Museum of Welsh Cricket

The Museum of Welsh Cricket – planned to open early in 2009 - will be an integral part of the visitor experience to the redeveloped Cardiff ground, in addition to being a major attraction in its own right, providing an informative, stimulating and enjoyable experience for people of all ages and backgrounds.

The Museum will cover approx. 420 square metres on two levels on the ground floor of the pavilion at the Cardiff ground, immediately adjacent to the entrance to the new complex. It will embrace modern technology as well as traditional means to tell the story of the development and growth of cricket throughout Wales from the 18th century onwards, and its key role in the sporting heritage of the country.

In particular, the Museum will show how cricket was the first team game to be played in the urban and rural communities of Wales, as well as giving rise to the formation of other sporting organizations concerned with winter sports (soccer, rugby etc.).

The ground floor of the museum will have a series of interactive and static displays, tracing the history of the game, as well as a series of exhibits borrowing material from Welsh cricket clubs, other organizations and individuals, so that material can be put on display for the first time to a wider audience, displaying many of the key artifacts in the fascinating history of Welsh cricket through the ages.

Interactive displays will also be installed, allowing visitors to watch, or listen to, action sequences or interviews with major figures in the history of Glamorgan Cricket, and the game in Wales in general, with many cabinets being created with displays of artifacts and other items on loan from cricket clubs and other organizations from throughout Wales.

The mezzanine level of the Museum will include a state-of-the art cricket simulation further assisting in the celebration of the game`s history in Wales. An interactive learning area will also be installed at the rear of the Museum, together with a research room and library facility allowing groups and individual researchers a chance to pursue their own line of enquiry into the rich heritage of Welsh cricket.

The classroom will also be used by groups using the learning material in the `Cric-Ed Cymru` programme. This has been created with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and UWIC , and involves a series of interactive activites linked with curriculum topics e.g. History, Citizenship/PSE, Sports Studies, Physical Education, Geography and Business Studies, as well as other areas of the recently-introduced Welsh Baccalaureate.

The classroom, and the ground floor gallery will also be used for a range of outreach activities and community workshops, as well as for talks and other lectures. The Museum will also be integrated into a stadium tour, and will also be the venue for quiz nights, cricket club dinners, and drinks receptions for corporate functions and other events.

For further information about the Museum, and details of how to loan or donate items, please contact Andrew Hignell, Glamorgan Cricket`s Heritage and Education Manager , on , or by ringing 02920 419383.