Blaina Heritage Action Group
About this Archive
The Mapping Museum research project was created to look at the increase in the number of museums in the UK. As part of this project, Frank Olding, Blaenau Gwent Council Heritage Officer, was interviewed about the Blaina Heritage Action Group.
Explore more about the Mapping Museum project here and read Olding's interview below:
Interview summary
Name of person being interviewed: Frank Olding, Blaenau Gwent Council Heritage Officer
Date of Recording: 11 March 2019
Recording Length: 00:53:59
Name of interviewer: Dr Toby Butler
Description: The museum includes displays on the local coal and iron industries, chapels, schools, local societies, sport and local celebrities and a fully furnished reconstruction of a Victorian Welsh kitchen. The Group also has a large collection of documents available to the public.
Summary of main points in interview: Frank Olding, an archaeologist by training, has worked in heritage for over 30 years, and has been at Blaenau Gwent Council since 2002. He discusses his educational background and his involvement in founding the museum, which grew out of the Bryn Mawr Partnership and was an EU-funded project.
Several public meetings were held, premises were found and collections started being accessioned. Every object from day one was properly recorded. Community response was strong. After a few years they moved to a building that had formerly housed the town library. They have good relations with local schools. Olding feels that the museum’s success is tied up with the end of mining and the steelworks, and people’s growing interest in and enthusiasm for celebrating the region’s industrial heritage.
Bryn Mawr’s history differs from that of other areas; historically in the county Breconshire, it had no collieries and its industrial history was focused on ironworks and steelworks. He discusses the unique character and distinct qualities of each of the three valleys, and other museums in the region. He mentions the importance of inter-generational contact and saving the stories of miners and those who have come before. He describes the history and nature of socialism in the area. He discusses succession planning and generating interest among a broader base of users.
NO TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED; AUDIO FILE ONLY
