Telling the story of Monmouth at the National Eisteddfodās The History Place
Following the success of last year’s The History Place, many of Walesā national institutions and local history organisations have come together to create another one at this yearās National Eisteddfod.
Among the partners are Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, The National Library of Wales, Cadw, People’s Collection Wales, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and many more. They will encourage visitors to immerse themselves in the rich history and heritage of Monmouthshire.
The stand, coordinated this year by The National Library of Wales, will host an exhibition which will provide a taste of Monmouthshireās history, old and new, as well as some of the local characters. Also, different objects from National Museum Walesā collections will be on display every day, covering a wide range of periods in history. Activities will be conducted on a daily basis to bring the objects to life.
The History Place will open officially at 12pm on Saturday, 30 July 2016 when Cadw and Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust demonstrate the traditional method of using wattle and daub to construct walls.
On Monday, 1 August, Lady Llanoverās triple harp will be on the stand as well as one of her court harpistās outfits. Lady Llanover fell head over heels in love, first and foremost, with the harp and the folk dances and folk songs from Wales. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Abergavenny Eisteddfod between 1835 and 1853 played a very important role in protecting those elements of Welsh culture. At 3.15pm, Holly Gurden-Williams will launch the booklet ‘Who was Lady Llanover?ā, and there will be an opportunity throughout the day for children of all ages to participate in activities inspired by Lady Llanover.
The following day, Dr Eurwyn Wiliam, Chairman of the Alumni Association of the University of Wales: Department of Folk Literature and Ethnology will give a talk on Brynmawr Furniture in Pabell y Cymdeithasau 2. The Ynysddu armchair, produced by the company the 1930s will be displayed at The History Place on the same day.
In addition to the activities, there will be three daily performance by the company ‘In Character’ from Monday to Friday to introduce some of the important characters of Welsh history in a fun way for children.
Visitors to the area, as well as those who are unable to attend the Eisteddfod, can find information about all the objects displayed at The History Place during the week through the websitewww.peoplescollection.wales.
Sioned Hughes, Head of Public History, Amgueddfa Cymru said:
“We have a rich collection of objects relating to Monmouth, and the National Eisteddfod is the perfect opportunity to share these with the people of Wales.
“This is a new approach for us, pooling resources with other partners at the National Eisteddfod to create even more interest this year in Welsh history, and in particular stories and objects relating to Monmouthshire.
“I look forward to seeing the response from our visitors to this new venture.”
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Rhian James, coordinator of the project from The National Library of Wales said: “The National Library of Wales is delighted to be co-ordinating The History Place this year. “This exciting initiative allows us to work more closely with other partners and to provide access to our collections in a different way.
“It is pleasing to see the national collections complemented by the contributions and expertise of local historical societies to create a more diverse and rich history of Monmouth.
“We hope everyone will enjoy and feel motivated to share their stories about the area with us.”
All The History Place activity will be captured throughout the week through social media using #llehanes #historyplace.
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