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Free Aberfan anniversary displays open at Big Pit and St Fagans on 1 October

Personal objects and recorded memories will form part of a year-long programme marking 60 years since the disaster. Entry is free, with separate parking charges.

Ellie Williams ·

Big Pit National Coal Museum in January 2023. Archive photograph of the venue, not the new display. Photo: M J Roscoe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons; cropped.

Big Pit National Coal Museum in January 2023. Archive photograph of the venue, not the new display. Photo: M J Roscoe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons; cropped.

Original photographCC BY-SA 2.0

Displays marking 60 years since the Aberfan disaster open at Big Pit National Coal Museum and St Fagans National Museum of History on Thursday 1 October. Both are free and are scheduled to run until 1 October 2027.

What visitors will see

At Big Pit, Stories from Aberfan brings together objects, memories and oral histories from people connected to the disaster and its aftermath. Some material will be shown publicly for the first time, including accounts of the response from mining communities and rescue volunteers.

At St Fagans, additional objects will join the existing Aberfan material in the Wales is... gallery. The display includes schoolbooks, a football and a clock stopped at 9:13am. The clock has been on display since 2022; it is not a new acquisition for this anniversary.

Gwalia Stores at St Fagans National Museum of History, photographed in September 2022.

St Fagans is the second venue. Gwalia Stores, pictured here in September 2022, is not the gallery housing the Aberfan display. Photo: David Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons.

Photo: David SmithOriginal photographCC BY-SA 2.0

Planning a visit

Big Pit’s published hours are 9:30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. Parking costs £5 a day. St Fagans opens from 10am to 5pm, with £7 daily parking. Both venues list free parking for disabled badge holders and motorbikes. Check the museum’s access guides and current visiting information before travelling.

Remembrance beyond the galleries

Amgueddfa Cymru is also developing school resources and has commissioned four artists to respond to items in its collection. Their work will be shared online as part of Aberfan 60. The programme was announced on 15 September; the public displays begin on 1 October.

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