Collection: Carmarthenshire County Council

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  CofGâr (Carmarthenshire County Council’s Museum and Art Service) originated more than 100 years ago.Through the foresight and generosity of public-spirited individuals and organisations and the work of later custodians, substantial, wide-ranging and extremely important collections of regional and national significance have been built up from across the whole county.

  From its early origins and collecting since, CofGâr has acquired a collection comprising over 50,000 accessions representing some 70,000 items.These are mainly stored or displayed at Carmarthenshire Museum, Parc Howard Museum, the Museum of Land Speed, the Dylan Thomas Boathouse, and stores at Kidwelly Industrial Museum and in Llanelli.Other collections are on display at several other County Council public buildings.

  Carmarthenshire Museum

  In 1908 the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society established a county museum in Carmarthen which eventually found a home in Quay Street. The collection was drawn from the earlier collection of the Carmarthen Literary and Scientific Institution (established in 1840) and the gifts of members and the general public. The Society’s mission was to gather material relating to the county, but it did accept foreign antiquities and ethnographic items from members and others. In 1923 the Society affiliated to the National Museum of Wales. Its director, Sir Cyril Fox, reported that the ‘remarkable collection, second only to the National Museum, ‘deserved a better home’.

  The Society sold the museum and its contents to Carmarthenshire County Council in 1939. By the 1960s the building was in poor condition so, in 1974, the Council purchased the former palace of the Bishop of St. Davids at Abergwili to be the museum’s new home. It was then managed by Dyfed County Council, the museum opened to the public in 1978 and became part of Dyfed Museums Service with Scolton Manor, the Haverfordwest Town Museum and Penrhos Cottage.

  As part of a local government reorganisation in 1996, Dyfed County Council was abolished, and Carmarthenshire Museum’s governance returned to the re-established Carmarthenshire County Council.

  Parc Howard Museum and Art Gallery

  In 1912, Lord and Lady Stepney leased Parc Howard Mansion to Llanelli Borough Council. Part of the early collections date from this time with Lady Stepney generously donating Llanelly Pottery and works of fine art for public enjoyment. Llanelli Borough Council ran the museum until the local government reorganisation in 1996.

  Carmarthenshire County Hall

  During 1953-5, Iorweth Howells, Director of Education for Carmarthenshire, proposed to the County’s Education Committee that “they might consider encouraging Art in the County by establishing a collection of paintings”. His suggestion was implemented and by 1967 there were 80 works representing 47 artists in the collection, displayed throughout the county offices.

  Following local government reorganisation in 1972, Carmarthenshire Museum Service assumed responsibility for the County Hall Collection. It remained a separate entity and continued to develop with the financial backing of the Cultural Services Committee during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The collection now numbers around 200 works and the displays in County Hall are enhanced with historic maps and other items of interest from the County Museum Collection.

  Carmarthenshire Museum Service Since 1996

  Under a resurrected Carmarthenshire County Council, the museum service comprised of the County Museum, Parc Howard and Carmarthen Heritage Centre (opened 1996) and the Museum of Speed (opened 1997), both projects initiated by the former Carmarthen District Council. The latter museum was rebuilt and reopened as the Museum of Land Speed in May 2023 and tells the story of the iconic land speed record attempts made on Pendine beech in an interactive and experiential way.

  Carmarthen Heritage Centre closed in 2005 and the displays relocated to Carmarthen Library and became the Carmarthen Town Museum. Inter-service collaboration also established heritage rooms at both Ammanford (Bro Aman / James Griffiths Room) and Newcastle Emlyn libraries. Newcastle Emlyn was short-lived and the decision was taken in 2017 to discontinue both the Bro Aman and the Carmarthen Town Museum and reabsorb these collections back into Carmarthenshire Museum.

  The service formed a relationship with the trust established to manage Kidwelly Industrial Museum, which was enabled through Llanelli Borough Council. The museum consists of several buildings that formed an early tinplate works and tells the story of this once great industry. It also is the location of the museum service’s store for larger objects. The site was closed to the public in 2017 to allow for essential works and to ensure the preservation of the listed buildings. Surveys have been carried out and plans are in development to secure its future.

  Carmarthen Guildhall

  The Guildhall contained a group of large 19th and 20th century oil paintings and 19th century furniture commissioned for the building from David Morley of Carmarthen.

  The building was inherited by Carmarthenshire County Council. In 2005 the service took over administration of the collections, and accessioned the items, before the building was transferred to the ownership of the Crown Court. The council purchased the building from the Ministry of Justice in 2016.

  In 2018, Carmarthenshire County Council leased the building to the Lounges Café franchise and the ground floor has been converted into a restaurant/bar. To enable this, most of the collections have been rehoused in a store in Llanelli. The historic court room has remained intact and continues to display the original artworks including a large full-length portrait of General Picton.

  CofGâr

  In 2023 Carmarthenshire Museum Service underwent a reorganisation and was rebranded as CofGâr. The Dylan Thomas Boathouse, which was previously part of the Council’s Art Service, was added to the museums’ portfolio. The boathouse was where Dylan Thomas lived with his family during the last four years of his life (1949- 1953) and wrote many of his major works.

  CofGâr is Carmarthenshire County Council’s Museum and Art service and operates five museum sites: Carmarthenshire Museum, Parc Howard Museum, Museum of Land Speed, Kidwelly Industrial Museum and Dylan Thomas Boathouse.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  Carmarthenshire County Museum

  Carmarthenshire Museum’s collection reflects the natural and human history of the whole county and as a result is broad and wide-ranging.

  Geology

  The geological specimens include minerals and fossils from Carmarthenshire, the UK and abroad. In 2005, the collection was assessed by the National Museum of Wales under a Sharing the Treasures project. The book collection and works on paper includes relevant items.

  Natural History

  A sizeable collection of eggs, fossils, insects, minerals and shells, mostly from Carmarthenshire and Wales, with a few exotic specimens. There are a number of specimens that are of great local importance including; human bone, local trilobites, the Gasworks Limestone fossils and Hannah White’s dog. The book collection also includes works relevant for the development of natural history studies as a subject and of local interest. In 2016, the collection was assessed as part of the all-Wales Linking Collections project funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund.

  Archaeology

  The archaeological collections span 50,000 years of human activity in the county and are largely a typical mix of ceramics, stone tools, metalwork and glass. Some periods are better represented than others. Since the 1970s, the collection has been enlarged by the deposition of archaeological excavation archives, including Roman Carmarthen, Carmarthen Greyfriars and the castles at Dryslwyn and Laugharne. In some cases, these include both the artefactual and the documentary archive.

  Highlights of the collections include Neanderthal tools, bronze age finds, Romano-British jewellery, Roman coin hoards, and a significant collection of early medieval inscribed stones.

  Other parts of Wales, the rest of the British Isles, Europe, Ancient Egypt, Mesoamerica and the classical world are also represented in small quantities.

  Costume and Textiles

  The county museum has a large costume collection, with strengths in female costume from 1800 to 1980 (including “Welsh costume” 1860 – 1920) and military and civil uniforms.

  The quilt collection is small but of national significance and the sampler collection (1776 – 2000) shows a comprehensive range of different makers and is of UK significance.

  Ethnography

  The small collection consists of material from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania. In 2014, it was audited in an all-Wales project supported by the Federation of Museums & Galleries in Wales and the Museum Ethnographers Group.

  Fine Art and Decorative Art

  These significant and large collections include oil paintings, drawings, watercolours, prints, sculpture, maps, glass, ceramics, furniture, jewellery and other personal ornaments. The fine and decorative arts collections represent Wales in general and Carmarthenshire in particular.

  The fine art collection spans almost four centuries and includes a number of significant groups, especially early 17th -18th century portraits from local houses and early 20th century local Welsh artists such as B.A. Lewis, Edward Morland Lewis and Evan Walters.

  The collection of furniture is mostly regionally significant, with good examples spanning almost four centuries. The furniture from the Guildhall is of National importance.

  The ceramics collection includes material from important Welsh potteries (Swansea, Llanelly, Ewenny and Buckley). Ceramics from the rest of the British Isles are represented, with some European material. There is a small collection of locally-produced studio pottery. Also significant is the King-Morgan collection of apothecary jars.

  The decorative glass collection is small.

  Books

  The museum holds most of the library which was acquired by the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society through gift and purchase. Many of the volumes are of local interest covering human history and natural history, but the collection contains significant volumes of 17th, 18th and 19th works relating to Wales and the world. Many books came from the personal libraries of members and many have bookplates of their former owners.

  Material Culture

  The bulk of the collection falls into this category and includes social, political, educational, domestic, administrative, commercial, medical, architectural, craft, agricultural, industrial, maritime and technical history material.

  Items of significance are: the contents of Carmarthenshire homes and business premises, such as Penrhiwbeili Farm and an Ammanford tailor’s shop; agricultural tools and associated rural crafts; domestic household items from the 16th-20th centuries; statutory weights and measures from Carmarthenshire; 18th to 20th century shop signs; the tinplate mills and contents at Kidwelly; material related to the coal industry; a fine collection of WW1 posters and Carmarthenshire love-spoons.

  Numismatics

  The collection of coins, medals, medallions, tokens and notes is broad based and includes a large number of foreign coins. Local tokens and banknotes are well represented. Also included is General Picton’s Waterloo medal.

  Photographs

  The photographic collection provides a good representation of local towns and villages across Carmarthenshire as well as local portraits, groups and industry. The collection includes glass lantern slides, early ambrotypes and earlier Daguerreotypes. Of special not is the J.F. Lloyd collection from 1890 – 1910.

  Weapons

  A mixed collection, mainly composed of 19th and 20th century firearms and edged weapons.

  Parc Howard Museum

  The Parc Howard collection focuses on decorative and fine arts and the social history of Llanelli as it grew to become Carmarthenshire’s largest town during the industrial revolution.

  Material Culture

  The bulk of the collection falls into this category and relates to Llanelli’s commercial, industrial, maritime, political and social history. A notable object is a Stepney spare wheel.

  Fine Art

  A small yet significant collection of works of art by Llanelli artists, artists with a connection to the area or Wales in general, or subjects associated with Llanelli. It includes works by J. D. Innes, Charles William Mansel Lewis, Hubert von Herkomer, Christopher Williams, John Bowen and Tony Evans.

  Decorative Art

  Reputed to be the largest and most representative collection of Llanelly pottery in public ownership and as such is of local and national importance. Also a large collection of glass and earthenware bottles.

  Costume and Textiles

  a small collection of mainly 20th century costumes.

  Photographs

  a small photographic collection of local interest.

  Ethnography

  a very small ethnological collection.

  Geology

  a very small geological collection.

  Museum Of Speed

  The museum first opened to the public in 1997, it was redeveloped and reopened in a new purpose-built building in May 2023. The museum does not have a dedicated collection and many of the items on display are loans from individual owners and the National Museum of Wales. BABS, the 1920’s land speed record car, is lent to the museum for a minimum of 10 weeks a year. CofGâr owns a small number of trophies and a motorbike which are on display.

  Kidwelly Industrial Museum

  The museum service retains a store at the Kidwelly Industrial Museum site. This houses some larger agricultural items including a cart, hay lift, chaff cutter and plough as well as archaeological material. A small collection of objects and related photographs and ephemera relating to industry that are on display, belong to the museum collection.

  Dylan Thomas Boathouse

  Once the home to Dylan Thomas the boathouse retains the serene atmosphere of its coastal setting that inspired his works. A few objects that Dylan would have known are set out in the parlour and objects from Carmarthenshire Museum on display in the attic, tell the story of his life. The recreation of his famous writing shed can be viewed at the top of the steps, leading down to the house.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC