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National Museum Cardiff closes temporarily to repair mechanical failure
Amgueddfa Cymru says it is ‘working diligently to address the identified issues’
The National Museum Cardiff has temporarily closed to visitors to address a mechanical issue.
Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, which oversees the Cardiff venue, announced this week that it was shutting the museum for a short period to undertake immediate maintenance work on a mechanical issue caused by a “component failure in an isolated area of the building”.
“Our teams are working diligently to resolve the issue quickly and effectively, while also ensuring minimal disruption to our visitors,” the institution said in a statement.
“We are working closely with specialists to assess the situation and make the necessary repairs. The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, volunteers, staff, and the preservation of our collections will always remain our top priority, which is why we are taking all appropriate measures to temporarily close the museum.”
The institution said it would continue to assess the situation and provide updates on its progress, emphasising that the closure was a short-term measure.
“We are hopeful that these issues will be addressed over the next few days,” said Amgueddfa Cymru.
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The institution said visitors with booked tickets for its current Strike! exhibition would be able to exchange their tickets for a future date once the museum reopens or receive a full refund.
Although it has not specified the nature of the mechanical issue, Amgueddfa Cymru has previously warned about the deteriorating condition of the national museum building, which first opened in 1912.
Following sweeping cuts to the institution in last year’s budget, chief executive Jane Richardson said that the Cardiff site would be forced to close if it did not receive funding for “urgent, critical work”, including roof and electrical repairs.
The Welsh Government later allocated £3.2m for immediate repairs to be carried out at the national museum and neighbouring national library.
Richardson recently told the Senedd’s culture and sport committee that bureaucratic delays meant the institution had not received the funds until more than six months later and called for an overhaul of the government’s funding allocation process.