West Wales Maritime Museum | Amgueddfa Forwrol Gorllewin Cymru
A working museum where the craft of wooden boat building is being kept alive
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West Wales Maritime Museum is a working museum situated at Hancock's Yard in Pembroke Dock. Hancock’s Yard has been a boatyard for over 200 years and West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, who run the museum, continue to build and repair boats here, making this a site of living heritage. The museum is not only home to a fascinating collection of historic boats and a research library, but boats are also restored and even new boats built here to historic designs, like the beautiful Tenby Lugger Heritage, the mascot of the museum.
The museum is run by volunteers, who also work on restoring boats on a daily basis. The most spectacular is the Fishguard Charterhouse Lifeboat, which sits under its own special awning and is in the process of being restored. The lifeboat was paid for by the students and alumni if the famous Charterhouse School; she was one of the first in the Royal National Lifeboats Institution (RNLI) to be fitted with a motor, which added to the oar power of the crew in rough seas. Charterhouse and her valiant crew saved 47 lives (and a dog!), her most famous rescue was of the Dutch Motor Schooner Hermina, which was caught in a terrible storm outside Fishguard Harbour on the 3 December 1920. The brave crew of the Charterhouse managed to take 7 passengers off the boat, though they were being entirely engulfed in waves, which took down the sail and rendered the engine useless. The crew managed to row her back to the safety of Fishguard Harbour, and then went on to undertake a cliff rescue of the remaining crew, who had clambered onto the rocks from the wrecked boat.
Such is the richness of the wonderful collection at the West Wales Maritime Museum, they also have a silver watch gifted by the Dutch Queen one of the lifeboat crew. In her presentation of the watches the Queen said: “Please don’t consider these watches as rewards for your heroism … such heroism as has been displayed by you cannot be rewarded with a material gift, as there is no equivalent in money or any material profit for the lives of the men you rescued”.
There are so many fascinating stories attached to the coracles and canoes, yachts and yawls that form the museum collection. The West Wales Maritime Heritage Society are seeking volunteers to help not only with boat restoration (including the mighty Charterhouse) but also with exhibition curation and tour guiding. Visitors will be infected with the enthusiasm of Peter Kraus, Chairman of the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, and the museum team, indeed you might end up volunteering yourself! Another way to visit and enjoy the site is to book an experience in Britain’s only ‘Escape Boat’ – you’ll have fun and help to support the museum.
Mae Amgueddfa Forwrol Gorllewin Cymru yn amgueddfa weithredol sydd wedi’i lleoli yn Iard Hancock yn Noc Penfro. Mae Iard Hancock yn iard gychod ers dros 200 mlynedd ac mae Cymdeithas Treftadaeth Forwrol Gorllewin Cymru, sy’n rhedeg yr amgueddfa, yn dal i adeiladu a thrwsio cychod yma, sy’n golygu bod hwn yn safle treftadaeth fyw. Mae’r amgueddfa nid yn unig yn gartref i gasgliad diddorol o gychod hanesyddol a llyfrgell ymchwil, ond mae cychod hefyd yn cael eu hadfer a hyd yn oed yn cael eu hadeiladu o’r newydd yma ar sail dyluniadau hanesyddol, fel y lygar Dinbych-y-pysgod hardd, Heritage, masgot yr amgueddfa.
Mae’r amgueddfa’n cael ei rhedeg gan wirfoddolwyr, sydd hefyd yn gweithio ar adfer cychod yn ddyddiol. Y mwyaf ysblennydd yw bad achub Charterhouse Abergwaun, sy’n eistedd o dan ei adlen arbennig ei hun ac sydd wrthi’n cael ei adfer. Talwyd am y bad achub gan fyfyrwyr a chyn-fyfyrwyr ysgol enwog Charterhouse; dyma un o fadau cyntaf y Sefydliad Badau Achub Cenedlaethol Brenhinol (RNLI) i gael ei ffitio â modur, a ychwanegodd at bŵer rhwyfau’r criw mewn moroedd garw. Llwyddodd y Charterhouse a’i chriw dewr i achub 47 o fywydau (ac un ci!), a’i hachubiad enwocaf oedd y Sgwner Modur Hermina o’r Iseldiroedd, a ddaliwyd mewn storm ofnadwy y tu allan i harbwr Abergwaun ar 3 Rhagfyr 1920. Llwyddodd criw glew y Charterhouse i gymryd 7 teithiwr oddi ar y cwch, er eu bod yn cael eu llyncu’n llwyr o dan y tonnau, a rwygodd yr hwyl, ac atal yr injan. Llwyddodd y criw i rwyfo yn ôl i ddiogelwch Harbwr Abergwaun, ac yna mynd ymlaen i achub gweddill y criw, oedd wedi dringo ar y creigiau o’r cwch drylliedig.
Cymaint yw cyfoeth y casgliad gwych yn Amgueddfa Forwrol Gorllewin Cymru, nes bod ganddyn nhw hefyd oriawr arian a roddwyd gan Frenhines yr Iseldiroedd i un o griw’r bad achub. Wrth gyflwyno’r oriorau, dywedodd y Frenhines: “Peidiwch â meddwl am yr oriorau hyn fel gwobrau am eich arwriaeth... Does dim modd gwobrwyo arwriaeth o’r fath ag sydd wedi’i ddangos gennych chi drwy roi rhodd faterol, oblegid does dim arian nac unrhyw elw materol yn gyfwerth â bywydau’r dynion a achubwyd gennych”.
Mae cymaint o straeon diddorol ynghlwm wrth y cwryglau a’r canŵau, y cychod hwylio a’r iolau sy’n ffurfio casgliad yr amgueddfa. Mae Cymdeithas Treftadaeth Forwrol Gorllewin Cymru yn chwilio am wirfoddolwyr nid yn unig i helpu i adfer cychod (gan gynnwys y Charterhouse nerthol) ond hefyd i guradu arddangosfeydd ac arwain teithiau. Bydd ymwelwyr yn cael eu tanio gan frwdfrydedd Peter Kraus, Cadeirydd Cymdeithas Treftadaeth Forwrol Gorllewin Cymru, a thîm yr amgueddfa: yn wir efallai y byddwch yn gwirfoddoli eich hunan yn y pen draw! Ffordd arall i fwynhau’r safle yw archebu profiad yn unig ‘Fad Dianc’ Prydain – cewch hwyl a helpu i gefnogi’r amgueddfa yr un pryd.