Museum Wales: Cardiff site closed for maintenance work
2025-02-02
Category: entertainment

Wales' leading museum has been temporarily closed due to maintenance work and health and safety concerns.A sign outside the National Museum in Cathays Park, Cardiff, on Sunday, said it will be closed to the public until further notice.In a statement, Amgueddfa Cymru said it has made a "difficult decision" but are hopeful that the issues will be addressed over the next few days. The closure comes nine months after Wales' Culture Secretary assured the historic building would remain open, despite concerns from the museum's director over its deteriorating condition.
The National Museum in Cardiff is one of seven museums across Wales, all managed by Amgueddfa Cymru. In April, the organisation announced it was going to axe at least 90 jobs after its annual funding from Welsh government was cut by £3m. The body stated that, due to a recurring annual deficit of £1.5m, it must address a total deficit of £4.5m by the end of March 2025. This led to Jane Richardson, the museum's chief executive, raising her concerns that the historic building may be forced to close due to its "deteriorating condition". In July, following the announcement, Welsh government announced a £3.2m repair package for work to be carried out at the National Museum in Cardiff and the National Library in Aberystwyth.Kate Eden, chairwoman of Amgueddfa Cymru, said the money "won't go far enough" to fix the "building's leaky roof".  Despite reassurances from Wales' Culture Secretary, Lesley Griffiths, that the 'iconic' museum would stay open, a sign outside on Sunday clearly stated it had closed. In a statement, Amgueddfa Cymru said due to immediate maintenance work, it has made a "difficult decision" to close the building to the public for a short period."The safety and well-being of our visitors, staff, and the preservation of our collections will always remain our top priority which is why we have taken this short-term measure to close the museum."It added that it will continue to assess the situation and provide updates on its progress but are hopeful that the issues will be addressed over the next few days.