Holyhead Maritime Museum
Encyclopedia
The Holyhead Maritime Museum is a maritime
museum
located in Holyhead
, North Wales
.
Housed in what is claimed to be the oldest Lifeboat
station in Wales (built circa 1858), it houses a number of collections. The patron
is Lord Stanley of Alderly
.
church from the Church in Wales
, with the museum opened officially by the Duke of Westminster
in March 1986.
On expiration of the lease, and after failing to agree a lease within a new development, Stena Line
offered the museum a peppercorn rent on the renovated Lifeboat house at Newry Beach. Deciding to improve the building through the construction of new visitor facilities, after a successful bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund
and a renegotiation of the lease to 99 years, the museum reopened on its current site in 1998.
, from earliest days to the modern ferries to Ireland
. It features an interactive combination of historical artifacts, models and sensory exhibitions. All of its part time volunteers have extensive maritime and local knowledge. Accessible to wheelchairs, the museum has its own cafe
, the Harbour Front Bistro.
shelter located alongside the Maritime Museum.
Joshua Fielden
and his brothers donated the Thomas Fielden, named after their father, which necessitated extending the house. In 1890, a second large boat was obtained, for which the house was extended to enable beach based landing from a horse drawn carriage.
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located in Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
Housed in what is claimed to be the oldest Lifeboat
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
station in Wales (built circa 1858), it houses a number of collections. The patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
is Lord Stanley of Alderly
Baron Stanley of Alderley
Baron Stanley of Alderley, in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1839 for the politician and landowner Sir John Stanley, 7th Baronet....
.
History
After local maritime exhibitions held in 1982 and 1983, a trustees group was formed on 24 September, 1984. The trustees obtained a nine year lease on the redundant St ElbodsElfodd
Elfodd , also known as Elfoddw , was a Welsh bishop who induced the Welsh church to adopt the Roman method of determining the date of Easter....
church from the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
, with the museum opened officially by the Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
in March 1986.
On expiration of the lease, and after failing to agree a lease within a new development, Stena Line
Stena Line
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
offered the museum a peppercorn rent on the renovated Lifeboat house at Newry Beach. Deciding to improve the building through the construction of new visitor facilities, after a successful bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and a renegotiation of the lease to 99 years, the museum reopened on its current site in 1998.
Exhibitions
The museum today tells the maritime history of Holyhead and AngleseyAnglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, from earliest days to the modern ferries to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It features an interactive combination of historical artifacts, models and sensory exhibitions. All of its part time volunteers have extensive maritime and local knowledge. Accessible to wheelchairs, the museum has its own cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, the Harbour Front Bistro.
Holyhead at War
The Holyhead at War exhibition is located in an air raidStrategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
shelter located alongside the Maritime Museum.
Lifeboat house
Opened in 1858, the first lifeboat was unnamed, launching 18 times, saving 128 persons. Replaced by the Prince of Wales, she launched 38 times and rescued 128 persons. In 1875, Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Joshua Fielden
Joshua Fielden (politician)
Joshua Fielden was a British cotton manufacturer and Conservative politician.Fielden was the son of the Radical politician John Fielden of Todmorden, and his first wife, Anne Grindrod of Rochdale. He was born in Todmorden, and after education at a Unitarian school in Switzerland, returned to...
and his brothers donated the Thomas Fielden, named after their father, which necessitated extending the house. In 1890, a second large boat was obtained, for which the house was extended to enable beach based landing from a horse drawn carriage.