Mold Museum reopens after £360,000 refurbishment

Mold Museum has officially been reopened following an extensive refurbishment.

The launch ceremony, held on Tuesday, 25 June, saw key local stakeholders, service users, and children from Ysgol Bryn Gwalia Primary School gather to celebrate the occasion.

The refurbishment scheme represents a £360,000 investment in the county’s heritage, with Aura – the charitable organisation which provides leisure services in Flintshire –  securing £300,000 from the Welsh Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Division.

The remaining sum is being match-funded by Flintshire County Council and Aura.

The enhanced museum now serves as a fitting tribute to the rich and varied history of the town of Mold, and it is hoped that it will be a draw for both local residents and tourists visiting North Wales.

Mold is already synonymous with the Bronze Age Cape discovered in 1833, the original of which is housed in the British Museum in London.

However, a stunning replica is on display in Mold’s Museum.

In more recent times, nearby Rhydymwyn Valley was involved in the initial research and development of nuclear weapons, the precursor to the Manhattan Project.

The new displays at Mold Museum provide an insight into the unique and fascinating stories from the area.

With improved museum cases and environmental conditions, Aura is now able to display a number of artefacts for the first time including 12,000-year-old animal bones from the last Ice Age found at Gop Cave which tell a story of significant climate change when rhino and cave lions made this area their home.

A ‘threads of inspiration’ theme has been adopted to link the artistic talents of the town, with Daniel Owen, arguably Mold’s most famous son, using material threads in his tailor’s shop and threads of words from his lively novels based on characters from the town.

Similarly, this local thread is reflected in the work of artist Richard Wilson who used the landscape of the area to inspire his paintings, a number of which are now on display.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, prior to cutting the official ribbon, Sara Mogel OBE, Chair of Aura, thanked users of Mold Library for their invaluable insight in helping to decide what should be included in the refurbished museum and how it should look.

Mrs Mogel said: “Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work and reinforces Aura’s commitment to investing in the local community. I hope that the much improved museum at Mold will engage families, local groups and schools, and create a sense of ownership and pride in the town’s history.”