The National Waterfront Museum, Swansea or NWMS (Welsh: Amgueddfa Genedlaethol y Glannau) is a museum in Swansea, Wales, forming part of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. It is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. The National Waterfront Museum tells the story of industry and innovation in Wales, now and over the last 300 years. The Industrial Revolution in Wales had a tremendous effect on People, Communities and Lives as well as that of the rest of the World. Visitors can soak up the history with a breathtaking mix of old and new in the city's rapidly developing maritime quarter.
Over the last three centuries Wales has been host to many world-class inventions and innovations in mining, metal manufacture and transport. In 1800 horseback was the fastest way to travel on land. A century later, most of the world had rail networks and trains travelling up to sixty miles per hour. This transformation in world history was initiated in south Wales with Richard Trevithick’s Steam Locomotive in 1804. Coal wagons like the one displayed began appearing on the UK rail network in the mid-nineteenth century. The Ocean Coal Company is painted on one side - in its heyday one of the foremost producers of steam coal in south Wales. By the early 1890s, eighty per cent of the world’s tinplate was produced in Wales. Our Tinplate Rolling Mill is an example of twentieth century automation that transformed a previously labour-intensive industry. At its peak, in the 1920s, it employed over 30,000 in Wales.
Wales has seen many changes since the 1930s. They have evolved from a nation where heavy industry and backbreaking work was the norm, to a country of high tech commerce, research and tourism. As the world has changed, so has Wales. Made in Wales explores some of these changes and displays objects and artefacts from 1930 to the present day. Many of the objects will be recognisable to visitors. Household names such as Hoover, Smith’s Clocks, Corgi Toys and Spectrum Computers bear testimony to the wide and diverse manufacturing base that we have grown up with. There are also a number of forth-coming exhibitions. Click here for a calendar.
The exhibits throughout the Museum are designed to be accessible to all and many are equipped with Braille and signed interpretation. Gallery Assistants are also fully trained in interpreting the collections and displays. Large print museum floor plans are available on request. The Museum is fully wheelchair accessible. A limited number of wheelchairs are available and are provided on a first come, first served basis. Please ask a member of staff at the Information Desk on arrival. Mobility scooters are welcome, however only a limited number are permitted at any one time. All lifts in the Museum are wheelchair accessible and have audio announcements and Braille labelling on the buttons. There are two lifts, one in the Main Hall and the other towards the rear of New Gallery. Wheelchair-accessible toilets and baby chaining facilities are available on the ground (near the café and towards the rear of New Gallery) and first floor (Achievers Gallery). The first aid room is located on the ground floor, which is equipped with a changing bed and hoist. If you require the use of the first aid room, please ask a member of staff for assistance. Guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs are welcome throughout the Museum. They offer specialised audio descriptive tours of our galleries, these tours are specifically aimed at visitors who are blind or partially sighted. There are five designated parking bays for blue badge holders located on East Burrows Place. These are available to visitors on a first come, first served basis.
Location : National Waterfront Museum, Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea SA1 3RD
Transport : Swansea (National Rail) then bus. Bus Routes : 7, 8X, 58, 59, 65 and X5A stop near by.
Opening Times : Daily 10:00 to 17:00
Tickets : Free
Tel. : 029 2057 3600
