Swansea Museum
Encyclopedia
The Swansea Museum in Swansea
, Wales
, UK
is the oldest museum
in Wales
. The building was built for the Royal Institution of South Wales
in 1841 in the neo-classical
style.
mummy
to a traditional Welsh
kitchen
.
Geoffrey James is said to be one of the men that helped build the museum.
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is the oldest 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...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The building was built for the Royal Institution of South Wales
Royal Institution of South Wales
The Royal Institution of South Wales is a Welsh learned society founded in Swansea in 1835 as the Swansea Philosophical and Literary Society with objectives:In 1838, the Society received its Royal charter as the Royal Institution....
in 1841 in the neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style.
Main museum
The main museum on Oystermouth Road contains all kinds of objects from the past of Swansea, and the rest of the world. Contents in the six galleries range from an EgyptianAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
to a traditional Welsh
Culture of Wales
Wales has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, holidays and music.Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks and daffodils Wales has a distinctive culture including...
kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
.
Marina
The museum has three boats in its collections which are kept at the marina.. The boats are a lightship 'Helwick', a tug boat called 'Canning' and 'Olga', a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter built in 1909. Access to the boats is possible in June, July and August.The Tramshed
The Tramshed in the Marina displays memorabilia from the former street trams of Swansea and the Mumbles tram that ran around the edge of the bay from Swansea town centre to Mumbles pier.Collections Centre
The Collections Centre] in Landore displays reserve and maritime & industrial collections. The collection includes two lifeboats and vintage vehicles..Hauntings
Swansea Museum is also said to be haunted by many ghostly figures. The most popular is said to a man named Geoffrey James who has been seen by many people roaming the whole perimeter of the museum. Apparently he was murdered by a man named George Bell, the two ended up in a fight over a woman, things quickly turned nasty ending with George Bell stabbing Geoffrey James.Geoffrey James is said to be one of the men that helped build the museum.