A NUMBER of heritage items that were housed in Bodlondeb offices have been moved to new locations, the remainder will be auctioned.
From tomorrow (May 31), all Conwy County Borough Council’s democratic and office services will be based at Coed Pella in Colwyn Bay. As part of the move, the Council has emptied the contents from Bodlondeb, including some decorative and heritage items.
Conwy’s Museums Service is responsible for the long-term preservation of and providing access to accessioned museum collections. The Service acquires objects that reflect the history, heritage and culture of Conwy County Borough, this can include objects, used, made or owned in the area.
All heritage and decorative items in Bodlondeb have been audited by Conwy’s Museum Development Officer and assessed for significance with support from a museum consultant.
The items were categorised as:
- Items that are already, or will be, accessioned into museum collections to be housed in Conwy Culture Centre or sent on formal loan to Conwy Town Council for display at the Guildhall
- Items to be used in museum handling collections for outreach activities
- Archival items to be sent for assessment and possible retention in Conwy Culture Centre storage by Conwy Archive Service
- Items legally owned by Conwy Town Council and to be returned to them
- Remaining items that are not museum items and can be sold or disposed of
Amongst the relocated items is the Conwy Crossing Embroidered Hanging, which has been formally added to Conwy Museum Service’s permanent collection for long-term preservation.
A number of items including the Telford Conwy Suspension Bridge bronze plaque and several paintings have been relocated to the Guildhall, where Conwy Town Council will ensure they remain accessible and visible to the public.
There are pieces that have been assessed as not being museum items, however they still have some value and these items will be auctioned.
Cllr Dilwyn Roberts, Conwy’s Cabinet Member for Culture, said, “Just because these items don’t have strong Conwy connections doesn’t mean they won’t be of interest to someone else, we’re very pleased to give others the opportunity to acquire and enjoy these items.”
Rogers Jones Auctioneers have been appointed to sell these remaining items, which include prints, framed photographs and furniture.
The first sale will take place tomorrow (May 13) in Colwyn Bay, and four paintings will go to a future specialist auction in Cardiff.
