Collection: Museum of Cardiff

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The Museum has created its collection from a zero base and has been actively collecting items since 2006. The collection has been created and shaped by the Cardiff community: being integral to the decisions made about what the new museum of Cardiff would interpret and collect, and then in how that collection was created. The Museum actively sourced objects, initially concentrating on items that would help tell the stories planned for its phase 1 galleries for immediate display. It proactively communicated with museums across the UK to determine suitable objects for transfer, approached and discussed with organisations, businesses and community groups, identifying objects to represent their stories and worked with the local media to encourage discussion and donations. On occasion it has purchased items for the collection, but this has usually been grant aided. This proactive approach to collecting continues. Collecting is built into all Museum activity and forms a key part of its projects with community partners. Since the Museum’s opening in 2011, collecting has been widened to focus on all aspects of Cardiff’s history.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: Not known

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The Museum of Cardiff’s collection includes objects, ephemera, photographs, film and sound recordings, artworks and associated information representing Cardiff’s working, domestic and cultural life. It covers social history, archaeology, archival, maritime and industry, fine and decorative art specialisms and includes digital material.

  Items within the Museum’s collection encompass human activity within the city and county of Cardiff and, where appropriate, elsewhere (such as the Valleys) as it relates to Cardiff’s history, from earliest times to the present day. The collection represents the wide diverse communities within the city and broadly reflects the themes of Community Life, Domestic and Family Life, Personal Life, and Working Life (as defined by the Social History and Industrial Classification (SHIC) system). In detail this encompasses:

  • Community Life – cultural traditions, belief, organisations, welfare, education, amenities, sport, warfare and defence.
  • Domestic and Family Life – domestic and family administration, housing, furnishings and fittings, household management, food, drink, hobbies, crafts and pastimes.
  • Personal Life – personal administration, mementoes, memorials, costume, personal wellbeing.
  • Working Life – agriculture, energy and water supply, minerals and chemicals, metals and metal goods, engineering, construction, transport and communications, distribution, hotels and catering.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date:

  Licence: CC BY-NC