13 February, 2023

Barry War Museum celebrates 10th anniversary with hopes for its future 

The Barry War Museum celebrated its 10th anniversary year at its Barry Island Station home with Transport for Wales, the new owners of its site preparing plans for its future. 

Over the last decade special open days, school visits programme, and public lectures have been hosted at the Museum welcoming visitors of all ages from all parts of the globe. 

The Museum educates visitors about Barry’s wartime story and fight against fascism, featuring an original World War 2 Anderson shelter, a 1940s kitchen, and a World War 1 trench. The Museum is brought further alive with volunteer re-enactors telling the story of the Home Front as well as of the armed services. 

Last term, the Museum completed a schools visit programme where nine local schools doing an ‘evacuee experience’, telling the story of how children escaped the Nazi bombing of their homes with war-time re-enactors bringing alive its lessons. The Museum has a Trip Advisor rating of 5.0 - the highest rating by any local tourist attraction. 

Barry’s only Museum is run by a community of volunteers, known as the Barry at War Group. It has not required subsidy from public funds thanks to the generous patronage of entrepreneur John Buxton. There was concern over the Museum’s future, with new owners Transport for Wales taking over its Barry Island station site. The Barry at war Group is currently in discussions with the new site owners. 

Barry Island Station lends itself to the Museum’s story, with an authentic history of evacuees, armed service personnel all using the station. 

Looking to the future, the Museum’s volunteer group are now seeking to build upon their success with plans for relating the wartime story and experiences to today’s issues of the climate crisis, the needs of our society to overcome social division to come together to tackle its big challenges, while commemorating the sacrifices made by the armed services during recent conflicts. 

Commenting on its ten successful years and hopes for the future, Glenn Booker, Chair of the Barry at War Group said, “We have been a remarkably successful, resilient and popular Museum, run on a shoestring budget, but surviving thanks to our wonderful band of volunteers and the remarkable support and generosity of our patron, John Buxton”. 

“We’re now in discussions with the new owners of the site, Transport for Wales, and hope we can create a successful partnership that creates an even greater transformation of the Barry War Museum for the next ten years and beyond. We must learn from history, recognising the important role that the citizens of Barry played in protecting life and liberty, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.”   

For further information please contact Andy Green on 07815 884 525 or email andy@andygreencreativity.com 

18 March 2024

Brunel comes to Barry

Director of the Brunel Institute at the SS Great Britain, Bristol at the Barry War Museum and Heritage Centre event

The remarkable story of Britain’s greatest engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and his Barry connections, is being celebrated with Tim Bryan, the Director of the Brunel Institute at the SS Great Britain, Bristol speaking at a special free event at the Barry War Museum and Heritage Centre, Barry Island Station, at 7pm on Thursday March 21^st.

Tim will be sharing how the Victorian icon, engineer, artist, architect, designer, visionary, entrepreneur and celebrity changed the British landscape and history. Tim’s new book, ‘Iron, Stone & Steam: Brunel's Railway Empire’ tells the story of his awe-inspiring achievements and innovations as a railway engineer.

Tim Bryan spent twenty-one years working as curator at the GWR and STEAM museums in Swindon and is now director of the Brunel Institute at the SS Great Britain - one of the South West's biggest tourist attractions. He is the author of more than fifteen books, and many articles on railway and heritage topics.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was ranked second, in a BBC TV poll of the ‘100 Greatest Britons’ in recognition of his prominent role in revolutionising public transport with the building of the railway network, and for his contribution to modern engineering.

Brunel’s construction of the Great Western Railway, arguably the most revolutionary of British railways, opened in 1841. In 30 tumultuous years, Brunel created a rail network covering much of the South and West of England, the Midlands and Wales. The network included masterpieces like Paddington Station, the Royal Albert Bridge and the South Wales Main Line which continues to carry millions of travellers today.

Brunel’s son, Henry Marc Brunel, was one of the leading figures in building the world’s first integrated rail and dock facilities at Barry in the 1880’s, transforming what was a small hamlet into a town. By 1913, Barry had become the busiest coal exporting dock on the world.

Barry Island Station is one of the last surviving buildings built by the Barry Railway and the terminus of the Barry Island branch line, which opened in 1896. The opening of the station marked the start of Barry Island becoming a major tourist resort.

The Barry War Museum and Heritage Centre continues to expand its activities covering Barry’s history with the heritage of its docks and railways, particularly the essential logistical support given by the Docks and the Railway to town’s war story. It hosts a regular series of historical talks and events.

The Museum also features a Royal replica of an historic rail locomotive nameplate of the ‘Brunel’ steam engine. The nameplate was presented by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II to the Great Western Electrification team when Her Majesty named a locomotive involved in the construction works in 2012 when she presented two identical nameplates, bearing the name of the famous Victorian Engineer.

Speaking for the Museum, Glenn Booker, Chair of the Barry at War group said, “Barry has a remarkable story in railway history, and the Brunel family have significant links to our town. We have a world-leading expert coming to our Museum to tell us more about one of the greatest Britons of all time.’

The Patron of the Museum, John Buxton, added, ‘Everyone is welcome – there is no charge to hear this fascinating talk’.

Further details about Barry War Museum and Heritage Centre, or if interested in spending an hour or two helping out at the Museum, email volunteers@barrywarmuseum.co.uk or visit www.barrywarmuseum.co.uk

Further details

Please contact Andy Green on 07815 884 525 or email andy@andygreencreativity.com