A popular watering hole is reopening after being moved brick by brick for ten miles – even with its 107-year-old urinals and original wallpaper.
The Vulcan Hotel was a much loved traditional working class watering hole before it closed over a decade ago.
Notting Hill actor Rhys Ifans and Manic Street Preachers singer James Dean Bradfield backed the call to save the pub after it served generations of Cardiff steelworkers and dock workers.
Brains Brewery agreed to donate it to a museum ten miles away – and now it is being restored to its original state.
The Vulcan Hotel was a much loved traditional working class watering hole before it closed over a decade ago
The Brains Brewery agreed to donate it to a museum ten miles away – and now it is being rebuilt in its original state at St Fagans National Museum of History
The popular pub built for Cardiff’s East Bute Dock will once again be pouring pints at St Fagans National History Museum when it reopens next year.
Museum workers dismantled the interior and facade to save each element before reassembling it.
The building is expected to reopen in 2024, with the original male urinals dating back to 1915 when it was renovated.
Dafydd Wiliam, chief conservator of historic buildings at St Fagans, says the pub has a rich history.
He said: “Pubs are very important cultural centres. They function as centers of community life. We always wanted a bar in the museum.
“We were lucky enough to interview a woman who was born in 1915 in The Vulcan.
“She told us what the building looked like when she was a child, what kind of customers used it and the details about the community around it.”
The pub’s 107-year-old urinals are carefully packed before being reconstructed
Notting Hill actor Rhys Ifans and Manic Street Preachers singer James Dean Bradfield backed the call to save the pub after it served generations of Cardiff steelworkers and dock workers
Builders are rebuilding the pub brick by brick at St Fagans National Museum of History
The building will reopen in 2024, with the original male urinals dating back to 1915 when it was renovated
The Vulcan Hotel was originally built in the 1830s before being renovated in 1915 to retain its distinctive facade.
William said: “In 1915 Cardiff was an extremely prosperous coal port. The year before, in 1914, Cardiff exported the most coal ever; some 20 million tonnes.
“It was during the First World War. So the pub has a lot to say about that period in history, about Cardiff as a city and about the community around the building today.”
Some of the tiles on the outside of the pub were too damaged to be saved – but the original Shropshire manufacturer is still active.
And luckily, manufacturers still own the wooden molds used to create the original tiles.
A barmaid talks to a customer at the Vulcan Hotel when it was a thriving bar
The Vulcan Hotel was originally built in the 1830s before being renovated in 1915 to retain its distinctive facade. The photo shows the interior of the bar
Mr Wiliam said: “We ordered a brand new set.
“We just tore down a partition and behind the plaster was the original wallpaper. It was coarse-grained and covered in nicotine.
“The original men’s urinals from 1915 have also been preserved. They are now being restored so they can go back inside, ready to do their job.”
Part of the National Museums of Wales, St Fagans is home to over 40 historic buildings from across Wales.
Every structure from pre-Roman times to the 20th century was demolished, transported and rebuilt on the museum site.
Museum workers dismantled the interior and facade to save each element before reassembling it
The old fashioned urinals just before being cut out of the old pub
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
