Two men have been arrested on suspicion of burglary after Bronze Age gold jewellery was stolen from St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff. The men aged 43 and 50 from Northampton were arrested 7 October and are in custody in Northamptonshire.
The unspecified objects were on display in the Wales is… gallery. The theft took place 6 October.
Detective Inspector Bob Chambers from South Wales Police said in a statement: “At this time, we believe that two suspects forced entry to the main building, where several items, including Bronze Age gold jewellery, have been stolen from a display case.”
Founded in 1948, St Fagans is one of seven national museums under the curation of Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales. Jane Richardson, the chief executive of Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales, told the BBC: “It’s been very upsetting for us all. We’re absolutely devastated. These items don’t belong to us at the museum, they belong to the people of Wales.”
In 2019, St Fagans was awarded the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year prize. On the outskirts of the Welsh capital, St Fagans, one of the most visited heritage attractions in Wales, focuses on the country’s history and culture. The open-air museum is home to more than 40 historical buildings—from Iron Age roundhouses to a post-war prefab bungalow—that have been transported from across Wales and re-erected on its 100-acre site.
