Wrexham Heritage

A new national attraction being developed in Wrexham city centre is to receive a major National Lottery Heritage Fund funding grant.

The Museum of Two Halves, which includes a fully refurbished and enhanced Wrexham Museum in the current building, alongside a brand-new National Football Museum in Wales, receives over £2.7m.

The project aims to combine the town’s sporting heritage and football’s popularity to increase an understanding of the history of the sport in Wales and engage new audiences.

Wrexham Association Football Club is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world. The museum will house a permanent display of the Welsh Football Collection for the first time in 24 years, showcasing a collection that embodies over 4,000 years of history, 40 years of community and many lifetimes of memories within football’s spiritual home of Wrexham.

90% of the collection is of national and international significance, with one quarter of the items being considered particularly rare or unique in nature, including John Charles’ debut shirt for Wales v Ireland from March 1950, and a cap awarded to Billy Meredith, a pioneer of Welsh football, having played for both Manchester City and Manchester United alongside Wales, and retired aged 50. Today (30 July) marks 150 years since his birth.

Exciting new additions to the Welsh Football Collection

Funding made possible by National Lottery players, means the museum can go ahead with the purchase of a significant Welsh football collection previously held in a private collection. This includes an unrivalled collection of material relating to Cardiff City’s 1927 FA Cup final victory and an impressive variety of Wales men’s international match programmes, the earliest dated 1901.

Wrexham County Borough Council Lead Member for Partnerships and Community Safety, Cllr Paul Roberts said: “This is huge news for Wrexham. The new museum is set to become a major new national attraction for the city, drawing new visitors from all over Wales and beyond, and playing a key role at the heart of Wrexham’s burgeoning tourism and cultural offer.

“We would like to thank The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their invaluable support and for their commitment in backing this ambitious and exciting project. The money raised by National Lottery players is going to help us transform one of our city’s landmark buildings into a world class venue where the rich history of our county borough will be celebrated alongside the eventful story of Welsh football, preserved for future generations to discover and enjoy for years to come.”

Nearly 6,000 museums supported by lottery players

A total of £7.6m has been awarded to museum projects in the latest round of National Lottery Heritage Fund grants funding. Other projects receiving funding include The Diving Museum in Gosport, Hampshire, The Leach Pottery Museum in St Ives, Cornwall, The Museum of Aberdeenshire, The Egypt Exploration Society in Camden and the Lancashire Cricket Heritage Experience in Old Trafford. Manchester.

These museums will join over 5,900 museums already funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund across the UK over the last 30 years.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “From Aberdeenshire to Cornwall, our latest investment in museums shows the incredible diversity and brilliance of our museums, with collections of local, national and international significance. These projects will inspire visitors of all ages, with many of these collections being revealed for the first time, and all will connect people with the individual stories of sport, diving, pottery, archaeology and much more, adding up to a national story covering all the many and varied heritage we have to offer.

“Our investment in the cultural heritage fabric of these museums will inspire people, connect communities, and drive growth, allowing everyone to discover the amazing local heritage in towns across the UK and support our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on for future generations, and these museums shows that passion and variety. So, no matter what the weather brings this summer, there is always a fantastic museum or heritage place open to discover, explore and enjoy.”

Find out more about the latest round of National Lottery Heritage Fund grants funding.

Extensive work has kicked off on a major city centre project with the goal of creating the Museum of Two Halves – a new museum for Wrexham, alongside a Football Museum for Wales.

SWG Construction, based in Welshpool, will be carrying out the major project in Regent Street on behalf of Wrexham County Borough Council with an opening date set for 2026.

The scope of the work includes the refurbishment, modernisation and extension of the existing Grade ll listed building and external works – which will also involve the revamp of Wrexham Museum’s galleries and comprehensive re-presentation of the Wrexham County Borough Council Collection.

Celebrating Wrexham and Welsh football in one building!

The new football museum will be a celebration of Welsh football, past and present, from its grassroots up to international level, in addition to turning the spotlight on Wrexham, the birthplace of Welsh football and an area that has made a significant contribution to the sport.

Funding support is being delivered by Wrexham Council, the Welsh Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Wolfson Foundation, while the Museum of Two Halves project has received £1.3 million from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

A major new national visitor attraction for Wrexham

Steve Gough, director of SWG Construction, said: “This is an amazing project to be involved in and we are delighted to be carrying out the work on behalf of Wrexham Borough Council. It involves the refurbishment and extension of the existing Grade ll listed building along with external works.

“The aim of the Museum of Two Halves project is to create a new Football Museum for Wales and a new museum for Wrexham, which will serve as a national visitor attraction, learning centre and community asset.

“We are already on-site and work is underway. The museum will be closed to the public for the duration of the project and we are working towards an opening date in 2026.

“The Wrexham Museum and the Museum of Two Halves will be impressive additions to the landscape of Wrexham which should prove to be a major attraction for visitors from far and wide.”

The Museum is being developed by Wrexham Council’s museum team in association with museum designers, Haley Sharpe Design and architects, Purcell.

Purcell’s Lead Architect for the Wrexham project, Jane Roylance, said: “It has been a rewarding experience to work with Wrexham Council, the stakeholders and the consultant team to transform the iconic Grade II listed building into a new home for the Museum of Two Halves.

“This museum interweaves the rich history of Wrexham with its pivotal role in the development of football in Wales. The work we’ve done will unveil the most significant features of the building, while ensuring public access and enhancing accessibility, wellbeing and learning opportunities. With the contractors now on site, we are witnessing the realisation of Wrexham Council’s vision for the museum, which will undoubtedly draw more visitors to the city.”

Off the drawing board and into reality

Councillor Paul Roberts, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Partnerships, said: “The Museum of Two Halves project has reached another milestone on its journey to create a football museum for Wales and a new museum for Wrexham with the appointment of SWG as construction base-build contractors. The company have moved onto the Regent Street site in Wrexham city centre and work has begun.

“Congratulations to the project team for the dedication and hard work that has enabled the museum development to reach this pivotal new stage. It is great to see the builders on site and hugely exciting to see this nationally important project move off the drawing board and into reality.”

Find out more about the Museum of Two Halves project

A national survey has been launched to help develop a ‘groundbreaking’ new brand for Wrexham’s new ‘Museum of Two Halves’.

Due to open in 2026, the project will see the current Wrexham Museum building on Regent street totally refurbished and redeveloped in to a brand new national attraction.

One half will be an enhanced and expanded Wrexham Museum, dedicated to the heritage and history of the city and county; exploring the stories that shaped its communities across the centuries.

The other half will be a new Football Museum for Wales, celebrating Welsh football, past and present, in all its diversity, from grassroots clubs to the national teams, as well as highlighting Wrexham’s historic achievements in the sport.

The project is being supported with funding from Welsh Government and Wrexham Council, with additional support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Wolfson Foundation. The Museum of Two Halves project has received £1.3m from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Help the new museum stand out from the crowd

The survey will take around 5 minutes to complete and is deigned to help the project team develop an original, exciting new brand that will raise the museum’s national and international profile.

Residents of Wrexham County Borough and football fans across Wales are invited to take part.

Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Partnerships and Community Safety, Cllr Paul Roberts, said: “The new museum promises to be something very special, a state of the art national attraction celebrating the rich heritage of our County Borough alongside the epic and ever growing story of Welsh football, a sport that has occupied a meaningful place at the heart of communities in every corner of our country for generations.

“We are thrilled that this new museum is going to have it’s home in Wrexham, affectionately known as the ‘spiritual home of Welsh football’ , the city where the Welsh Football Association was formed back in 1876.

“We are now asking for the public to help us build a brand to give the new museum a distinctive identity that reflects what we value in Wrexham and in Welsh football. The brand will define the look and feel of the new museum, not just logos, colours and imagery, but the whole personality of the museum, it’s values and the way it communicates with it’s audiences.”

“I would encourage everyone to spend just 5mins filling in this survey and help us ensure this new museum stands out from the crowd.”

Take part in the survey

Nick Underwood, Senior Project Manager at Fraser Randall has recently returned to Wrexham, his childhood home, and is thrilled to be part of a project so close to his heart.

Fraser Randall have been appointed as Technical Project Managers for Wrexham’s ‘Museum of Two Halves’ – a fully refurbished and enhanced Wrexham Museum alongside a brand new Football Museum for Wales, currently being developed inside the Wrexham Museum building on Regent Street.

Fraser Randall will be responsible for the procurement of the Base build and Fit-Out contractors, as well as managing the Construction phase until the project’s is completed

Recently returning from London to Wrexham with his wife to be closer to family, Nick’s relocation will see him spearhead this project until the museum opens in 2026.

Nick’s client work over recent years includes, the award-winning Imperial War Museum (Second World War Gallery and Holocaust Gallery), Midleton Distillery, Royal College of Surgeons and National Portrait Gallery.

Nick was born and raised in Wrexham on Barkers Lane where he attended the local primary school. At 11 years old his family moved to Rhosrobin where he attended Darland High School before leaving to study at the University of Bristol.

A true football fan – Nick attended his first Wrexham FC game at the age of 4, and followed the team throughout his school years, often returning home to watch the games with local friends. Nick also played for a local side in Wrexham until he was 21 and his claim to fame is that during his teens he won a final at The Racecourse!

Nick says, “As a football fan from the local area, it’s very exciting to be working on the museum project, and giving something back to the community in which I grew up in. Not just for the football, but also the history and culture of the local area. The grade II listed Wrexham Museum building on Regent Street has been a prominent feature in the city centre since it was built in 1857 and it deserves to have a major refurbishment for the local community can enjoy and learning more about the history of Wrexham and Welsh Football.”

More progress for museum project

Wrexham Museum is now closed to the public so that work can begin to prepare the building for redevelopment.

The project is set to be completed in 2026.

Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Council, said: “I’d like to pass on thanks to everyone involved with the Museum of Two Halves for the brilliant progress they’ve made in helping the project reach this milestone stage. It’s fantastic to see one of our landmark city centre buildings being refurbished into a first class, national attraction. I’m sure everyone in Wrexham will be excited to see how this project develops ahead of the grand opening in 2026.”

The Museum is being developed by Wrexham Council’s museum team in association with museum designers, Haley Sharpe Design and architects, Purcell. The project is being supported with funding from Wrexham Council and Welsh Government, with additional support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Museum of Two Halves project has received £1.3m from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”

Find out more about the Museum of Two Halves project

Activity planners have been appointed to help develop an extensive plan of action for Wrexham’s new ‘Museum of Two Halves’.

Wrexham Museum has now closed to the public so the building can be prepared for redevelopment. The new ‘Museum of Two Halves’ is set to open in 2026 and will include a fully refurbished and enhanced Wrexham Museum alongside a brand new Football Museum for Wales.

Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Council, said: “The new museum project is one of the most exciting and ambitious developments taking place in Wrexham at the moment – a brand new, first class national attraction right here in the city centre. The development of the activity plan is a key part of this project and will present exciting opportunities to interest and inspire audiences all over Wales, and beyond. I’d like to pass on our thanks to the team for the fantastic progress they’ve made in reaching this stage. I’m sure the excitement will continue to build now as we approach the opening in 2026.”

‘Community participation at it’s core’

Thanks to funding by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, activity planners, Emma Parsons and Janice Tullock (from Emma Parsons Consulting and Janice Tullock Associates) are now working with the museum team to establish an exciting plan of activities to be delivered during the development of the project.

The activity plan will cover all sorts of key areas, including marketing, events, exhibitions, learning, volunteering, staff training and much more. These activities will set out how we work with our audiences, including local families, Welsh football fans, local/national/international tourists, under represented communities, and people who don’t currently visit the museum. It will help to show clearly the direction we need to take, enable us to reflect on our successes and the areas we need to improve – all with community participation at its core.

Emma and Janice said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Wrexham museum team on this project. We bring our experience of working on many major developments funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as well as our passion and enthusiasm for the subjects involved – the story of the people of Wrexham and the story of football in Wales and the connections between the two.”

The Museum is being developed by Wrexham Council’s museum team in association with museum designers, Haley Sharpe Design and architects, Purcell. The project is being supported with funding from Wrexham Council and Welsh Government, with additional support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Museum of Two Halves project has received £1.3m from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”

Find out more about the Museum of Two Halves