Archive of the month

Photo: Valuable National Gallery paintings being unloaded at Prichard-Jones Hall in 1939.

In 1938 secret negotiations took place at the behest of the National Gallery to house valuable works of art in Prichard-Jones Hall in the event of war. A number of other buildings in the locality were viewed by National Gallery officials, and the Prichard-Jones Hall (along with Penrhyn Castle) made Bangor an 'admirable clearing-house as well as storage place'. In fact, fairly extensive alterations to the hall (including erecting steel bars on windows) were necessary to store paintings there.

The Archives are responsible for the care and storage of the early College Records as well as our Archives Collections and General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts. All of these manuscript collections are bound by one common factor, their relevance to the history, people and topography of North Wales. However, their subject areas are wide ranging and are of national as well as local historical interest.

Publication date: 10 April 2013