List of museums in Wales explained

This list of museums in Wales contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organisations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries.

Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e. virtual museums) are not included. Those marked 'NMW' are part of the network of National Museum Wales.

NameTown/CityPrincipal areaRegionTypeSummary
Historic house Medieval castle
Beaumaris CourthouseBeaumaris Anglesey North Wales Law enforcement website, also known as Llys Biwmares Beaumaris Court, dates to 1614
Beaumaris Anglesey North Wales Prison 19th-century prison
Canolfan Ucheldre CentreAnglesey North Wales Art website, community arts centre with exhibit gallery for contemporary art and craft
Copper Kingdom Centre Anglesey North Wales Local website, local history, copper and shipbuilding industry
Haulfre Stables Beaumaris Anglesey North Wales Transport Open by appointment only, Victorian harness and saddlery, carts and carriages[1]
Holyhead Anglesey North Wales Maritime Located in an 1858 lifeboat station, maritime and social history
Holyhead Anglesey North Wales Mill 18th-century windmill
Anglesey North Wales Technology website, history and construction of the Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge
Moelfre Seawatch Centre Anglesey North Wales Maritime Also known as RNLI Gwylfan Seawatch Centre, includes a lifeboat, maritime artifacts, marine life and environment[2] [3]
Anglesey North Wales Multiple Art, culture, social history of Anglesey
Penmaenmawr Museum North Wales Local website, local history museum and community archive for Penmaenmawr
Anglesey North Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 18th-century house with 1930s interior, military museum of the 1st Marquess of Anglesey, garden, arboretum
Anglesey North Wales Maritime Historic lighthouse, engine room and exhibits
Stone Science Anglesey North Wales Natural history Dinosaurs, fossils, rocks, minerals[4]
Swtan Heritage Museum Anglesey North Wales Historic house website, 16th-century Welsh cottage with a thatched roof, early 20th-century interior, exhibits of art and rural life
Tacla TaidRhydwyn Anglesey North Wales Transport website, also known as Anglesey Transport and Agriculture Museum, cars, motorbikes, commercial and farm vehicles and static engines
Abertillery & District Museum Multiple website, local history, period room and farm displays, mining, culture, Roman artifacts
Blaenau Gwent South Wales Historic house Early 19th-century ironmaster's residence and gardens
Blaina Heritage Action Group Museum Tredegar Blaenau Gwent South Wales Local website, local history
Brynmawr & District Museum Blaenau Gwent South Wales Local website, local history, Brynmawr Furniture pieces made during the Brynmawr Experiment
Tredegar Local History Museum Tredegar Blaenau Gwent South Wales Local Located in the town library, local history, industry[5]
Cefn Junction Signal Box South Wales Local website, located in a 1898 signal box, local history with an emphasis on rail and coal mining heritage,
Porthcawl Museum South Wales Local website, local history
St John's House South Wales Local website, local history
South Wales Historic house Medieval castle, replica siege engines, exhibits on other castles in Wales
Caerphilly South Wales Living 1645 period home, at the height of the English Civil War when King Charles I of England visited the house to persuade its owner not to change his allegiance
Winding HouseNew Tredegar Caerphilly South Wales Local website, local history, coal mining, winding engine
South Wales Multiple Local history, culture, art
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Local Includes exhibits of local history, culture, located in the Wales Millennium Centre
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Historic house Medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Local City's history, culture
Cardiff South Wales Historic house Operated by Cadw, late 19th-century "fairy-tale" Victorian Gothic castle with lavish furnishings
Cardiff South WalesArt Arts centre for international art, performance and film
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Art Contemporary crafts gallery of the Makers Guild in Wales
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Media Artifacts from the Doctor Who television series
Cardiff Cardiff South WalesMilitary Located at Cardiff Castle, history of the Welch Regiment
Cardiff South WalesArt Arts centre with exhibit gallery
Cardiff South Wales Historic house Victorian mansion
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Multiple (NMW) Art, archaeology, natural history, dinosaurs, geology, decorative arts
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Art Arts centre with gallery
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales History Late 19th-century building with Welsh history exhibits
Cardiff South Wales Open air (NMW) Over forty buildings including a Celtic village, Elizabethan manor house, chapel, medieval church, schoolhouse, tollbooth, farm,
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Science Hands-on science exhibits
Cardiff Cardiff South Wales Photography Photography gallery of national and international contemporary photography
Cardiff Cardiff South WalesArt Performing arts centre with exhibit gallery
Bro Aman Heritage Room South WalesLocal history Located in the Ammanford Town Library[6]
Carmarthenshire South WalesMultiple Local history, culture, art gallery, furniture, decorative arts, 19th-century schoolroom, the inside of a Carmarthenshire farmhouse a clogmaker's workshop
Carmarthenshire South WalesMining Operated by the National Trust, Roman surface and deep gold mines
Carmarthenshire South WalesHistoric house Final home of poet Dylan Thomas
Carmarthenshire South WalesIndustry Tinplate industry buildings and equipment
Carmarthenshire South Wales Automotive Use of Pendine Sands for land speed record attempts
Carmarthenshire South WalesMaritime Collection of coracles
Carmarthenshire South WalesIndustry (NMW) Woolen mill, textiles gallery
Carmarthenshire South WalesHistoric house Operated by the National Trust, 1912 period house in extensive park, nearby Dinefwr Castle ruins
Oriel Myrddin GalleryCarmarthen Carmarthenshire South WalesArt website, contemporary art gallery
Carmarthenshire South WalesMultiple Local pottery, art, decorative arts, local history
Carmarthenshire South Wales Toy Toys, dolls, model trains, model cars, teddy bears, toy soldiers, tin toys, costumes, pinball machines, games, period schoolroom, household items
Mid WalesArt Part of Aberystwyth University, features exhibit galleries for art, ceramics
Aberystwyth Ceredigion Mid WalesLocal Local history, archaeology, natural history, Welsh furniture, costumes, farming and agriculture items
TanygroesCeredigion Mid WalesTechnology Internal combustion and steam engines
Lampeter Ceredigion Mid WalesLocal Local history exhibits in the town library
Ceredigion Mid Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 18th-century Welsh minor gentry estate with dairy, laundry, brewery, salting house, walled kitchen gardens, organic farm
Llanon Cottage Ceredigion Mid WalesHistoric house website, Tudor cottage with original straw rope underthatch
Llywernog Silver-Lead Mine Ceredigion Mid WalesMining website, 18th-century silver mine, buildings, equipment, tramways
New Quay Heritage Centre Ceredigion Mid WalesLocal website, local history exhibits
Aberystwyth Ceredigion Mid WalesArt website, fine art, photography, prints and drawings, crafts and decorative art
Ceredigion Mid Wales Archaeology Remains of a medieval Cistercian abbey
Tregaron Kite Centre and Museum Ceredigion Mid WalesNatural history website, kites and other area birds, Tregaron Bog, local history, Victorian schoolroom
Welsh Quilt CentreCeredigion Mid WalesArt website, quilts and textile exhibits
Historic house website, operated by the National Trust, medieval merchant's house with rooms from different periods
Conwy Conwy North Wales Historic house Medieval castle
Conwy Mussel Museum Conwy Conwy North Wales Maritime website, pearl fishing
Conwy Conwy North Wales Technology Operated by the National Trust, 1826 version of the Menai Suspension Bridge, now a footbridge, 1890s period toll house
Conwy North Wales Railway Railway equipment, miniature and model railways, memorabilia
Home Front ExperienceLlandudno Conwy North Wales Living website, life in Britain during World War II
Llandudno Museum Conwy North Wales Local website, local history, culture, copper mining, Welsh kitchen, art
Llandudno Conwy North Wales Art Contemporary art gallery
New York Cottages Conwy North Wales Historic house website, 1840s house for local quarry workers, local history, industry
Conwy Conwy North Wales Historic house 16th-century Elizabethan town house
Conwy Conwy North Wales Art Hosts 8-10 exhibits a year
Sir Henry Jones Museum Conwy North Wales Historic house website, Victorian childhood home of philosopher and academic Sir Henry Jones
Conwy Conwy North Wales Historic house 16th-century house measuring 3.05 metre by 1.8 metre (10 feet by 6 feet)
Conwy North Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 16th-century stone-built upland farmhouse, birthplace of Bishop William Morgan, the first translator of the Bible into Welsh, collection of bibles
North WalesMultiple Historic house with Victorian period rooms, art exhibits from the National Portrait Gallery, gardens, parkland
Denbighshire North WalesAutomobile Cars, motorcycles, memorabilia and artifacts
Llangollen MuseumLlangollen Denbighshire North Wales Local website, local history, culture
Denbighshire North WalesHistoric house 15th-century timbered house with rooms from different periods up to the 1940s
Llangollen Denbighshire North WalesHistoric house Late 18th-century Gothic cottage house
Denbighshire North Wales Railway Miniature railway and museum
Rhyl Museum Rhyl Denbighshire North WalesLocal website, local history, culture
Denbighshire North WalesPrison 19th-century Victorian prison dating back to the 17th century
Ruthin Denbighshire North WalesArt Contemporary crafts centre with exhibit galleries, artist studios, retail gallery, education and residency workshops
Wireless in Wales MuseumDenbighshire North WalesWireless radio website, collection of radios and information, displaying some very early and rare sets dating from the 1920s to the 1960s
North WalesIndustry Open air park with a farm museum, former factories for making cotton, brass items, copper sheets, wire
Mold Library, Museum and Gallery Flintshire North Wales Local website, local history, author Daniel Owen
Holywell Flintshire North Wales Religious Shrine with museum about its history
Bocs Gwynedd North Wales Artwebsite, Creative Industries Centre for young artists, art gallery
Cae'r GorsNorth Wales Literature website, restored birthplace of author Kate Roberts
Caernarfon Airworld MuseumCaernarfon Gwynedd North Wales Aviationwebsite, collection of retired aircraft, history of mountain rescue, located at Caernarfon Airport, the airfield of the former RAF Llandwrog
Caernarfon Gwynedd North Wales Historic house Medieval fortress castle, site of investiture of the Prince of Wales, houses the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum
Lasynys Fawr Gwynedd North Wales Historical house website, restored 15th-century home of poet Ellis Wynne
Gwynedd North Wales Mining Slate mine quarry and tram
Gwynedd North Wales Historic house Late 19th-century boyhood home of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George
Gwynedd North Wales Railway Locomotives and artifacts from over 80 British narrow gauge railways
Gwynedd North Wales Industry (NMW) Formerly the Welsh Slate Museum, former slate quarry
Oriel Pendeitsh Caernarfon Gwynedd North Wales Art website, exhibition space
Oriel Plas Glyn-y-WeddwGwynedd North Wales Art website, art gallery
Gwynedd North Wales Historic house 19th-century fantasy castle, operated by the National Trust
Llandygai Gwynedd North Wales RailwayIndustrial railway locomotives
Porthmadog Maritime Museum Gwynedd North Wales Maritime website, schooners built in the town and the men who sailed in them
Quaker Heritage Centre Gwynedd North Wales Religious History of the local Quaker community that later emigrated to Pennsylvania[7]
Caernarfon Gwynedd North Wales Military Located at Caernarfon Castle, regimental uniforms, weapons, memorabilia
Caernarfon Gwynedd North Wales Archaeology Excavated Roman fort and visitor center with artifacts
Gwynedd North Wales Mining Underground tours of the Victorian copper mine
StorielGwynedd North Wales Multiple website, local history, art, culture, Welsh furniture, costumes, archaeology, formerly the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery
Gwynedd North Wales Music National centre for Welsh folk music
Merthyr Tydfil South Wales Multiple Local and social history, art, decorative arts
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil South Wales Historic house website, 1840s period ironworker's cottage, birthplace of composer Joseph Parry
South WalesLocal Local history, culture, period saddlers shop, Victorian farmhouse kitchen, 1930s grocery shop, changing exhibits of art, history, culture
MonmouthshireSouth Wales Historic house Medieval castle with Victorian furnishings, local history artifacts
MonmouthshireSouth Wales Local Local history
MonmouthshireSouth WalesBiographical Includes the former Nelson Museum about Admiral Horatio Nelson, local history,
Monmouth MonmouthshireSouth WalesMilitary History of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
MonmouthshireSouth WalesReligious Exhibits in the tithe barn about the priory, 24 foot tapestry of town history
Usk Rural Life Museum MonmouthshireSouth WalesAgriculture website, farm tools, equipment, scale model horse-drawn vehicles, corn dollies, period household and trade displays
South WalesMining Former coal mine with buildings, equipment, tram
Neath Port Talbot South Wales Religious Operated by Cadw, inscribed pre- Romanesque, Roman and Celtic stones and crosses
Neath Port Talbot South WalesMining Former coal mine with buildings, equipment, miner's cottage, stable, blacksmith
Welsh Museum of Fire Neath Port Talbot South WalesFirefighting website, fire engines, equipment, memorabilia, open by appointment
South Wales Transport Heritage of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
Newport South WalesArchaeology (NMW) Artifacts and excavations from the Roman legion fortress and settlement and other Roman sites in Wales
Caerleon Newport South WalesArchaeology Artifacts and excavations from the Roman legion fortress and settlement, operated by Cadw
Newport Newport South WalesMultiple Local history, art gallery, local Roman history and archaeology, natural history, social history, industry
Newport Newport South WalesMaritime 15th-century sailing vessel undergoing restoration, viewed on open days
Newport Newport South WalesTransport History and construction of the bridge and other transporter bridges
Newport Newport South WalesArt Arts centre with gallery
NewportNewport South Wales Historic house 17th-century Charles II country house mansion, operated by the National Trust
Pembrokeshire South Wales Multiple Medieval castle remains and 19th-century tidal grinding mill
Carew Cheriton Control Tower Carew Pembrokeshire South Wales Military History of RAF Carew Cheriton including the World War II RAF control tower (Watch Office), Avro Anson aircraft and air raid shelter[8]
Pembrokeshire South WalesOpen air Reconstructed Iron Age fort
Fleets to Flying Boat Centre Pembrokeshire South WalesMultiple website, Sunderland flying boats, area WWII history
Pembrokeshire South WalesLocal Local history, industry, artifacts from Haverfordwest Castle
Pembrokeshire South Wales Local Local history, maritime history, industries, railroads
Narberth MuseumNarberth Pembrokeshire South Wales Local website, local history, culture
Oriel y ParcPembrokeshire South Wales Art website, art gallery, focus is the landscapes of Pembrokeshire, houses the visitor centre for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrock Dock Heritage CentrePembrokeshire South WalesMultiple website, located in a Martello tower, local history, military and maritime history
Simpson CrossPembrokeshire South Wales Automobile Vintage cars, currently closed
Pembrokeshire South Wales Historic house Open by appointment, tiny early 19th-century cottage
Pembrokeshire South Wales Historic house Medieval castle, art gallery, gardens
Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire South Wales Multiple Victorian manor house with period rooms, exhibits on local history, agriculture, rural life, railways, industry, science
Narberth Pembrokeshire South Wales Science
Pembrokeshire South Wales Multiple Local history, art, natural history, geology, archaeology, maritime heritage
Tenby Pembrokeshire South Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, late 15th-century Tudor period house
PowysMid Wales Historic house 19th-century neo-Elizabethan country house, gardens
Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture PowysMid Wales Art website, works by Andrew Logan
PowysMid Wales Religious Located in a 17th-century tithe barn, history of the cathedral
PowysMid Wales Science Exhibits about alternative technologies, sustainable living, the environment
PowysMid WalesReligious Life of 18th-century Methodist leader Howell Harris, known as Trefeca
PowysMid WalesHistoric house website, 1870s period house with restored judge's apartments, servants’ quarters and courtroom
Llanidloes Museum PowysMid Wales Local website, local history, industry, Victorian period rooms, natural history
Mid Wales Arts Centre PowysMid Wales Art website, includes collection of works by Stefan Knapp
Minerva Arts CentreLlanidloes PowysMid Wales Art website, exhibits of quilts and textiles by the Quilt Association
PowysMid WalesArt Contemporary art exhibits
PowysMid Wales Transport Features over 260 bicycles
Newtown Textile Museum PowysMid Wales Industry website, typical early 19th-century hand weaving shop, open on special occasions
PowysMid Wales Local history Housed in a 16th-century inn
Oriel Davies GalleryNewtown PowysMid Wales Art website, contemporary art and craft
PowysMid Wales Biographical History of Owain Glyndŵr, 14th-century Welsh ruler and the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales
PowysMid Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, castle with paintings, sculpture, furniture, tapestries, museum of 18th-century artifacts from India, gardens
Powysland Museum Welshpool PowysMid Wales Local website, local history, culture, farming, archaeology, military
Radnorshire Museum PowysMid Wales Local website, local history, archaeology, natural history including fossils, social history of the former county of Radnorshire
Rhayader Museum & Gallery PowysMid Wales Local website
Robert Owen MuseumNewtown PowysMid Wales Biographical website, social reformer Robert Owen
PowysMid Wales Military Uniforms, weapons, medal and artifacts of the South Wales Borderers (24th Foot) and the Welch Regiment (41st/69th Foot)
Thomas Shop Museum PowysMid Wales History website, 1805 period general store
PowysMid Wales Historic house Medieval unfurnished fortified manor house
W H Smith Museum PowysMid Wales History Original location of the W H Smith chain of booksellers, period shop[9]
South WalesIndustry History of Nantgarw Pottery
Rhondda Cynon Taf South Wales Mining Former coal mine
1940s Swansea Bay South Wales Military website, military and civilian homefront life in Swansea during World War II
Swansea Swansea South WalesBiographical Exhibits on author Dylan Thomas
Swansea Swansea South WalesArchaeology Part of Swansea University, Ancient Egyptian artifacts[10]
Swansea South WalesOpen air Includes 12th-century water powered corn and saw mill, restored woolen mill, outdoor exhibits of antique farming and cultivation, blacksmith, potter, farm
Swansea Swansea South WalesArt Includes work by Old Masters, contemporary art, porcelain, Swansea china
Swansea Swansea South WalesArt Exhibitions of visual arts, applied arts and craft
Swansea Swansea South WalesMultiple (NMW) Welsh industrial and maritime heritage, social history, technology, science
Swansea Swansea South WalesMultiple Three main locations with exhibits on city history and culture, boats and maritime artifacts, street trams and memorabilia
Swansea Swansea South WalesArt Part of Swansea University, includes Oriel Ceri Richards Gallery
South Wales Industry (NMW), former coal mine, underground tour, equipment, buildings
Blaenafon Torfaen South Wales Industry Former iron works, remains of five early blast furnaces, restored late 18th-century workers' housing at Stack Square
Torfaen South WalesArt Exhibitions of applied and visual art
Torfaen South WalesLocal Local history, art, domestic life, culture, Japanware and decorative arts
Art Central South WalesArt website, community art gallery in the old town hall
Vale of Glamorgan South WalesLiving Recreated 14th-century peasant village
Cowbridge Museum Vale of Glamorgan South WalesPrison information, located in Cowbridge Town Hall, early 19th-century prison, town hall and museum of local history
Vale of Glamorgan South WalesHistoric house Medieval castle home and gardens
Vale of Glamorgan South Wales Maritime Lighthouse tours
Oriel Washington GalleryVale of Glamorgan South Wales Art website, contemporary art gallery
Vale of Glamorgan South Wales Art Hosts exhibits of art, photography and crafts
Vale of Glamorgan South Wales Art Exhibition space for Ffotogallery, the national photography development agency for Wales, exhibits of photography, video, digital media
Bersham Colliery Mining Museum North WalesIndustry website, former coalfield with headgear, equipment, miner family life
Bersham Wrexham North Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, medieval fortress with state rooms, towers and dungeons, gardens
Wrexham North Wales Historic house Operated by the National Trust, early 18th-century country house reflecting the upstairs downstairs life of a gentry family over 250 years, outbuildings, garden, landscape park
Wrexham North WalesIndustry Former lead mine, equipment, miner family life
Wrexham Wrexham North WalesNatural history Located in a former corn mill in Nant Mill Country Park
Wrexham North WalesArt website, formerly the Wrexham Arts Centre and Oriel Wrecsam
Wrexham Wrexham North WalesScience website, hands-on science exhibits, run by North Wales Science (formerly operated Techniquest Glyndŵr)
Wrexham Wrexham North Wales Local website, local history, culture
PowysMid WalesMultiple Local history, culture, archaeology, rural life, art gallery

Defunct museums

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Haulfre Stables. Culture 24. 3 January 2016.
  2. Web site: Facebook site. RNLI Gwylfan Seawatch Centre RNLI Gwylfan Seawatch Centre. 3 January 2016.
  3. Web site: Print this page PDF this page Award winning RNLI volunteers receive keys to Moelfre Seawatch Centre. RNLI. 3 January 2016. 20 February 2012.
  4. Web site: Places of Interest. Go Anglesey. 3 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160225123133/http://www.goanglesey.com/html/interest/#q. 25 February 2016. dead.
  5. Web site: Tredegar Local History Museum. Visit Wales. 3 January 2016.
  6. Web site: Bro Aman Museum. Carmarthenshire County Council. 3 January 2016.
  7. Web site: Quaker Heritage Centre. Snowdonia National Park Authority. 4 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160607083807/http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/archived/visiting-old/attractions/Attractions/Quaker-Heritage-Centre. 7 June 2016. dead.
  8. Web site: Carew Cheriton Control Tower. Pembrokeshire Virtual Museum. 4 January 2016.
  9. Web site: W H Smith and son. Newtown Powys blog. 4 January 2016. 19 September 2011.
  10. Web site: The Egypt Centre Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Swansea University. 4 January 2016.
  11. Web site: Bersham Heritage Centre. Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives. 5 January 2016. Bersham Heritage Centre is now closed to the public..
  12. Web site: Celtica in Wales . WalesDirectory.co.uk . 12 April 2019 .
  13. Web site: Llanrwst Almshouse Museum rent rise blamed for closure. BBC News. 3 January 2016. 27 October 2011.
  14. Web site: Celebrations as town council re-open Llanrwst Almshouses Museum. Daily Post. 3 January 2016. 28 February 2013.
  15. Web site: Diecast Tuesday 13th March 2007 12:00am 82 lots containing "The Contents of the Museum of Childhood Memories - Beaumaris, Anglesey, Tinplate Toys" in this auction. Vectis Auctions. 3 January 2016. 13 March 2007.
  16. Web site: Mackey . Eanna . 2023-06-06 . 'It brings a tear to my eye' Captain Beany closes down famous Baked Beans museum . 2023-09-13 . WalesOnline . en.
  17. Web site: Milton . Josh . 2023-06-12 . Baked beans lover Captain Beany closes bean museum to find true love . 2023-09-13 . Metro . en.