Swansea Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Museum location in Swansea, Wales | |
| Location | Swansea, Wales |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°37′04″N 3°56′17″W / 51.6178°N 3.9381°W |
| Type | Local history, transportation |
| Website | Swansea Museum |
The Swansea Museum in Swansea, Wales, UK is the oldest museum in Wales,[1] created for and by the Royal Institution of South Wales in 1841 to house its collections and provide research and learning facilities.
Swansea Museum is the oldest museum in Wales. It opened in 1841, founded by the Royal Institution of South Wales (RISW), a group of art and science enthusiasts, six years after the organisation's establishment. The museum is housed in a Grade II* listed building that was commissioned by the RISW, built in the neo-classical style and completed in 1841. The building was designed to house the RISW's array of collections as well as provide research and learning facilities.
In 1990, guardianship of the Museum was transferred to City & County of Swansea.[2]
Under threat of closure, the Swansea City Council saved the building and its collections in 1996. Swansea Museum now provides free access to six galleries with a variety of exhibits from an ancient mummy's tomb to temporary exhibitions on current issues and modern interests.
In 2015, the museum's future was uncertain, with a 50% budget cut announced in 2015.[3] In 2016, the BBC4 television programme Britain's Lost Masterpieces uncovered a lost study for the Jacob Jordaens painting Meleager and Atalanta, at the museum, which was evaluated at more than £3 million.[4][5]
In 2019, the Swansea Devil carving was donated to the Swansea museum by the owners of the Quadrant Shopping Centre.[6]
