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[image: 'Singing to the Harp and Dancing']
The social history and industrial collections at Amgueddfa Cymru provide a unique insight into the rich heritage and culture of Wales. Spanning an era when Wales was the first industrial nation of the world, our collections help us understand how people lived, worked, and spent their leisure time, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Uncover a wealth of untold stories from days gone by...
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Articles
Related articles from Rhagor
Storytellers
A selection of folk narratives from the extensive collections in the sound archive at St Fagans
Museums
Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales operates seven national museums across Wales.
Art works
A selection of art works from Art Collections Online.
Browse related themes
Empire & Industry - Workshop of the World
The 19th Century
The 20th Century
The 21st Century
Historic Buildings at St. Fagans National History Museum
Details on over forty original buildings from various historical periods in Wales re-erected in our 100-acre parkland.
Under the Golden Fern
Oral evidence from the archives from St Fagans: National History Museum
Latest
Articles: St David's Day
1 March 2013[image: St Davids Day]
St David's Day is celebrated in Wales on 1 March, in honour of Dewi Sant, the patron saint of Wales. Little is known about him for certain. What we do know is based on an account of his life written towards the end of the 11th century.
Galleries: Welsh Lovespoon online gallery
17 September 2012[image: Lovesppon]
The lovespoon collection at Amgueddfa Cymru contains beautifully ornamented examples both historical and modern. Here we look at a selection of lovespoons, the oldest of which dates back to 1667
Articles: Welsh lovespoons
16 September 2012[image: Lovespoon]
Although the exact origins of lovespoon-making in Wales are unclear, we know that such spoons would have been shaped with great care and devotion by their carvers. Lovespoons were given as a token of love and affection and each spoon was unique.Articles: Everything except the squeal
30 August 2012Articles: A History of Doll-Making: A Welsh Perspective
10 August 2012
Articles
Articles: St David's Day
1 March 2013[image: St Davids Day]
St David's Day is celebrated in Wales on 1 March, in honour of Dewi Sant, the patron saint of Wales. Little is known about him for certain. What we do know is based on an account of his life written towards the end of the 11th century.
Articles: Welsh lovespoons
16 September 2012[image: Lovespoon]
Although the exact origins of lovespoon-making in Wales are unclear, we know that such spoons would have been shaped with great care and devotion by their carvers. Lovespoons were given as a token of love and affection and each spoon was unique.Articles: Everything except the squeal
30 August 2012[image: Pig keeping]
Pigs were an important part of the home economy. You could use every bit of a pig except its squeal. Nothing was wasted.Articles: A History of Doll-Making: A Welsh Perspective
10 August 2012
Galleries
Galleries: Welsh Lovespoon online gallery
17 September 2012[image: Lovesppon]
The lovespoon collection at Amgueddfa Cymru contains beautifully ornamented examples both historical and modern. Here we look at a selection of lovespoons, the oldest of which dates back to 1667
Galleries: Coal Miners' Badges
13 July 2012[image: coal miners' badges]
There are many examples of badges connected to the coal industry. These badges were usually produced during industrial disputes or following mining disasters and were often sold to raise funds. Amgueddfa Cymru have several hundred examples of these these badges, some of which are now available to view online.
Galleries: John Cornwell
10 January 2012[image: John Cornwell Photographs]
John Cornwell was a freelance photographer who took many photographs of collieries, both underground and on the surface, during the 1970s and early 1980s. He perfected a method of underground photography using the standard colliery lighting and was able to photograph coal faces, roadways, shafts and equipment with amazing clarity.
Galleries: Aftermath: remembering the Great War in Wales
10 November 2011Galleries: Wales and Slavery
4 April 2011
Interactives
Interactives: Katheryn of Berain - Explore the painting
10 October 2011[image: Katherine of Berain interactive]
Katheryn of Berain had four husbands and several children, which later earned her the title of the ‘Mother of Wales’. Find out what Katheryn's portrait reveals about her, the fashions of the time, and the tradition of portraiture in the sixteenth century.
Interactives: Cardiff landscape, 1678
21 February 2011[image: Cardiff 1678]
Sketched by Francis Place in 1678 as two separate views of Cardiff, Amgueddfa Cymru has digitally scanned and stitched the two together to reveal for the first time this unique view of Cardiff.
Interactives: Make your own lovespoon
5 December 2007[image: Lovespoon]
Young men traditionally made a lovespoon from a single piece of wood, as a love token for their sweethearts. Make your own lovespoon and e-mail it to a loved one.
Quizzes: Quiz: When Welsh ships sailed the seas
29 July 2007