A pub will welcome its first customers in over a decade when it opens at St Fagans National Museum of History next month, and has already begun to take drink orders.
The Vulcan Hotel was originally built on Adam Street in Cardiff in 1853 to serve the mainly Irish community of what was then called Newtown. More than 150 years later, its closed its doors for the last time in 2012.
Following a campaign to save it from demolition, the owners of The Vulcan Hotel formally offered the building to Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales in 2012.
2020 saw the beginning of the pub’s restoration. Amgueddfa Cymru’s historic building team dismantled the Cardiff landmark brick by brick before moving it to the museum. It is the latest addition to over forty historic buildings re-erected at St Fagans National Museum of History.
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The Vulcan Hotel will be displayed as it was in 1915, when it had just undergone a major refurbishment that saw the distinctive green and brown tiles added to the frontage, as well as a redesign of its interior.
When it opens to the public next month, The Vulcan will serve beer brewed exclusively for the pub by Glamorgan Brewing Co. Visitors can already pre-order a beer flight from the pub.
Bethan Lewis, Head of Museum at St Fagans National Museum of History said: “Our team of historic building experts and curators have been hard at work meticulously recreating the 1915 pub and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to experience this iconic piece of Cardiff history.”
Jane Richardson, Chief Executive at Amgueddfa Cymru said the pub will be “a significant addition to the collection as it allows us to tell the story of Newtown and the Irish diaspora who lived there.
“Visitors to the pub will be able to experience what life was like in 1915 and we look forward to welcoming the first customers in May. I am also looking forward to raising a glass to celebrate and visitors will be able to enjoy a drink of our Vulcan beer on site.”
