The Monmouth Museum, previously known as ''The Nelson Museum and Local History Centre'', was a museum in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

, south east

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It featured a collection of artefacts associated with

Admiral Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

, and a local history collection. The museum was located in the

Market Hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and can be found in many European countries. The most common variation of a mar ...

in the town centre. It was closed during the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

and did not re-open thereafter. In 2021

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) () is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 and covers the eastern ...

announced plans to move the museum collection to the Shire Hall in Agincourt Square. The five-year project, supported by the

National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, will see a new museum open at the Shire Hall by 2027. The Market Hall site will be let as commercial premises.

History

Collections

The Nelson collection was a bequest to the town of Monmouth on the death of Lady Georgiana Llangattock in 1923. Lady Llangattock, wife of the local landowner and town benefactor,

John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock John Allan Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, (19 February 1837 – 24 September 1912) was a British landowner, Conservative Party politician, socialite, local benefactor and agriculturalist. He lived at The Hendre, a Victorian country house ...

, and mother of

Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeron ...

, had amassed a collection of

memorabilia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The collection includes Nelson's naval officers fighting sword (and those of the surrendered French and Spanish naval commanders at Trafalgar); letters from Nelson both to his wife and to Lady Hamilton; and various items commemorating Nelson's victories, his

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

career and his visit with the Hamiltons to Monmouth town,

The Kymin The Kymin (), is a hill overlooking Monmouth, in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located approximately one mile east of Monmouth, on the eastern side of the River Wye and adjacent to the border with the Forest of Dean and England. The summit of the ...

, and

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. Also on display are commemorative silverware, prints, paintings,

glassware upTypical drinkware. This list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware), tableware used to set a table for eating a meal and generally glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory ...

, pottery and models of the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

. Among the items from Nelson's visit is the table used when he dined at the Kymin Round House. The collection also comprises some Nelson fakes, including a glass eye purported to be his, even though he had lost his sight, not the eyeball itself; it is a surgeon's teaching model. The museum also holds items relating to Monmouth town's history and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, and an archive relating to Charles Rolls and his family. One notable example of this is the only known example of an original Monmouth Cap, dating from the 16th century.

Sites

The museum has been located at three separate sites within the town. In 1891 Lady Llangattock established a gymnasium in Glendower Street. The building was a gift to the town to mark the coming of age of

John Maclean Rolls John Maclean Rolls, 2nd Baron Llangattock (25 April 1870 – 31 October 1916) was a British barrister and army Major. Biography Rolls was son of John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, and his wife Georgiana Marcia Maclean. He was born in London, b ...

. After Lady Llangattock's death in 1923, the gymnasium reopened as the Nelson Museum in 1924. When the museum moved to new premises in 1969, the Glendower Street site was renamed the Nelson Rooms. In 1969 the museum moved to a new location in the

on Priory Street. Following a major fire in 1963 which destroyed the upper floor and

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

of the Market Hall, the site was refurbished and redesigned. The museum re-opened at the Market Hall and was termed ''The Nelson Museum and Local History Centre''. In June 2021, while the museum was closed during the

announced that the museum would not reopen in its Market Hall location and that the collections would be relocated to the Shire Hall in Agincourt Square. The five-year project, supported by the

, will see a new museum open at the Shire Hall by 2027. The Market Hall site will be let as commercial premises.

Museum Collection

File:HMS Victory model at Monmouth Museum, Wales.JPG, A model of HMS ''Victory'' File:Horatio Nelson's fighting sword, Monmouth Museum.JPG, Horatio Nelson's fighting sword File:The cabinet of Admiral Nelson fakes and forgeries at Monmouth Museum.JPG, Cabinet of Admiral Nelson fakes and forgeries File:The only known example of an original 'Monmouth Cap',dating from the 16th century.jpg, The only known example of an original Monmouth cap, dating from the 16th century on display at the museum File:Monmouth Museum.jpg,

Keith Kissack Keith Edward Kissack MBE (18 November 1913 – 31 March 2010) was a British schoolteacher and historian. He is notable for his many publications on the history of Monmouth and Monmouthshire. Life Kissack was born in Clun, Shropshire, to Rev. B ...

with

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, then Prince of Wales, at the museum in its Priory Street location in 1975

References

External links

Gathering the Jewels artifact list
{{Authority control Military and war museums in Wales Museums in Monmouthshire Biographical museums in Wales Local museums in Wales Horatio Nelson Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales Articles containing video clips Grade II listed buildings in Monmouthshire