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News

HRH visits St Fagan's Museum and Dyffryn House in Wales

4th June 2007

The Prince of Wales helped to celebrate the centenary of the National Museum Wales and visited Dyffryn House to see the restoration first-hand on the first day of his annual tour of Wales.

Earlier in the day, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall accompanied The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to the opening of the third National Assembly in Cardiff.

After an opening ceremony and lunch with Assembly Members, The Prince of Wales continued his tour of Wales with a visit to St Fagan’s National History Museum in the city.

His Royal Highness, who has a strong interest in traditional crafts and skills, was particularly keen to see restoration work being conducted on St Teilo's Church, originally sited in Pontarddulais, near Swansea, as he saw the building in 2003 when it had recently arrived at the museum.

Stonemason Andrew Price, who was lime washing a stone wall when The Prince arrived to talk to him, said: "He was friendly and was very interested in what we were doing.

"He came here a few years ago and seems to have a real interest in traditional buildings.

"He's a real gentlemen and we all like him here."

The Prince's visit to the museum, which features outdoor and indoor exhibits charting the history of Wales, had been organised to celebrate the centenary of National Museum Wales, which includes the St Fagan’s museum.

One of the groups caught unawares by the royal visit was the Oxwich and Penrice Women's Institute (WI), whose party of 14 members delayed their return to the Gower to see The Prince.

The Prince stopped to talk to WI member Pat Nash as he entered the building, and she thanked him for coming.

She said: "I think it's very important he should come here."

He asked members of the public if they had already been in to the museum, commenting to one standing in the bright sunshine: "You look exhausted."

The Prince was greeted by schoolchildren from Ninian Park School in Cardiff singing Welsh-language song Deffra, meaning "wake up".

The Prince then entered the museum's new Oriel 1, which focuses on the Welsh sense of belonging.

His Royal Highness showed interest in a display of Welsh textiles and was presented with a traditional Welsh nursing shawl by eight-year-old Morwenna Osmond, a pupil at Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch, Cardiff, whose father works for the National Museum Wales.

Schoolchildren demonstrated traditional games and showed The Prince how a baby would be carried in a nursing shawl, using a plastic doll.

Shahria Ahmed, 11, a pupil at Ninian Park Primary School, said: "I was amazed to see him because this was the first time I've ever met someone who is very important.

"I only found out about it today and I was very excited. When we were told everyone started jumping up and down. I couldn't even speak to him because I was so excited."

The Prince unveiled a plaque commemorating the centenary, joking to the children: "See if they've got the spelling right", before being shown to exhibits outside.

He was greeted by cheers from crowds - including young girls who were being taught to curtsey at short notice by their mothers. He then visited the church outside before being driven to nearby Grade II listed Dyffryn House and Gardens.

The purpose of The Prince's visit to Dyffryn was to see work being carried out on the house with the help of one of his charities, PRIME Cymru (The Prince's Initiative for Mature Enterprise).

PRIME Cymru aims to help over 50s into employment by helping them start their own business. It is hoped Dyffryn House, a stately home built in 1893 which has fallen into disrepair, could be used as a base for some of The Prince's charities.

There are plans to create conference facilities and meeting rooms there, as well as an art gallery and cafe, a centre for young people to learn crafts and a horticultural training centre. Members of The Vale of Glamorgan Council, which is helping with the project, were present today to meet The Prince.

The Prince wore a yellow hard hat as he was shown around the house, which is currently closed to the public.

His Royal Highness was then shown around part of the 60-acre gardens, and was greeted with applause by fellow visitors to the grounds, stopping to talk to some children before continuing his walk.

The Prince spoke to gardeners about their work, and when told there were volunteers helping out, commented: "That's a great thing, isn't it?"

Geraldine Donovan, restoration project manager at PRIME Cymru, showed him a Mediterranean garden before taking him to a walled garden currently being restored.

Stephen Lord, Chief Executive of PRIME Cymru, said: "The visit was very, very successful. The Prince is obviously very interested in this kind of building restoration project.

"He was very enthusiastic about the idea of it being a base for his charities, and other charities in Wales."

He added: "The magnificent restoration of the Grade 1 listed gardens are a wonderful visitor attraction.

"We are working very hard to secure a future for the house itself, and its restoration would mean a valuable new resource for the local community and for charities who may use the building in the future."

In the evening, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrived at the Wales Millennium Centre for a dinner arranged by the Cardiff Business Club in aid of The Prince's Trust.

They were greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Captain Norman Lloyd-Edwards, and Lord Rowe-Beddoe, President of Cardiff Business School.

Inside the Cardiff Bay venue they were treated to a fanfare by trumpeters from the Royal Welsh Regiment and a performance from opera singers Bryn Terfel and Rebecca Evans.

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