Latest news with #MuseumWales
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
National Slate Museum gets £12m lottery money for revamp
A slate museum has been awarded £12m for redevelopment work aimed at preserving the heritage site for future Wales has been given the grant as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund for work on the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, Grade I listed building has been home to the museum since 1972 when it was first opened to the public after the closure of the Dinorwig slate quarry in money is intended to transform it into "a gateway to our history and culture". In 2021, the slate landscape of north-west Wales became the UK's 33rd site on the UNESCO World Heritage slate landscapes of Snowdonia are said to have "roofed the 19th Century world" as slate from its quarries was exported around the globe. Nowadays, the area is popular with tourists and nature Wales said the planned redevelopment would "retain the essence of the industrial workshops which sit at the heart of the site", while "sharing and celebrating" the role the area played on a global will include a new learning centre, play area, shop and cafe, as well as improving staff at the museum speak Welsh, and bosses say the language "will be embedded at all stages of the project".The redevelopment will also include the creation of new jobs, work placements and traineeships. Jane Richardson, chief executive of Museum Wales, said she was "truly thrilled".She added: "This is a key milestone in the Llanberis redevelopment project and is exciting news for us, for the wider community, and for everyone in Wales."Andrew White, the National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Wales, added the money would "unlock vital opportunities for communities across north Wales".The building is currently closed to the public, but work has already begun to move items from the museum to temporary locations in preparation for building works on site.
Scottish Sun
02-06-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Inside 200-year-old abandoned tunnel network discovered under UK village after being ‘LOST' for decades
The tunnel was difficult to find as it was 'very well hidden from view' IN THE DARK Inside 200-year-old abandoned tunnel network discovered under UK village after being 'LOST' for decades A 'LOST' tunnel from nearly 200 years ago has been discovered under a UK village. The tunnel has been out of use since the 1960s, but it was recently uncovered in a "fantastic" discovery. 3 The discovery was made by Disused Railway Tunnels UK Credit: R.K. Walton/Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales 3 The tunnel was used to carry slate from the local quarry Credit: Disused Railway Tunnels UK 3 It was built in 1843 and has been disused since 1861 Credit: Alamy Port Dinorwic Tunnel in North Wales was uncovered by Disused Railway Tunnels UK after a failed attempt last year. The tunnel, built in 1824, was once an integral part of the slate trade. Part of the wider Padarn Railway, the almost 100 yard tunnel connected the quarries at Llanberis to Port Dinowic. Further developments were made in 1843 when a rope-worked incline and a 92 yard tunnel between Port Dinorwic and Penscoins were built. This addition served to transport slate from the quarries to the waterside before it was carried around the UK via boats and trains. It also served as a kind of commuter route for workers before a more formalised service was introduced. The tunnel ceased use in 1861 and was blocked off before being infilled and becoming overgrown. In a trip to the area last year, Vince from Disused Railway Tunnels UK was unable to locate the tunnel. He told North Wales Live: "I couldn't see any evidence of the portal, even the shaft wasn't visible so possibly the tunnel may well be totally lost." The difficulty in finding the tunnel was caused by it having been bricked up until recently which left it "very well hidden from view." Inside 'gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds 'toxic' secret that scientists 'can't explain' Vince later returned to the village after the owners of a commercial property at the tunnel's entrance at Port Dinorwic contacted him. Speaking about the successful find, he said: "A massive thank you to Robert for the invitation to visit Port Dinorwic Tunnel and also to Iwan for showing us the way on the day and displaying patience while we mooched about in the tunnel. "What a fantastic day. Vince was shown around by Iwan Rees-Jones who said: "It's a privilege to work in what used to be the vital link for Welsh slate. Vince took photographs of the discovery which was appreciated by locals whose family history is intertwined with the tunnel. Locals either have direct or ancestral links to the tunnel and its trains including the Amalthaea, a steam locomotive that ran on the railway. One resident said: "My husband's great grandfather was one of Amalthaea's drivers. "We have his grandfather's old train tokens also, which he used to get to and from work as a slate splitter and dresser in Dinorwig. "What a stunning set of photographs, a real treat." Another local reminisced on earlier memories with friends when they would follow the disused narrow gauge lines in the 1960s. He said: "There were many tunnels leading into the mines but we never ventued into them.
The Irish Sun
02-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Inside 200-year-old abandoned tunnel network discovered under UK village after being ‘LOST' for decades
A 'LOST' tunnel from nearly 200 years ago has been discovered under a UK village. The tunnel has been out of use since the 1960s, but it was recently uncovered in a "fantastic" discovery. Advertisement 3 The discovery was made by Disused Railway Tunnels UK Credit: R.K. Walton/Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales 3 The tunnel was used to carry slate from the local quarry Credit: Disused Railway Tunnels UK 3 It was built in 1843 and has been disused since 1861 Credit: Alamy Port Dinorwic Tunnel in North Wales was uncovered by Disused Railway Tunnels UK after a failed attempt last year. Part of the wider Padarn Railway, the almost 100 yard tunnel connected the quarries at Llanberis to Port Dinowic. Further developments were made in 1843 when a rope-worked incline and a 92 yard tunnel between Port Dinorwic and Penscoins were built. Advertisement Read more News This addition served to transport slate from the quarries to the waterside before it was carried around the UK via boats and trains. It also served as a kind of commuter route for workers before a more formalised service was introduced. The tunnel ceased use in 1861 and was blocked off before being infilled and In a trip to the area last year, Vince from Disused Railway Tunnels UK was unable to locate the tunnel. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Latest He told The difficulty in finding the tunnel was caused by it having been bricked up until recently which left it "very well hidden from view." Inside 'gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds 'toxic' secret that scientists 'can't explain' Vince later returned to the village after the owners of a commercial property at the Speaking about the successful find, he said: "A massive thank you to Robert for the invitation to visit Port Dinorwic Tunnel and also to Iwan for showing us the way on the day and displaying patience while we mooched about in the tunnel. Advertisement "What a fantastic day. Vince was shown around by Iwan Rees-Jones who said: "It's a privilege to work in what used to be the vital link for Welsh slate. Vince took photographs of the Locals either have direct or ancestral links to the tunnel and its trains including the Amalthaea, a Advertisement One resident said: "My husband's great grandfather was one of Amalthaea's drivers. "We have his grandfather's old train tokens also, which he used to get to and from work as a slate splitter and dresser in Dinorwig. "What a stunning set of photographs, a real treat." Another local reminisced on earlier memories with friends when they would follow the disused narrow gauge lines in the 1960s. Advertisement He said: "There were many tunnels leading into the mines but we never ventued into them.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Reviving the lost tradition of egg clapping
Over the Easter weekend, children around the world took part in egg hunts to celebrate one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar. But in one corner of Wales some partook in a slight variation of this popular tradition – egg clapping. The activity was practiced on Anglesey in the 19th and 20th Centuries before undergoing a demise from about the 1960s as rural traditions began to disappear. However, a local organisation is leading efforts to revive the practice on the island as part of wider efforts to celebrate and protect local heritage. Parking plea at beauty spot to avoid Easter chaos Easter egg hunt in cemetery pulled after backlash The exact origins of clapio wyau, or egg clapping, are unclear, but it appears to have originated some time in the 19th Century mainly in rural communities on Anglesey. Children would visit neighbours with their wooden claps, recite a rhyme and ask for eggs – chicken eggs in those days – that they would take home to display on their mantelpiece. The rhyme had some variations, but according to one telling by Museum Wales went: Clap, clap, os gwelwch chi'n dda ga'i wŷ (Clap, clap, please may I have an egg) Geneth fychan (neu fachgen bychan) ar y plwy' (Young girl (or young boy) on the parish) The children would then be asked by the occupier "And who do you belong to?" before they were given an egg to add to their collection. #OnThisDay 1965: The BBC celebrated that most venerable Easter tradition, 'clapping Monday'. The day that Mardi Gras wishes it could be. Throw your eggs in your basket, grab your clapper and let's go! — BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) April 3, 2023 Speaking to the BBC in 1965, Nelli Jones, from Cemaes Bay on Anglesey, said she went egg clapping every year between the ages of two and 16. It was a tradition her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother took part in. Ms Jones said she did not know how the tradition started but the children in the village "couldn't sleep" the night before because of excitement. Starting at about 06:00 BST, they would take their basket of straw for their eggs, their clapper and a spare piece of string in case it broke, and go clapping all day, returning in the evening. "If you had a good day you could clap 150 eggs," Ms Jones said, adding the family was often "on an egg diet for weeks" afterwards. Some eggs would also be brought into school the next day and sent to a hospital in Bangor. Ms Jones also showed the presenter her clapper – a wooden implement built by her father – which had written on it the years she had taken part. It showed the last time she had been was in 1939, 26 years earlier. Ms Jones lamented the demise of the practice, saying her two older children, including her son aged 21, had never been egg clapping. "I think it's a great shame to see old customs die," she said. Many decades later there are now efforts to keep the tradition alive. Since 2012, Menter Môn, an organisation promoting Welsh customs on Anglesey, has been holding annual egg clapping events during the Easter holidays. Angharad Evans, from Menter Môn, said the event was an important way for children to connect with Welsh heritage and activities, as well as the language. The events today see children given their own egg clappers that they colour in, before going around the local area reciting the traditional rhyme in Welsh and asking for eggs – these days in the form of chocolate. Ms Evans described the event as "fun" and "inter-generational", and said her father, who is in his late 80s, remembered doing it. "We've found the grandparents really enjoy it – often they remember doing it themselves and there's real nostalgia for them. And for the children it's a bit of adventure, a bit different to the traditional Easter egg hunt," she said. "It's nice, and gives the children a good look into how things were done in the past," she said.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Egg clapping: Bringing back a lost Welsh tradition on Anglesey
Over the Easter weekend, children around the world took part in egg hunts to celebrate one of the most important festivals in the Christian in one corner of Wales some partook in a slight variation of this popular tradition – egg activity was practiced on Anglesey in the 19th and 20th Centuries before undergoing a demise from about the 1960s as rural traditions began to a local organisation is leading efforts to revive the practice on the island as part of wider efforts to celebrate and protect local heritage. The exact origins of clapio wyau, or egg clapping, are unclear, but it appears to have originated some time in the 19th Century mainly in rural communities on would visit neighbours with their wooden claps, recite a rhyme and ask for eggs – chicken eggs in those days – that they would take home to display on their rhyme had some variations, but according to one telling by Museum Wales went:Clap, clap, os gwelwch chi'n dda ga'i wŷ (Clap, clap, please may I have an egg)Geneth fychan (neu fachgen bychan) ar y plwy' (Young girl (or young boy) on the parish)The children would then be asked by the occupier "And who do you belong to?" before they were given an egg to add to their collection. Speaking to the BBC in 1965, Nelli Jones, from Cemaes Bay on Anglesey, said she went egg clapping every year between the ages of two and was a tradition her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother took part Jones said she did not know how the tradition started but the children in the village "couldn't sleep" the night before because of at about 06:00 BST, they would take their basket of straw for their eggs, their clapper and a spare piece of string in case it broke, and go clapping all day, returning in the evening."If you had a good day you could clap 150 eggs," Ms Jones said, adding the family was often "on an egg diet for weeks" eggs would also be brought into school the next day and sent to a hospital in Jones also showed the presenter her clapper – a wooden implement built by her father – which had written on it the years she had taken part. It showed the last time she had been was in 1939, 26 years Jones lamented the demise of the practice, saying her two older children, including her son aged 21, had never been egg clapping."I think it's a great shame to see old customs die," she said. Many decades later there are now efforts to keep the tradition 2012, Menter Môn, an organisation promoting Welsh customs on Anglesey, has been holding annual egg clapping events during the Easter Evans, from Menter Môn, said the event was an important way for children to connect with Welsh heritage and activities, as well as the events today see children given their own egg clappers that they colour in, before going around the local area reciting the traditional rhyme in Welsh and asking for eggs – these days in the form of Evans described the event as "fun" and "inter-generational", and said her father, who is in his late 80s, remembered doing it."We've found the grandparents really enjoy it – often they remember doing it themselves and there's real nostalgia for them. And for the children it's a bit of adventure, a bit different to the traditional Easter egg hunt," she said."It's nice, and gives the children a good look into how things were done in the past," she said.
