Hot, Hot, Hot in the Summer

Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery, Aberdare, is housed in a late nineteenth century grade 2 listed building. The venue opened to the public in 2000 and from 2006 onwards will also act as the collections centre for the service.

There are a number of factors that make the internal environment difficult to control:

• Gallery and main stores open to the roof nine metres above.
• Roof is single skin with no insulation and valley guttering, windows, doors and wall to roof joints are poorly sealed, all glazing single, non security and non filtered.
• Air conditioning system is ineffective, providing little more than low level heating during the winter.
• Brickwork not treated to prevent dust and salts.
• Blast furnaces at the rear are a breeding ground for rats, pigeons and other pests.

Without a major refurbishment there is a limit to the amount that can be done to improve overall conditions. Consequently the focus is on trying to implement smaller changes to improve the existing environment.

The introduction of an extensive environmental monitoring system means that future decisions will be based on hard evidence. Results have shown that the environment in the galleries and stores is very unstable – temperatures are very high in the summer and very low in the winter. Whilst relative humidity fluctuates widely it is generally too low.

There has been a move away from placing artefacts on open display, with preference given to creating microclimates in cases. Through monitoring the performance of cases we have confirmed that they significantly buffer temperature and relative humidity. Those most stable will be used to house the most sensitive items. Further assessment will be used to determine whether active control measures will be necessary for the most delicate artefacts.

Flooding, caused by blockages to the valley guttering and internal drainpipes, is a recurring problem during the winter. The cost of access to this area prohibits regular maintenance. Thus early detection is essential and flood bugs (which produce an audible alarm upon contact with water) have been placed in known trouble spots to raise the alarm.

Dust and dirt is a problem within the stores. An enhanced programme of housekeeping and ensuring all items are boxed and protected by dust covers will minimise damage. Meanwhile the most sensitive artefacts are kept in the most environmentally stable part of the museum.

Pigeon netting has been installed over the furnace mouths to discourage birds from roosting and nesting. The area between the museum and furnaces is also kept clear of rubbish and vegetation in order to deter animal pests from entering the museum.

Opportunities were missed to prevent many of these problems because specialist advice was not available from the beginning of the conversion project - work had started before the decision was made to use the building as a museum. In addition, the building was incorrectly listed as part of an early nineteenth century ironworks – something that impacted on the original renovation work and continues to cause problems. However, this case study shows some of the solutions available to a small museum with limited resources.