In order to comply with Covid-19 regulations masks must be worn inside the Museum and hands sanitised before entry and on exit.  Only the downstairs exhibitions will be open.  Household groups will access the Museum one group at a time, with 15 minutes allowed to look at the Exhibitions. 

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from Mrs Beryl Jones asking for Corwen Museum.  She is the granddaughter (now in her nineties) of John Roberts who owned and ran the Owain Glyndwr Hotel in Corwen in the late 1800s.  She has a couple of items connected to the Owain Glyndwr Hotel at that time that she wants to bequeath to the Museum.  She also has a wealth of stories to tell of her Corwen connections, even though she now lives in London.

She has sent me various documents relating to her grandfather, including this letter that he wrote to Lord Newborough regarding providing lunch and tea at Rhug for 700 people in 1899.  A substantial luncheon was to be had for 2 shillings (20p) a head and 6d (2.5p) a head for tea.  The letterhead is wonderful with the horses and carriages going past on the road and the Church tower peeping out of the trees.  The Hotel must have been a successful business and I cannot wait to hear more stories of what went on there.  Lindsay Watkins

Daily posts are put on our Facebook page telling stories about Corwen and the Edeyrnion villages and requesting comments and information. Please visit and like the Corwen Museum page by following the link.

We are currently adding information about some of the artefacts in our Museum Collection to the Peoples Collection Wales, including the following: –

Compositions Book from the 1789 Corwen Eisteddfod

This book contains the compositions entered in the first public Eisteddfod held at the New Inn Hotel Corwen (now the Owain Glyndwr Hotel), in 1789.

Commemorative mug from the National Eisteddfod Corwen, 1919

This mug commemorates the National Eisteddfod held in Corwen from 4th to 8th August 1919.  It was called the Victory Eisteddfod as it was the first Eisteddfod held following the end of the First World War.

Officer’s badge from the 1919 Corwen National Eisteddfod

This badge was worn by the Secretary of the Organising Committee of the National Victory Eisteddfod held in Corwen in 1919.

Wooden Marquetry Tray inscribed ” Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru 1919, Corwen”

A wooden marquetry tray commemorating the National Eisteddfod held in Corwen in 1919

Wooden plaque inscribed “Yma y cynhaliwyd Eisteddfod Gyntaf Urdd Gobaith Cymru – 1929”.

This wooden plaque was commissioned in 1979 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first Urdd Eisteddfod which was held at the Pavilion, Corwen in 1929

One of the first objects to go on the Peoples Collection will be this medal, made to commemorate the visit by Queen Victoria to Corwen and Bala in 1880. 

We are also looking at ways of moving some of displays out into the town, into shop windows and on to external walls.  This is an exciting new development that will allow the Museum to connect with local people and visitors whilst the building itself is closed. 

The Museum Facebook page has continued to post stories about men and women who worked or fought to help the War effort from 1939 to 1945.  One of these stories was about the Hughes family of Corwen, particularly Robert Hughes, who fought in the First World War and was in the Home Guard in the Second World War, having unsuccessfully, because of his age, tried to enlist as a soldier.  The photograph shows Robert with his family.

Information regarding researching family history continued throughout June. In July we have started to post articles from old local newspapers, particularly looking at adverts put in by local Corwen shops and asking for peoples’ memories of the shopkeepers and the situation of their businesses in the town.  This is important research for a future exhibition.

Please follow the Facebook link for more on these.

Local authors John Cowper Powys and Elena Puw Morgan are featured, and we are very fortunate to have been given a number of artefacts by the Cowper Powys Society and the loan of artefacts from the granddaughters of Elena Puw Morgan.  Thomas Pennant was an author who wrote about his travels in Wales, including Edeyrnion, and whose books were illustrated by Welsh artists John Ingleby and Moses Griffith.  Edward Pugh of Ruthin wrote a Welsh guidebook entitled Cambria Depicta and illustrated it himself.  We will have prints of some of their local watercolours on display and wish to thank the Dee Valley AONB for supporting this exhibition through their Picturesque Landscapes project.

The WW2 Evacuees exhibition tells the story of the schoolchildren who came to live in the Corwen area from Cathcart School in Birkenhead to escape the bombing.  We want people who remember the evacuees or who were evacuees themselves to tell us of their experiences to enhance what is already an exciting addition to the Museum.

There will also be a display of puppets made by local people and children to celebrate the 1919 Corwen National Eisteddfod and to tell the story of our last Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr.  These puppets bring a new and exciting dimension to the Museum and we are thrilled to have them. 

We are also pleased to announce a new Children’s Painting Competition.  Over the Open Weekend, local schoolchildren will be bringing in their artwork, showing their favourite local landscape, and they will be displayed in the Museum.  Prizes will be given on the afternoon of Saturday 21st March, an afternoon given over to storytelling for young and old alike.

They were made from six corrugated iron sheets bolted together at the top, with steel plates at either end, and measured 6ft 6in by 4ft 6in. They were very effective at saving lives and preventing major injuries during air raids, but they were really cold during the winter months. Designed for six people, they were free to those with an annual income of less than £250, (The average salary at that time was £200.) For those who didn’t fall into this category, the price was £7.  

Come and see our reconstructed Anderson Shelter at Corwen Museum. Set in the old red brick chapel on the A5 in Corwen, our opening times are 11.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Do come and see the small space, hear the war time radio news broadcasts and popular music. Then stay a while to see the model railway and the other treasures we have!       

On Friday 20^th October, a group of volunteers from Corwen Museum went to Storiel Bangor to see a bronze spearhead that had been found at Plas yn Ddol, Corwen, in the 1980s and was given to Bangor Museum for safekeeping.

It was fascinating to look at an object that was used for hunting for food 3500 years ago in the forests around Corwen, and we were all very excited. 

We want to be able to bring this piece of our history back to Corwen Museum but will need to become an accredited museum first, which will take some time.  In the meanwhile, we have photographs and a wonderful story of how the spearhead was found, lost and found again by a sharp-eyed and inquisitive ten year old boy.

Nick Collins is working every Wednesday to bring our Model Railway of the line from Berwyn Station to Glyndyfrdwy back into pristine condition.  Come and see him at work.

Are you interested in volunteering at the Museum?  As well as stewards, we have volunteers building displays, researching specialist subjects for our exhibitions, scanning and editing old photographs and maintaining our register of artefacts.  Call into the Museum and leave your contact details or send a message on the website’s Contact Page.  We would love to hear from you!