Powysland museum illustrates the archaeology and social history of Montgomeryshire from the earliest prehistoric settlers to the 20th century. It’s housed in a renovated and restored warehouse beside the Montgomery Canal.
Powysland Museum in Welshpool was established by a local history society, the Powysland Club, in 1874 and housed in the first purpose-built museum in Wales. In 1974 the running of the Museum was taken over by the Powys County Council but, by then, it was obvious that the building was no longer suitable as a museum; in 1990, the collections were moved to an old warehouse by the Montgomeryshire Canal, which had been carefully restored and refurbished to house a modern museum.
The Museum collections cover the archaeology and social history of the old county of Montgomeryshire and the three permanent galleries reflect these areas. The Museum’s fourth gallery is reserved for temporary exhibitions. The Museum has an active, temporary exhibition programme with displays on a wide variety of topics.
