The summer months bring a different kind of energy to Cyfarthfa. With the park open until later into the evening, distinct waves of visitors arrive throughout the day, each bringing their own rhythm to the site.
There are the early-bird dog walkers and joggers greeting the sunrise, families and young people cooling off in the Splash Pad during the heat of the day, and visitors exploring the museum and gallery to discover Merthyr's rich heritage or enjoy the current exhibition of contemporary Welsh painting. Across the park, sporting competitions take place on the tennis courts and 5-a-side pitch, while artists and makers get creative at the Oriel Bothy Gallery. As evening falls, the atmosphere shifts again, with picnics spread across the grassy Pandy and lakeside fields, romantic walks around the lake at sunset, woodland adventures at dusk, and even friends catching up over a cold beverage.
A place to be proud of
These daily rhythms are a reminder of Cyfarthfa's importance not only as a place for culture and heritage, but also for health and wellbeing, education, leisure, sport and enjoying the natural environment. As Merthyr’s largest public park, it has been a thriving community focal point for over 120 years, helping strengthen cohesion and build pride in place.
In line with this, whilst the main focus of The Cyfarthfa Plan is the park and castle, it also proposes numerous projects outside of the park boundary. These include: enhanced wayfinding and pedestrian access, creative studios and workshops in the town centre, new performance spaces, urban ‘living rooms’ and park facilities.
It's been wonderful to see that vision already beginning to take shape, with children and families enjoying the new town centre playground, inspired by Cyfarthfa Castle and located beside the Cyfarthfa200 mural. Its delivery by Merthyr Tydfil Council is a great example of how investment in Cyfarthfa can strengthen the relationship between the park and town centre for reciprocal benefit, while delivering lasting benefits for the local community.
The year ahead
Redeveloping a complex, 200-year-old building is no mean feat, and following the disappointing news that our National Lottery Heritage Fund application, submitted in partnership with Merthyr Tydfil Council in February, was not progressed during this round, we are pleased to have received positive feedback on the significance of the heritage and support for the future plans for the building. This application was a substantial piece of work with over 600 pages including: detailed architectural plans for the castle, surveys, business modelling, community-focused activity plans, initial interpretation plans and numerous letters of support. The Foundation team and Council officers are now working closely together to strengthen the application ahead of a planned resubmission.
2025 was a fantastic year celebrating Cyfarthfa’s bicentenary. You can take a look at our 25/26 Annual Review document to read more about the achievements of this wonderful milestone.
After a year spent celebrating Cyfarthfa's 200th birthday, a recent visit by Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Derek Walker, and his team provided a welcome opportunity to look ahead.
Whilst The Cyfarthfa Plan sets out a generational 20-30 year vision, the ultimate goal is to ensure that Cyfarthfa endures far longer than that, for the next 200 years, and beyond. The discussions with the Future Generations team focused not only on the future of the castle, but on the role Cyfarthfa can play in supporting a confident, inclusive and sustainable Wales of the future. We look forward to continuing our conversations with the Future Generations Commission, strengthening partnerships, and turning that long-term vision into reality.
Before then, we're excited to the community to Cyfarthfa for our outdoor cinema nights on 11 and 12 September. We hope you'll join us for what promises to be a fantastic way to round off the summer. Tickets are available here.