Plans to develop a new museum at the site of Cardiff's Grade II*-listed Old Library, which aims to explore the history of the Welsh capital city, have been awarded £440,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The grant will go towards the first stage of opening the Cardiff Story attraction, which will be based around 8,000 exhibits stored by the National Museum Wales since the closure of the city's last dedicated museum in 1924.
Artefacts depicting the city's maritime, industrial and social history will be put on show at the new museum and will be interpreted through digital stories and interactive exhibits in order to help bring the story of Cardiff to life.
HLF funding will go towards part of a new ground floor gallery, as well as an interactive history lab and learning suite with classrooms and group activity spaces in the basement for use by school and community groups.
Dan Clayton-Jones, chair of the HLF committee for Wales, said: "Cardiff is one of the few major cities without a dedicated museum and we wanted to help correct that. The success of the temporary exhibitions staged at the Old Library proved there is a real demand for the story of Cardiff and its people to be told.
"This project will bring Cardiff's historic past back to life, helping local people and visitors explore the making of our capital city. It will provide new and exciting opportunities for people to play their part in telling Cardiff's diverse stories."
Cardiff Story museum manager Dr Kathleen Howe added: "The museum is a very unique and interesting project, and will bring together items, photographs and stories of events that have helped shape the city. The input of the people who live or have lived in Cardiff will be essential in telling the true story of the capital city."
The first phase of work on the Cardiff Story is expected to cost £2.4m and is scheduled to be completed in November 2010. The Old Library building itself has already undergone restoration work, after receiving a £758,300 HLF grant in 1998.
Image: Cllr Nigel Howells (left) with the Cardiff Story's Dr Kathleen Howe (centre) and Dan Clayton-Jones of the HLF
