies resources. It will also incorporate dedicated facilities for the use of schools and other groups.
At present the Council has allocated resources towards the development of a Stage 1 bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will be submitted later this year with further funding allocated to the full scale redevelopment if the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is successful. We would like to hear your views on our refurbishment plans, which you can do be completing this online questionnaire.
The Museum will interpret the extensive local collections in a way that is designed to appeal to families and schools, and to attract visitors from further afield. Many of the collections will be displayed for the first time, and the Museum will include a home for the Welsh Football Collection, and celebrate the achievements of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The County Borough's important industries and trades such as coal, steel, brick and tile and clock making will also be featured alongside displays about social history and stories of local people from all walks of life. The exhibitions will make use of interactive and hands-on displays designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences.
The building will be designed so that it can display works from important national collections such as the National Library of Wales and National Museums and Galleries of Wales.
What are your views on our refurbishment plans?
We would like to hear your views on our refurbishment plans, which you can do be completing the online questionnaire.
Alternatively, if you would like to download this questionnaire rather than fill it in on-line please return to:
Wrexham County Borough Museum
County Buildings
Regent Street
Wrexham
LL11 1RB
Museum Refurbishment Questionnaire
The plan is available to download in the following formats:
Museum Refurbishment Questionnaire - MS Word format 34kb 
Museum Refurbishment Questionnaire - PDF format 71kb 
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New Exhibition at Wrexham Museum.
 Time Flies - Hed Amser: An exhibition about clock, clockmakers and telling the time
New exhibition opening at Wrexham Museum - January 29th 2005.
The clocks are ticking and especially so at Wrexham Museum for the next three months as our latest temporary exhibition features the museum's clock collection.
Wrexham has a great tradition of clock making and some of those great clocks are on show, including wonderful grandfather clocks made by Wrexham craftsmen in the 18th & 19th centuries. While these old clocks all chime at slightly different times, you'll be able to explore the other aspects of our lives that are governed by time: clocking in for work, the teasmade, diaries and calendars, presentation clocks and the amazing celebrations of Wrexham past.
Jonathan Gammond, the exhibition officer says "It is great to see the museum's collection of local grandfather clocks on show. They are wonderful works of engineering and craftsmanship, even if they do disagree about exactly what the time is."
Children will be able to make their own model grandfather clocks and families will be able to test their knowledge of history and time in our timeline activity.
Wrexham Museum would like to thank Mr W. Hyde, Mrs Beryl Morgan Jones and Mr Bob Gray for their help in the preparation of this exhibition.
The exhibition runs until April 6th 2005 and the museum is open Monday to Saturday.
"Oes y Tywysogion - Wales in the Age of the Princes"
 Ever wanted to find out more about the history of Wales before Edward I conquered our nation. If you do, then you should visit the latest exhibition at Wrexham Museum.
The exhibition is the joint work of Wrexham Heritage Services and collector and medieval re-enactor Nikolaj Thon. The exhibition shows what life was really like in early Medieval Wales and features Nikolaj Thon's amazing collection of medieval objects and accurate replicas. There are also a whole series of activities for children in the gallery that help them to learn about our medieval ancestors.
Entry to the exhibition is free and the exhibition runs to the end of the October 2004 school half-term holiday.
The Middle Ages comes to life at Wrexham Museum!!
If you were around on Saturday August 14th 2004 in Wrexham town centre, you may have seen some medieval characters outside the Museum. Samhain - the Welsh Medieval Society - came to the Museum as part of our first Medieval Day to accompany the "Oes y Tywysogion" exhibition. Samhain are a North Wales group who specialise in re-enactment displays focusing on the late Middle Ages in Wales.
Samhain re-enactors outside Wrexham Museum
However, don't despair as Cwmwd Iâl, a local re-enactment group who specialise in the early Middle Ages, will be at Wrexham Museum on Saturday September 25th 2004. These warriors of Wrexham will be on hand to show off the skills of the early medieval Welsh soldier and to explain the equipment, clothes and way of life of people living in 11th - 12th century Wales.
Cwmwd Iâl in action.
Courtesy of Ian Grant, Cwmwd Iâl.
Saxon lady cooking
Many of the re-enactors in Cwmwd Iâl are local people so come along and see how local people are helping to pass on knowledge about Wales's past. The event is free so see you there. There will be other activities for children on the day.
Bersham Colliery Open Day - September 19th
Bersham Colliery will be open to visitors on Sunday September 19th 2004 as part of the European Heritage Days. The colliery headgear is one of the few visible reminders of Wrexham's mining heritage that survives. The colliery headgear site will be open from 1pm - 5pm. There will be an especially warm welcome for all former miners and their relations as we are always keen to meet people connected to the colliery or the neighbouring pits of the North Wales coalfield.
 Directions to Bersham Colliery
Underground at Bersham Colliery.
Courtesy of Michael Owens & NCB.
Bersham Colliery - on the surface.
Courtesy of Michael Owens & NCB.
The Gresford Colliery Disaster - The Real Price of Coal
Wrexham Museum is currently preparing an exhibition to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Gresford Colliery Disaster. The exhibition is part of a series of community events taking place across the county borough of Wrexham to mark one of the darkest days in Wrexham's recent past. Education workshops will also be held so that local schoolchildren can explore this important event in local history.
If you have any photos or memorabilia relating not just to the Disaster, but generally to Wrexham's mining past, please contact the Exhibition Officer at Wrexham Museum. You can either phone him on 01978 317 970, email: museum@wrexham.gov.uk or call into the Museum during opening hours. All loans will be acknowledged and returned at the end of the exhibition.
The Rescue teams, Gresford Colliery Disaster, 1934.
Courtesy The Wrexham Leader
The Wrexham History & Archaeology Team
The Wrexham History and Archaeology team have been on the road this summer bringing history and archaeology to all parts of the borough. The team will be making its final summer appearance at Ponciau Park on Saturday September 4th . The roadshow is a great introduction to what Wrexham Museums offer. The activities are specially aimed at children aged 5 and upwards.
If you organise a village fête or carnival or a large scale community event, then contact the Museum as WHAT is looking for suitable venues for 2005.
Il Gigante Buono - The Gentle Giant
There have been many stars in Wales's footballing firmament, but the brightest has to have been John Charles. John Charles had the skills, the talent, the charisma and the personality. He made his mark everywhere he went except in the referee's black book.
Wrexham Museum are hosting the first showing of a major touring exhibition by The Gentle Giant Trust that celebrates the life of John Charles and the example he set to fans of football around the world.
The exhibition will take place upstairs at Wrexham Museum in rooms especially prepared for this exhibition. The exhibition opens on October 4th and runs until December 18th. Entry is free.
A young John Charles with Welsh international team mates. John Charles is third from left, second row, just behind Trefor Ford, second from left, another Welsh football star.
Re-Creations: Visualizing Our Past
Reconstruction of the Mold Cape as worn by a powerful woman. Tony Daly 2005, NMGW
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Featuring the Mold Cape
September 26th - December 17th 2005.
Re-creations: Visualizing Our Past is the latest exhibition at Wrexham County Borough Museum.
The exhibition is about reconstructing our past, so we can get closer to understanding how our ancestors lived from the evidence they left behind.
The Mold Cape before its 2002 restoration by the British Museum.
© The British Museum
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the Mold Cape, which is on loan from the British Museum. The Bronze Age cape, dating from over 3,500 years ago, is an extraordinary work of skill and beauty. The cape is one of the most talked about finds from Wales's prehistory. It has been reinterpreted many times as curators and archaeologists have struggled to understand its function and meaning in Bronze Age Wales.
One of the Top Ten Treasures of the British Museum, the cape is on display for the first time in north Wales since its discovery in Mold in 1833. Don't miss out on this 'once in a lifetime' chance to see it here in Wrexham.
In ReCreations: Visualizing Our Past you can discover the many techniques we use to understand our past: two-dimensional and three- dimensional reconstructions of important historic sites, objects and people, and experimental archaeology. You will learn how we interpret our heritage has changed over time and how the latest finds are helping us to piece together the history of Wales.
Reconstruction drawing of Conwy Castle & Borough, c1305.
© Cadw
The exhibition features a series of reconstruction drawings of North Wales's most historic sites, on loan from Cadw. Important sites, such as Segontium Roman fort, Rhuddlan Castle and Denbigh Castle and Borough, have been recreated, taking us back hundreds of year to see these places as they once were.
Life size archer in replica clothing of the time of Owain Glyndwr, c1405, created by NMGW
© NMGW
Exhibits from the National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff, include an accurate replica of the Iron Age Capel Garmon fire-dog, one of the most important pieces of prehistoric art in Britain, and a life size replica archer from the times of Owain Glyndwr. Watch out for news of an exciting find, recently purchased by the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, which will be going on display here in Wrexham, its first ever public showing in Wales, during the exhibition.
Re-Creations:Visualizing Our Past was originally created by Dr Mark Redknap and colleagues in the Department of Archaeology & Numismatics at the National Museums & Galleries of Wales. In partnership with staff at Wrexham Museum and the British Museum, Dr Redknap's team have created a special version of the exhibition for Wrexham.
Exhibitions and Events at Wrexham County Borough Musuem
Acknowledgements
Re-creations: Visualizing Our Past is organised in partnership with the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Cadw and the British Museum. The exhibition appears in Wrexham thanks to the Cyfoeth Cymru Gyfan - Sharing Treasures scheme, administered by CyMAL: Museums, Archives and Libraries Wales.
The loan of the Mold Cape is made through the British Museum's Partnership UK scheme, with the generous support of the Dorset Foundation.
Paul Sandby, Sir Watkin & the Landscape of North Wales
New exhibition 'Paul Sandby, Sir Watkin & the Landscape of North Wales' on show at Wrexham County Borough Museum, August 14th to November 4th 2006.
Harlech Castle by Paul Sandby, watercolour, 1776
© Leeds Museums & Galleries
If you love art and the glorious scenery of North Wales, you just have to visit Wrexham County Borough Museum to see the exhibition 'Paul Sandby, Sir Watkin & the Landscape of North Wales' which opened on Monday, August 14th.
The exhibition features the drawings, watercolours and oil paintings of noted 18th century artist, Paul Sandby. All the artworks in the exhibition were inspired by Paul Sandby's 1771 tour around North Wales in the company of local landowner, Sir Watkin Williams Wynn.
Paul Sandby went on to publish in 1776 XII Views in North Wales, a collection of watercolour style prints called aquatints. The subjects of his aquatints include some of North Wales's most dramatic scenery and six of the original aquatints feature in the exhibition. The publication of XII Views in North Wales was the first time artworks of Welsh landscapes had been widely available and the collection transformed attitudes to the Welsh countryside, particularly in England.
The result was visiting Wales suddenly became very fashionable and tourists started to flock to see Snowdonia, the Vale of Llangollen and medieval castles such as Harlech, Conway and Caernarfon. Artists such as William Turner also came to Wales to paint and draw, all inspired by the work of Paul Sandby.
The exhibition at Wrexham County Borough Museum features artworks on loan from the top museums and galleries of England and Wales including the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the National Library of Wales and many more.
For many of these works this is the first time they have been displayed in Wales, the land that inspired their creation.
The exhibition sets Paul Sandby's paintings and prints in context and tells the story of Paul Sandby and Sir Watkin's tour. The Ruabon-based art historian, Paul Hernon, has curated the exhibition, and he has created a twenty-minute film especially for the exhibition. The film reveals the landscapes that inspired all the artworks on display and relates the story of how Sir Watkin wined and dined his way round North Wales in 1771, while Paul Sandby made the initial sketches for the collection of prints that transformed attitudes to Wales.
The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of events for children and adults, gallery activities, creativity and literacy workshops for primary schools. In Wrexham Arts Centre an exhibition of Luci Meligari contemporary landscape prints complements the exhibition in the museum.
Admission is free. The exhibition is on show until November 4th 2006.
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