Barry Museum launches new future with change of name

The Barry War Museum & Heritage Centre has announced plans to become a charity and change its name, having secured an ongoing arrangement and partnership with landlord Transport for Wales for its Barry Island Station site.

The museum will drop “war" from its title and instead be known as the Barry Museum and Heritage Centre.

Run entirely by volunteers, the Museum is set to expand its role to cover over 2,000 years of history and collaborate with community partners for more outreach activities across the town.  

The group says that becoming a charity will enable the Barry Museum & Heritage Centre to seek more funding opportunities, while emphasising its vital work in the Barry community.  

Key activities planned include extending its online hub and increasing collaboration with community partners to develop more outreach initiatives across the town. The Museum is also seeking to celebrate local heritage through physical spaces, such as creating a ‘Gareth Jones Square’, and a ‘Wall of Fame’ on the Birdcage Walk opposite Barry Island Station.

Over the years, the Museum has welcomed many thousands of visitors of all ages from all over the world and has featured in several recent national television shows. Its volunteers run special festive open days, a talks programme, and regularly host school educational visits.

The Museum is located in the Grade II listed Barry Island Station and is open every Wednesday and second Sundays from 11am to 3pm. The museum tells the full story of the town of Barry, including the history of the docks, the railways and, with the opening of the station on Barry Island in 1896, the town’s rapid development as a major tourist destination shortly after.  

The Museum’s new elements focus on cultural aspects as well as physical objects, highlighting, amongst other things, the key role the town played in the fight against fascism in the wartime years of the 1940’s. The Museum has earned a ‘Trip Advisor’ rating is 5.0 - the highest rating of any local tourist attraction

Future plans include the introduction of enhanced displays detailing Barry’s Neolithic and Roman past, plus information on the development of the town’s unique integrated Dock and Rail infrastructure.  

The Museum will retain its present exhibits and displays on the town’s wartime story, which include a reconstructed First World War trench, a Second World War home kitchen and an original Anderson shelter

The Museum is appealing for more volunteers for a range of tasks, including expanding the ‘Evacuee experience’, extending its opening times, developing its online digital platform, or assisting with video filming for its ‘Human Library’, featuring local people sharing their stories of past times.

John Buxton, Chairperson and Patron of the Museum, said, “In preserving the town’s heritage at the museum, we aim to provide an authentic, hands-on experience using modern technology to help bring Barry’s story to life. Our ambition also embraces the harnessing of community participation - the museum project is far more than just a ‘bricks and mortar’ building containing artefacts, albeit the museum has the advantage of being an iconic, listed building”.  

John added, “Going forward, we’re looking to work closely with the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Barry Town Council, and Transport for Wales to promote and develop a facility that everyone can be proud of. We are pleased to be taking the lead on this - our group of volunteers have the enthusiasm, commitment and the resources to ensure a successful, secure and sustainable future for the museum.”.

A spokesperson for Transport for Wales said: "We are delighted to support the Barry Museum & Heritage Centre as it embarks on this exciting new chapter. It's fantastic to see the station used as a space where history is brought to life so vibrantly and we look forward to continuing our partnership to celebrate the heritage and future of Barry."

The Museum is currently closed for an annual spring clean and planned maintenance work ahead of its plans for commemorating Victory in Europe Day (VE Day celebrations) on May 8th.

Further details about the Barry Museum & Heritage Centre, or if interested in spending an hour or two helping out at the Museum, contact via email info@barrywarmuseum.co.uk or visit www.barrymuseum.wales.