Crawshay’s castle and ironworks also stand as a proud symbol for Merthyr Tydfil’s other vanished ironworks and their masters – the Guests at Dowlais, the Homfrays at Penydarren and Anthony Bacon at the Plymouth works. Together, and with important other iron works in neighbouring valleys, they propelled Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and Britain onto the global stage.
History
“The past – an instrument with which a present can build a future”
Merthyr Tydfil is a small town with a big story: a story that helped shape the modern world. It is a place of pioneering technological, industrial, political, social, cultural and environmental change. Its rich history deserves to be properly commemorated and retold today, offering valuable lessons for our future and inspiring the community's modern reinvention.
At Merthyr Tydfil’s heart are the dramatic relics of furnaces built 250 years ago, together with Cyfarthfa Castle - the jewel in Merthyr’s crown - built in 1825 for ironmaster William Crawshay II, which sits in a beautiful 160-acre park.
At their peak the ironworks of Merthyr Tydfil (Cyfarthfa, Dowlais, Plymouth and Penydarren) produced more iron than anywhere else on earth. The communities of people working here provided cannon for Nelson’s navy as well as the new railways across Europe. Their workmen also provided skills that launched other ironworks in Russia, France and America.
We aim to celebrate this history by creating at Cyfarthfa a modern museum and gallery commemorating the past, addressing the present and looking to the future – all set in an expansive, high-quality parkland.
This project is about:
- Celebrating Merthyr’s history, heritage, and art.
- Fixing and protecting the local natural environment.
- Creating a space for community projects and new opportunities.
Our goal is to make Cyfarthfa a world-class destination for culture and heritage.
Image: 'Cyfarthfa Steelworks at Dusk' by Thomas Prytherch and part of the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art galleries collection.
Cyfarthfa today
Cyfarthfa Castle is a Grade I listed building. It was built in two parts: the original castle in 1825 and, almost 100 years later, school buildings custom built for Cyfarthfa High School following the transfer of ownership from the Crawshay family to the Council.
The school left the building in 2014 and this part has lain empty ever since. Over 80% of the building is currently inaccessible to the public. The elements have taken their toll. Urgent interventions are needed.
The ground floor of the 1825 section of the castle houses the current museum and gallery conveying the industrial history of Merthyr and displaying an impressive art collection of more than 300 works by a wide range of artists.
