The new museum is located in the heart of Swansea’s maritime quarter, housed in a refurbished late Victorian warehouse with a major new-build extension. It brings together the collections of Swansea’s former Industrial and Maritime Museum and those from the National Museum and Galleries to tell Wales’ story of industry and innovation. Since opening in October 2005 it has already attracted high numbers of both traditional and new museum goers, with 26,000 people visiting in the first two weeks.

Within the four main gallery spaces of the museum are fifteen themed areas, each telling its own story of Welsh industry, past and present.  Alongside the big headline items – the large green and brass-cogged brick pressing machine and the replica of the world's first steam locomotive – and hundreds of beautifully-displayed objects, are the human stories.  Using the museum’s ‘Sit and Point’ features, the visitor can call up images of the past, such as the reminiscences of older women recounting what it was like trying to find a job, a husband or a place to live in the 1930s and 40s.  With a simple click, for example, they can visit the home of Dr George Bird, his wife, two children and four servants, and discover the kind of remedies he would have prescribed.

The National Waterfront Museum cost a total of £33 million, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (£11 million), the Welsh European Funding Office (£3.7 million), the Welsh Development Agency (£2.5 million), Wales Tourist Board (£1.6 million), the National Museum of Wales (£4.5 million), the City & County of Swansea (£3.7 million), the Welsh Assembly Government (£5.7 million) and other contributors (£0.75 million).

Visitor comment: “Remarkable. A credit to everyone concerned and surely an inspiration to our coming generation.”   

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