Abergavenny Museum

Abergavenny Museum is a museum situated in the grounds of Abergavenny Castle, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, south east Wales.

The museum is housed in the square 'keep' on the high point of the castle motte, in the hunting lodge built for the Marquess of Abergavenny in 1819 on the site. The castle grounds overlook the River Usk and Castle Meadows and is in Abergavenny town centre itself.

History of the museum

The museum has been mooted early in the 20th century but action to establish it only took place in the late 1950s at a period when parts of the old town of Abergavenny were undergoing some redevelopment and some interesting historical and archaeological artifacts came to light and local residents realised that some action had to be taken to prevent these being lost forever and provide a home for similar future finds. The action of local volunteers established the museum on its present site.

The collection

The museum houses a collection of objects of local significance ranging from old and early photographs of the landscape and town, archaeological finds from when the new 1960s Post Office and telephone exchange was built on part of the site of the Roman fort of Gobannium to earlier prehistoric finds dating from the Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age such as axe heads and arrow heads, the medieval and Tudor periods and includes fine examples of costume, a Welsh kitchen of the 1890s, a saddlers shop from 1900 - 1930 and Basil Jones old grocers shop [http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/item1/7846] from Abergavenny town alongside nationally valuable collections associated with Father Ignatius and Lady Llanover.

Liaison with schools

Abergavenny Museum works closely with local schools and educational establishments. It provides a range of workshops covering the Celts and Romans locally to the Victorian kitchen.

External links

* [http://www.abergavennymuseum.co.uk/ Abergavenny Museum website]
* [http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/Monmouth/English/Leisure_and_Visitors/Castles+and+Museums/MuseumsInMonmouthshire.htm Monmouthshire County Council website information on the museum]
* [http://www.gtj.org.uk/search/searchRepository.php?lang=en&r=59 Gathering the Jewels Welsh website] — some of the artifacts held at Abergavenny Museum
* [http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor/article/?article_id=90 Museum Wales on a rare Roman find from near Abergavenny]
* [http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor/article/?article_id=81 Museum Wales on coins found near Abergavenny]
* [http://www.roman-britain.org/places/gobannium.htm Roman Gobannium on the Roman Britain website]