Millions invested for essential St Fagans refurbishment
The Grade I listed castle at St Fagans National Museum of History will undergo roof refurbishment over the next two years
St Fagans Castle will be closed for three months to begin essential roof repairs and conservation work, as part of a major investment into Amgueddfa Cymru's historic buildings.
The Grade I listed castle, at St Fagans National Museum of History, will undergo roof refurbishment over the next two years, with the aim of protecting the building's long-term future.
The castle closure forms part of £1.8million the Welsh Government is providing this financial year for improvement works across the St Fagans site. This includes for restoration work on the museum's historic glasshouses - the only two remaining in the grounds from the late nineteenth century.
"St Fagans Castle is a treasured part of our national story"
Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, said:
"St Fagans Castle is a treasured part of our national story, and this investment will ensure it can be enjoyed by visitors for generations to come. Once the work is complete, the hope is that the public will be able to explore some of the upstairs again.
"This is about more than one building. We're investing nearly £11.5million this financial year to care for our national museums, for essential works at National Museum Cardiff and the transformation of the National Slate Museum.
"Our Priorities for Culture set out a clear ambition for Wales' collections and historic assets to be protected and used to support learning, creativity and wellbeing. This investment delivers on that commitment, ensuring our most loved heritage sites remain at the heart of communities across Wales."
The Welsh Government says St Fagans is one of Wales' most popular heritage attraction and ranks among the UK's top ten free attractions as voted by TripAdvisor users.
The St Fagans investment is part of a wider programme of additional support for Amgueddfa Cymru this financial year, totalling £11.5million:
- St Fagans National Museum of History - around £1.8million for castle restoration, glasshouse repairs and site improvements
- National Museum Cardiff - almost £3.5million for priority building works, on top of £1.3million provided last year
- National Slate Museum - £3.3million towards the ongoing redevelopment, bringing the total Welsh Government investment in the project to £5.8 million
- Welsh Government Energy Scheme - £1.5million towards decarbonisation projects
- Visitor experience improvements - over £706,000 for St Fagans and the National Waterfront Museum, to include an upgraded shop and more accessible toilet facilities
- Storage and collections care – over £780,000 to help protect Wales' national collections
The rest of the museum site, including its historic buildings, galleries and grounds, will remain open throughout the castle works.