Vacancy: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT (Strategy & Resources Team)

Full details: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT  (Strategy & Resources Team)
Salary Range £22400 - £25720, 37 hours per week – permanent appointment

Based in Aberystwyth, the Royal Commission is the investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales. It has the lead role in ensuring that Wales’s archaeological, built and maritime heritage is authoritatively recorded, and seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of this heritage nationally and internationally.

We are looking for someone to assist the Secretary of the Commission (The Chief Executive) by carrying out strategic and organisational tasks, the most important of which will be developing and coordinating the Commission’s Operational and Strategic Plan in accordance with the Welsh Government’s guidelines. Other duties include coordinating reports, papers and documents for key meetings, ensuring that the Secretary’s telephone enquiries and correspondence are dealt with quickly and efficiently, and collating and coordinating the Commission’s quarterly performance monitoring procedures.

As well as being confident and self-motivated with good communication and IT skills, candidates must have proven experience and/or appropriate professional or academic qualifications in a relevant discipline. They must also have proven experience of working at both strategic and operational levels and be able to develop and maintain positive and professional working relationships with staff and external contacts. The ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh would be an advantage.


Please return your completed application form to the address below:-

Mr S Bailey John
Royal Commission
Plas Crug
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 1NJ

Tel: 01970 621230
Fax: 01970 621246
e-mail: stephen.bailey-john@rcahmw.gov.uk
                                              
Closing date for applications: 26 April 2014

The Royal Commission is an equal opportunities employer.


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History and Heritage Book Sale at the Royal Commission

On Wednesday, 9 April, there will be a rare opportunity to purchase a wide range of books, journals, maps and guidebooks, relating to archaeology, architecture and the built heritage. There will be over 1000 titles in this sale of surplus and duplicate stock from the Royal Commission’s library in Aberystwyth. Titles include a complete set of Archaeologia Cambrensis and other standard archaeology journals, numerous off-prints, books on pre-history, the Romans, industrial archaeology, Gwent and Glamorgan County Histories, and other historical and archaeological volumes and much more. There will also be a selection of O.S. 6-inch maps of various editions, a small collection of 1:10,000 and Landranger maps. Selected current Royal Commission publications will also be on offer with a discount of up to 30%. Information Services Manager, Penny Icke, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to acquire hard to find and often out-of-print historical and archaeological material. We hope to see as many people as possible at the sale”. Doors open from 10am–4pm. Everyone welcome!

 

For further information, email Penny Icke, penny.icke@rcahmw.gov.uk or phone 01970 621200

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Getting the best of Britain from Above - Cardigan Library

Piloting the Internet

‘Getting the best of Britain from Above’

Free Event, Everyone Welcome!

Monday 31 March 2014, 10am-4pm

Cardigan Library, talks: 11am, 1pm and 3pm

Come along and discover this fantastic online resource showcasing a previously unseen collection of aerial photographs of Wales, Scotland and England from the pioneering age of aviation. The collection covers the years 1919-1953, a period when the landscape of Britain was undergoing drastic change.

There will be three talks on the history of the collection and the project itself during the day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, but everyone will be welcome to pop in and find out more through the day with a Britain from Above Activity Officer and have a go on the website itself as part of the Digital Unite Spring Online week.

Cardigan Library I.T. suite, Canolfan Teifi, Pendre,
Cardigan, SA43 1JL. Telephone: 01686 626934

Find out more at: www.britainfromabove.org.uk

Natasha Scullion, Britain from Above Activity Officer, Wales.

e-mail: natasha.scullion@rcahmw.gov.uk
Telephone: 01970 621200


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Careers in Heritage Day at the Royal Commission

On Thursday, 12 March, students of archaeology, history, geography and heritage in general came from all over Wales to the Royal Commission’s Careers in Heritage Day held in collaboration with the Britain from Above project. Students had the opportunity to listen to talks by the Royal Commission’s archivist, Gareth Edwards, and its aerial investigator, Dr Toby Driver ─ two very different occupations in the heritage sector! There were presentations on a broad range of heritage specialisms: the Britain from Above community project, technical survey, maritime archaeology, CBA community archaeology placements, People’s Collection Wales, GIS mapping and heritage publications. Visitors were also able to explore the resources of the National Monuments Record and talked to our Reader Services staff. As you will see from the photographs and the feedback comments, the day generated much enthusiasm and interest!

“Very informative- thank you. Careers advice useful. Hopefully I will progress in this Heritage Sector”.

“I haven’t used the Royal Commission to its full advantage. I will recommend their facilities to other Aberystwyth students”.

“Britain from Above website helped me with an assignment. Very good day, informative and useful.”

“Very informative, particularly on the specifics of Lidar. Thank you”.

“Very informative& engaging. Thank you for such a  great opportunity. Talks v.good”.

“Wedi dysgu llawer iawn heddiw ac cael dysgu  mwy am y datblygiad o y lle dwi yn byw”. (Learned a lot today and have learned more about the development of where I live.)

“Diwrnod diddorol, wedi gwneud i mi feddwl am yr swyddi i mi gael yn yr dyfodol”. (Interesting day, made me think about the jobs available for me in the future.)

Looking into the past with 3D glasses.

Explaining the scope of the Britain from Above project.

Enthusiasm for maritime archaeology.

Explaining digital survey to an interested audience.

Discussing the Royal Commission’s successful heritage publications.

Students engrossed in historic aerial photos.

Appreciative comments on the graffiti wall at the end of the day!

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Working with Trimsaran village to create a 3D model map

During the recent half-term school holiday, Britain from Above was working in the village of Trimsaran between Kidwelly and Llanelli to create a 3D model map of the village to showcase at the National Eisteddfod being held in Llanelli this summer.

Residents of Trimsaran came to take part by either: bringing along photographs, maps and memorabilia to share with the project; telling stories about their experiences of the village over the years; or by showing off their craft skills designing, decorating and creating the village, homes, trees, roads and other landmarks to the add to map ready to exhibit at the Eisteddfod.

Hard at work creating their village!

We made a few special visits during the week, first to the Trimsaran Family Centre to make houses and trees, with the preschool children and their parents, to decorate the map. The children enjoyed creating their own houses and finding them in the modern pictures of the village, whilst the parents explored the Britain from Above website (between making roofs and colouring in bricks!

Finding their houses and then creating them on paper!

The Children of the Family Centre with their additions to the map!

We also visited the Lys-y-Godian complex to speak to some of the residents about their memories of the village. They shared some of their stories and photographs with us, in particular about the bridge out of the village towards Kidwelly, which at one point was the only road out the village in that direction.  It is now too narrow for the modern width of buses, but when buses were first introduced they could just fit between the walls of the bridge although, when a bus was coming across the only option was to stand in the bridges indents to let it pass. They warned us too that you should never cross it under the light of the full moon, as you may see the ghosts of Spudders Bridge throw themselves into the dark waters below!

Residents of Lys-y-Godian looking at the 1st-4th edition maps of the village along with Aerofilms images of the nearby areas.

The week was a great start to the project, with plenty of information and buildings being added to the map, with room for more to be included before the start of the Eisteddfod.

The village as it stands so far, plenty of room for more additions!

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Whitesands Bay Wreck revealed as the BOLINA of Bideford!

The remains of the Whitesands Bay Wreck in 2014

Peter Davies, St David’s Historical Society, provides identity for the Whitesands Bay Wreck – the BOLINA of Bideford

 Following our blog about the Whitesands Bay Wreck on 25 February 2014, Mr Davies  has kindly sent information collated for an exhibition in 2003 by the St Davids and Dewisland Historical Society, which confirms the identity as the Bideford Brig BOLINA.

The BOLINA was carrying a cargo of iron bar, tin plates and pig iron from Newport to Liverpool and was driven into the bay by a northwesterly gale on 22 February 1833. Cargo to the value of £439 was salvaged from her by Messrs Starbuck of Milford. The shipping intelligence column of the Cambrian News, 16 February 1833, confirms that the BOLINA (under the command of her master Heay) had set sail from Newport with a cargo of iron and tin plate.

The loss is recorded in the diaries and notebooks of David Evans (1833-1920), which were printed in a private publication Who’s Who from Tobias Codd, available from Haverfordwest Library. David Evans was an eyewitness to the wreck of the ‘ALADDIN’ or ‘MLADEN’ some 17 years later. The crew of this Austrian brig were initially taken to his farm at Tŷ Gwyn before being given shelter at the Commercial Inn. The MLADEN’s cargo of wheat was recovered by local people and taken to be washed and kiln dried. Much was later used for animal feed.

 A very special thank you to Mr Davies for getting in touch.

http://www.stdavidshistoricalsociety.org.uk/

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People’s Collection Wales refresh supports Llangollen’s Chain Bridge Project

On Friday 20 February, the Royal Commission was in Llangollen taking part in the Linking Memories training session held as part of the exciting new Chain Bridge Project.  The project aims to restore and allow access to Llangollen's impressive early nineteenth-century chain-link bridge, which may be the earliest bridge of its type in the western world.

Llantysilio Chain Bridge as it is today (courtesy of the Chain Bridge Project).

This year the project will be working to collect local people’s memories and memorabilia of the cast-iron bridge, especially photographs, documents and oral histories. These will be made available on the newly improved People’s Collection Wales website, which is funded by Welsh Government and delivered by the Royal Commission, National Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales.
The Chain Bridge Project’s Heritage Officer (and Royal Commission staff member), Samantha Jones, outlined the history of the bridge, which finally closed in the 1980s. The bridge was purchased by Llantysilio Community Council and Llangollen town council in 2011, and funding has since been obtained for its restoration and for the collection of people’s memories relating to it. The Royal Commission’s People’s Collection Wales Officer, Helen Rowe, introduced the People’s Collection Wales website, which has just undergone a refresh, making it more user-friendly than ever before. She explained how the website is perfect for the storage and dissemination of the memories gathered by the Chain Bridge Project. Helen outlined the history of the site, which was created as a platform for the people of Wales to share and access material relating to the history and heritage of Wales. She gave examples of some of the many and varied items already added by heritage institutions, museums, libraries and archives, as well as by groups and individuals. Helen explained how material on the site is shared under the terms of the non-commercial Creative Archive Licence and how important it is to follow the copyright guidelines when uploading material. She then explained how easy it is to upload digital material in a variety of formats, including audio and video.

The Royal Commission’s People’s Collection Officer, Helen Rowe, demonstrating the newly improved People’s Collection Wales website.

David Crane from Llangollen Museum gave an informative talk on best practice for digital archiving and Lorna Jenner rounded off the day with an excellent workshop on oral history interviewing techniques.
The training session was both informative and inspiring, and we look forward to viewing the full and fascinating story of the Llantysilio Chain Bridge on the People’s Collection Wales website in the near future! To learn more about the history of the bridge, check out the story of Exuperius Pickering and the Llantysilio Chain Bridge on the People’s Collection Wales website at http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/content/exuperius-pickering-and-llantysilio-chain-bridge.

By Nikki Vousden


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