Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum

The Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum was an industry museum in Butetown, Cardiff, dedicated to South Wales industrial history. The collection included mining machinery, ships, railway vehicles, and other objects from different periods of industrial development.

The museum was founded in 1977 as part of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales and operated its collections for more than two decades. It closed in 1998 to make way for the Mermaid Quay shopping development in Cardiff Bay.

The museum displayed the industrial past of South Wales through mining equipment, vessels, and locomotives from different periods. These objects told the story of how the region was shaped by its resources and workers.

The museum no longer exists at its original location. Its collections were distributed to other institutions, so visitors can find the objects scattered across different locations in Wales and throughout Britain today.

The museum displayed the tugboat Sea Alarm and housed a replica of Richard Trevithick's 1803 locomotive. This replica was a key example of the early railway technology that Wales had pioneered.

Location: Cardiff

Official opening: 1977

Address: Bute Street, Cardiff Bay CF10 5BZ

GPS coordinates: 51.46400,-3.16500

Latest update: December 13, 2025 12:21