St Fagans has recently completed a £30m redevelopment project. Ellie Wainwright chats to National Museum Wales Director General David Anderson about what to expect.
This is the most ambitious redevelopment project in National Museum Wales’s history. Why do you believe that St Fagans is important to Welsh history?
The story of Wales is still evolving and so is the Museum. We hold the national collections, for the people of Wales. As we always have, we are constantly adding new items – some of them directly from contemporary society, almost literally off the street.
St Fagans has long been Wales’ most popular heritage attraction and holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Wales. It is a people’s museum, exploring history through everyday lives. Through the redevelopment project, we believe we have preserved everything that people love about St Fagans whilst introducing important new dimensions.
Why do you believe that St Fagans needed this redevelopment?
St Fagans was founded in 1948 on the principle that the life of every person matters, and it is people, not institutions, who are carriers of culture. It is loved by many people in Wales in a way I have never witnessed before in my long career in the museum sector. So much so, that many people were anxious when they heard we had plans to redevelop the Museum that we might change it in a way that would damage this unique relationship. Yes, we have introduced important new dimensions but have also kept all the things people love about the Museum.
As part of the project, we have brought together all of our archaeological and historical collections in one place. This means we are able to present of a much broader sweep of the story of humans in Wales, from the first Neanderthal hunters a quarter of a million years ago, to contemporary multicultural society.
The three new galleries – Wales Is…, Life Is… and Gweithdy – allow visitors to be visually immersed in the history of everyday Wales. Why do you believe it is important to learn about these everyday aspects of history in Wales?
Everyday life is part of history. In fact, it is essential for any understanding of the past. In the Life Is… gallery, visitors can explore how countless generations have dressed, prepared food, worked, played and mourned – just as we do today.
Each of the new galleries includes objects which are relevant to our history and everyday lives. We hope they will encourage our visitors to share their own stories. We are giving everyone an opportunity to get involved and make history together.
In developing St Fagans, we were inspired by the ideas of the Welsh writer Raymond Williams, who said in 1958 that “culture is ordinary” – by which I believe he meant that everyday life is part of culture and is as important as any other kind of culture.
What is the importance of museums and history to public life?
Our cultural lives are an integral and indivisible part of who we are. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights which, like St Fagans and the NHS, celebrates its 70th birthday this year, includes the right of every child and adult “to participate in the cultural life of the community, and to enjoy the benefits of science”. We have turned the UN Declaration into a promise: if you come to St Fagans, you can participate. Heritage is important when it achieves this.
Do you see a positive future for other museums thanks to St Fagans?
We see the St Fagans redevelopment not as a project but as a way of working for the whole organisation, based on social justice and participation, which we will sustain and develop in the years ahead. It is the beginning of a new era at St Fagans and all of Wales’ national museums.
National Museum Of History, St Fagans. Info: 0300 1112333 / www.museum.wales