Tenby Museum

Cadw's description

Location

On the S side of Castle Hill, on the NE side of the town.

History

Museum building in former National School, built into a medieval domestic building, possibly the hall, depicted as roofless and gable-ended in early views. The school was founded in 1832, and enlarged in 1842. The girl's schoolroom was above, the boys' below. It remained in use until the Parochial School was opened in 1874, and the building became the Tenby Museum in 1878. Mural mosaic by Jonah Jones on the museum wall 1991. The 1977 list refers to 2 round chimneys to rear, only one seen in 2001.

Exterior

Two ranges, the original museum adapted from a medieval building used as the National School until 1874 and the former Museum Cottage to the left, now also part of the museum. The medieval building has walls of grey limestone rubble with band of corbelling along S front, above ground floor, flat parapet, and C19 hipped roof with imitation slates. Brick N end stack. Two inserted flat-headed tripartite sashes to ground floor and 2 cambered-headed 4-pane sashes on first floor S. Similar tripartite sash each floor in E end wall. Roof is outshut to rear with heavily rendered and capped round chimney in NW angle to Museum Cottage. Added single-storey NE wing has eroded 1991 mosaic on E side wall, and a further wing runs W parallel to original building.
The former Museum Cottage to the W is a painted stucco 2-storey, 3-window range with slate close-eaved roof and left end stack. Facade is of 2 builds, 2-window range to right with small windows above (C20 glazing) above late C20 flat-roofed glazed museum entrance, one window added section to left with brick end stack, 8-pane sash above, 12-pane below. Outshut rear.

Reason for designation

Included as a substantial surviving medieval building, and for historical reasons as among the early museums in Wales.
Scheduled Ancient Monument Cadw Ref 16/2072/PE163 (PEM).