
Open Doors at the Royal Commission, September 2017- and more!
This year the Royal Commission has a busy Autumn/Winter programme with Open Doors events, and a number of historical and architectural talks.
Our first event will be a collaborative Open Doors event with the National Library of Wales held on Wednesday 20 September. Called Behind the Scenes and in the Frame at the National Library and Royal Commission, the day is focused on the display of original archival material and artworks from both institutions. During the day there will be four guided tours (two in English, now unfortunately sold out, and two in Welsh, with some places still remaining), giving behind the scenes access to the Library’s storage facilities of work by Sir Kyffin Williams, and the Royal Commission’s archival areas housing the work of the industrial landscape artist, Falcon Hildred, together with the Arts and Crafts architect, Herbert North. Tours in Welsh will be held at 10.00am & 2.00pm with free admission by ticket. For tickets or further information, please phone: 01970 632 548 or visit: https://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=6801
In addition to the tours, there will be a display of original artwork by both Falcon Hildred and Herbert North in the Royal Commission’s Library and Search Room, as well as original artwork from the Commission’s Inventories, wallpaintings from our Wallpaintings Collection and historic drawings from the Welsh School of Architecture. Access to this material will be available throughout the day and staff will be on hand to answer queries and chat informally.
On 22 September, architectural historian Richard Suggett will be joining the Denbigh Heritage Open Doors event at 7pm at Theatr Twm O’r Nant, Station Road, Denbigh, to give a talk on Searching for the Oldest Houses in Wales. Here Richard will be drawing on recent research undertaken by the Royal Commission in partnership with the Dating Old Welsh Group on medieval houses in north Wales. For further details and booking, please contact Denbigh Library, telephone: 01745 816313 or email: denbigh.library@denbighshire.gov.uk
Autumn talks by Commission staff include:
21 September, Llandinam Historical Society, 7.30pm. A talk by Dr James January-McCann Collecting Welsh Place Names. The talk will be held in Llandinam Village Hall, School Lane, Llandinam SY17 5BY.
28 September, Drefach Friendship Club, 2pm, Holy Trinity Church Community Hall, Church Lane, Newcastle Emlyn SA38 9AB. A talk by Medwyn Parry, Twentieth-century Military Remains in Wales.
9 October, Abergavenny and District Civic Society, 7.30pm. A talk by Richard Suggett on Medieval Wallpaintings. The talk will be held at Abergavenny Methodist Church, Castle Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5EE. Entry costs £2 for non-members.
11 October, National Library of Wales lunchtime talk by Scott Lloyd on The Arthurian Place Names of Wales. Place names associated with the figure of King Arthur are widespread across Wales and this talk will explore the origins and developments of these names and their connections, real or otherwise, to the wider Arthurian legend. Scott Lloyd is the author of The Arthurian Place Names of Wales recently published by the University of Wales Press. To be held at 1.15pm in the Drwm of the National Library of Wales. Free admission by ticket. For tickets and further information, please contact https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/llgcnlw
15 October, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Heritage Day, Theatr Brycheiniog, Canal Wharf, Brecon, Powys, LD3 7EW. The theme of the day will be Bringing our Heritage to Life and will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the National Park. At 10.35 am, Tom Pert, Online Development Manager at the Royal Commission, will join Suzanna Jones from the Brecon Beacons NPA to talk on Digital Technologies and Heritage. The day will include a number of talks on key heritage projects, including the Glynneath Gunpowder Works, Brecknock Museum and Hay Castle. The event is free of charge but ticketed. For further information, please visit www.theatrbrycheiniog.co.uk.
31 October, Sarn Local History Group, 7.30pm. A talk by Medwyn Parry, Someone’s Watching You: A History of Aerial Photography over Wales. The talk will be held in Sarn Village Hall, Sarn, Newtown, Powys SY16 4EJ. Entry costs £2 for non-members.
1 November, St Asaph Archaeology Group, 7.30pm. A talk by Medwyn Parry, Someone’s Watching You: A History of Aerial Photography over Wales. The talk will be held in St Asaph Cricket Club, St Asaph LL17 0LU.
15 November, Coastlands Local History Group, 7.30pm. A talk by Louise Barker, Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands in the Coastlands Area. The talk will be held in Marloes Village Hall, Marloes, Pembrokeshire SA62 3AZ.
15 November, Pembroke Dock Library, 7pm. A talk by Medwyn Parry, on Someone’s Watching You: a History of Aerial Photography over Wales. The talk will be held in Pembroke Dock Library, Water Street, Pembroke Dock SA72 6DW.
15 November, Explore Your Archives: a full day of events celebrating our archives and collections in partnership with the National Library of Wales.10am- 3.30pm. At 1.15pm Scott Lloyd will discusses myths, legends and archaeology, drawing on examples from over a century of archival accumulation by the Royal Commission in a lunchtime talk, Locating the Legends: Archaeological Tales from the Royal Commission’s Archives. Free admission by ticket. Other events include tours and exhibitions of material from both the Royal Commission’s and the National Library of Wales’ archives. For further information and booking: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/llgcnlw/
23 November, The Royal Institution of South Wales, 7.30pm. A talk by Dr Toby Driver, Revealing the Archaeology of Swansea and South Wales from the Air: from Prehistory to the World Wars. The talk will be held in Swansea Museum, Victoria Road, Swansea SA1 1SN. For further information, please visit http://www.risw.org/
2 December, Ceredigion Historical Society, 2.30pm. A talk by Dr Toby Driver, The Hillforts of Cardigan Bay in the Council Chamber, The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. New members welcome.
6 December, The Royal Commission Christmas Lecture: A View From Above – A Century of Historical Aerial Photographs of Wales — by Medwyn Parry, 6pm, Drwm, National Library of Wales. Free admission by ticket.
To register for tickets online, please visit: http://events.rcahmw.gov.uk/digital-past/the-royal-commission-christmas-lecture-a-view-from-above-a-century-of-historical-aerial-photographs-of-wales
Once again , the Royal Commission’s Christmas Lecture will be held in conjunction with the National Library’s late-night Christmas shopping event: Noswaith Siopa Hwyr, 4.30pm ─ 7.30pm, with entertainment, seasonal refreshments, and stalls selling a selection of quality goods.
All are welcome at all these events. For details of other forthcoming event later in the year, please visit the Events page of our website or contact Nicola Roberts nicola.roberts@rcahmw.gov.uk; tel: 01970 621248.
13/09/2017