Oriel y Parc sits at the edge of St Davids, Britain’s smallest city, in the UK’s only truly coastal National Park. It’s two things in one building: a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Discovery Centre, and a Class A gallery holding changing exhibitions from the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales, most notably works by the Pembrokeshire-obsessed painter Graham Sutherland. Entry is free, the building itself is a genuine piece of eco-architecture worth understanding before you walk in, and it sits right on the walking route between the main St Davids car park and the Cathedral.

History of Oriel y Parc

From Visitor Centre to National Park Discovery Centre

Oriel y Parc began life as a National Park Visitor Centre built in 1999, a relatively modest facility offering the standard mix of local advice, maps and information that Pembrokeshire Coast National Park operates at several sites across the county. What makes the St Davids site unusual today is what was layered on top of that original building less than a decade later.

The 2007–2008 Eco-Building Redevelopment

Redevelopment began in 2007, and the expanded centre reopened as Oriel y Parc in July 2008, incorporating the original 1999 visitor centre into a much larger complex with two new galleries. The result is a genuinely unusual example of sustainable public building design in Wales, built around three specific materials: Welsh wood for the supporting timbers and gallery steps, sourced with sustainability in mind; stone dust, moulded rather than quarried, used for the roof-supporting columns and wall caps, with additional stone reclaimed from derelict local buildings for the tower and extension; and wool insulation, packed into the foundations and walls, which regulates moisture as well as temperature — keeping the building cooler in summer and warmer in winter than synthetic insulation would.

The building’s curved orientation is deliberate, angled so the sun tracks around and warms a thermal mass spine wall from sunrise to sunset, which then releases that heat gradually through the day. An 18,000-litre rainwater storage tank sits beneath the front courtyard, capturing roof runoff to flush the toilets and reducing pressure on both mains water and local drainage during heavy rain. A grass and sedum roof insulates against both winter cold and summer heat rather than absorbing it the way a conventional dark roof would, and the building draws on three renewable energy sources tied to solar power: a ground source heat pump, photovoltaic cells, and solar thermal panels for hot water.

A Collaboration with Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales

The 2008 expansion wasn’t only about sustainable building design — it created Oriel y Parc’s Class A gallery, a joint venture between Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales. This partnership means the gallery displays a genuinely rotating programme of art and artefacts from the national collection, curated around the theme of landscape rather than fixed to a single permanent display, with the St Davids Room showing paintings, prints and etchings and the Discovery Room hosting three-dimensional work such as ceramics, jewellery and glass.

The Graham Sutherland Collection

The gallery’s most significant recurring presence is the work of Graham Sutherland, the British modern artist whose surreal, thorn-and-cliff landscape paintings of the Pembrokeshire coast — which he first visited in 1934 — helped secure his reputation, alongside later commissions including the vast Coventry Cathedral tapestry Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph. After Sutherland’s death in 1980, it emerged that he had wanted to leave a collection to Wales, saying he felt that “having gained so much from this country, I should like to give something back.” That collection was originally displayed at Picton Castle before moving to Oriel y Parc, where works from it continue to feature in curated exhibitions on a rotating basis alongside pieces by other artists connected to the Pembrokeshire landscape.

Friends of Oriel y Parc

The Friends of Oriel y Parc formed in 2011 specifically to raise the gallery’s profile and support its work, engaging with the National Park Authority and helping maintain original works from the Sutherland Collection on display. It’s a reminder that, unlike a national museum with guaranteed permanent holdings, Oriel y Parc’s gallery programme depends on continued collaboration between several separate organisations — the National Park Authority, Amgueddfa Cymru, and this dedicated Friends group — to keep bringing national-collection artwork to a small city at the far western tip of Wales.

Visiting Oriel y Parc: Practical Information

Details below were checked directly against the official Pembrokeshire Coast National Park website (pembrokeshirecoast.wales) on 31 August 2026. Café hours in particular can shift at short notice — check the café’s own social media before relying on them.

Admission: Free. Entry to the Visitor Centre, shop, exhibition spaces and gallery all costs nothing — the only charge on site relates to parking, not entry.

Opening hours: The Visitor Centre, shop and exhibition spaces are open daily, 9:30am–5pm. The Main Gallery keeps slightly shorter hours, daily 10am–4pm. The on-site café, The Brunch House, opens daily 9:30am–3pm, though it’s worth checking its Facebook (@thebrunchhouse) or Instagram (@thebrunchhouse_oyp) for any short-notice changes.

Parking: The pay-and-display car park sits directly opposite Oriel y Parc, off Caerfai Road, with several disabled bays to the right on arrival (Blue Badge holders still pay but receive an extra hour). Charges apply from 1 March to 31 October inclusive, 9am–7pm; outside that window and those hours, parking is free. The walk from the car park to the centre is about 100 metres on a level path and courtyard.

Getting to St Davids city centre: From Oriel y Parc, it’s a five-to-ten-minute walk to the centre of St Davids on level ground, either through the courtyard or via a short woodland path joining the High Street. Some pavements along the route are narrow and only run along one side of the road.

Accessibility: Entry is through wide automatic doors, and all services are on one level except the Gallery and Tower, both of which have lift access. Two wheelchairs are available on site — book ahead where possible by calling 01437 720392 — along with a child’s beach wheelchair and an adult off-road wheelchair, both bookable online in advance. Accessible toilets and baby changing facilities are provided in both the Café and Visitor Centre, and a hearing loop is available at the main desk.

Shop: Stocks locally handcrafted goods — wooden bowls, stoneware, silver jewellery — alongside art materials, cards, local jams and chutneys, children’s toys, books, and a well-known range of retro Pembrokeshire Coast posters available in English or Welsh.

Managing body: Oriel y Parc is owned and run by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, and is the home of Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales in Pembrokeshire — a joint arrangement that explains why it functions simultaneously as a national park information centre and an outpost of the national art collection.

Contact: Phone 01437 720392, email info@orielyparc.co.uk. Address: Oriel y Parc, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6NW.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Oriel y Parc free to visit?

Yes, entry to the Visitor Centre, shop, exhibition spaces and gallery is completely free. The only cost on site is for parking in the pay-and-display car park opposite, and that’s seasonal — free outside 1 March to 31 October, 9am–7pm.

What are Oriel y Parc’s opening hours?

The Visitor Centre, shop and exhibition spaces are open daily, 9:30am–5pm. The Main Gallery is open daily, 10am–4pm. The on-site café opens daily, 9:30am–3pm, though it’s worth checking the café’s own social media for short-notice changes.

Is there parking at Oriel y Parc, and does it cost anything?

Yes — a pay-and-display car park sits directly opposite, off Caerfai Road. Charges apply from 1 March to 31 October, 9am–7pm; outside that period, parking is free. Blue Badge holders still pay but get an extra hour.

What makes Oriel y Parc an eco building?

Its 2007–2008 redevelopment used Welsh wood, moulded stone dust, and wool insulation, and the building draws on rainwater harvesting, a grass and sedum roof, and three solar-linked renewable energy sources — a ground source heat pump, photovoltaic cells, and solar thermal panels — to reduce its energy and water use.

What is the Graham Sutherland connection to Oriel y Parc?

Graham Sutherland, a major British modern artist whose landscape paintings were inspired by the Pembrokeshire coast, left his collection to Wales after his death in 1980. Originally displayed at Picton Castle, works from the Sutherland Collection now feature regularly in rotating exhibitions at Oriel y Parc.

Is Oriel y Parc accessible for wheelchair users?

Yes, largely. Entry is through wide automatic doors, and all services are on one level except the Gallery and Tower, which have lift access. The centre also has two loan wheelchairs (best booked ahead), an accessible toilet, and a hearing loop at the main desk.

How far is Oriel y Parc from St Davids city centre?

About a five-to-ten-minute walk on level ground, either through the Oriel y Parc courtyard or along a short woodland path that joins the High Street directly.

Oriel y Parc makes a natural first or last stop on any visit to St Davids Cathedral and the wider Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Browse the wider Museums & Galleries guides, or visit the Wales hub for the full picture of the country’s history and best places to visit.