Monmouth Museum has acquired two watercolour paintings of the Wye Valley by Michael Angelo Rooker A.R.A. (1746-1801), one of the leading artists in the "golden age" of English watercolour painting. The paintings have been bought by Monmouthshire's Museum Service with generous grants from three bodies: The Art Fund; The Beecroft Bequest, administered by the Museums Association; and the Museums Libraries and Archives Council/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund. One painting depicts the Wye at Coldwell, upstream from Symond's Yat, and incorporates a view of the Yat rock, with a Wye trow (barge) on the river below. The other picture looks downstream from behind the New Weir at Symond's Yat, and is full of fascinating historical detail. The weir provided a water supply to the waterwheels of the iron forge, which stood on the Herefordshire bank of the river. Delighted with the new acquisitions, Museum Curator Andrew Helme said: "It is gratifying that we got so much outside support. The paintings cost £13,000 but we got about 95% of the cost in grant aid so we had to pay very little for them." The Museum also has several examples of the work of another leading local artist of the time, Thomas Tudor (1785-1855). In addition to this locally produced material, the museum is slowly acquiring works by more nationally significant artists who came to the area, and the two Rooker paintings represent an important expansion of this collection. Members of the public will have the opportunity to see the two new paintings at a special Open Evening on Friday (December 8th) when the Museum will stay open until the later time of 7pm (the usual closing time in the winter is 4pm). There will also be a quiz, inviting members of the public to identify odd objects in the Museum and an exhibition on moles.