TEN years ago this month one of Newport’s most historic landmarks re-opened its doors to the public under new management.
Tredegar House was handed over to the National Trust by Newport council the previous month, and on April 4, 2012, it was the first day when members of the public could have a peek at some of the changes that were being made.
In our report in the South Wales Argus on the same date we wrote:
Since the handover National Trust staff, and those who have transferred from the council with the house to the charity, have been working hard getting the largely 17th-century house and park ready for the re-opening.
The charity has pledged to carry out around £4.5 million worth of repairs and improvements to enhance visitors’ experiences.
Denise Foster and Lewis Francis of the National Trust at Tredegar House in April 2012.
Denise Foster, visitor experience leader, said many of the changes being made were aimed at making rooms tell a story to visitors.
She said they have focused on three particular historic periods – the 17th century, the 19th century and the 1930s – to show visitors what the house was like in those times.
One of the rooms is dressed to show a representation of the wedding breakfast the house hosted following William Morgan’s wedding to his second wife, Elizabeth Dayrell.
Mrs Foster said: “We wanted to get a sense of lavishness and sumptuousness. They were a wealthy family making the most of their money.”
After the last of the Morgan family left the house in the 1950s the property became a school until it was taken over by the council.
Denise Foster of the National Trust in the kitchens of Tredegar House in April 2012
Mrs Foster said the council carried out a lot of work on the property’s restoration, but it remained a “mammoth task”.
She paid tribute to the members of staff who had transferred from the council to the trust, saying much of the work would not have been possible without their “willingness, enthusiasm, ideas and support”.
Many areas that have not previously been open to the public are also being refurbished ready for display, and the visitors’ entrance is being moved to the main gate so members of the public can appreciate the grand entrance.
The trust hopes to boost visitor numbers to 100,000 a year, which is estimated will benefit the local economy by an extra £1.47 million.
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