Cyfarthfa Castle will be celebrating its 200th birthday in 2025, and to commemorate this occasion the Cyfarthfa Foundation has been working in partnership with Merthyr's Roots and the Education Team at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery, to deliver ‘Then & Now’ educational workshops to primary schools.
The workshops, already attended by over 620 primary school children from across Merthyr Tydfil, highlight how Cyfarthfa was shaped by both the people of Merthyr and the natural world, and emphasises the importance of Cyfarthfa to Wales and beyond.
The children spend half of the day with the museum team where they get hands on with objects, photographs and artwork that tell the story of Cyfarthfa Castle & Park. All attendees are given a sketchbook and are encouraged to draw things that inspire or interest them throughout the day. This interactive session allows the young people to learn about the 200 years of Cyfarthfa’s history.
Students also spend time learning about 19th century horticulture with Merthyr’s Roots, both around the park and in the greenhouses. The young people learn about the history of the park and its botany and are encouraged to draw in their sketchbooks things such as pineapples (that were grown here in the 19th century), wax rubbings of ferns and recreating the pattern on custard creams.
In the afternoon, the children take part in a session about the environment and landscape, creating 3D maps of what Merthyr would have looked like through different periods of time.
The interactive sessions are designed to align with the Curriculum for Wales and enhance the children’s learning with experiences outside of the classroom.
The sessions have been independently evaluated by Museum Consultant, Robin Johnson, who said: “There was a palpable sense of excitement in the room from the children throughout the session and a tangible sense of pride in the area. This enthusiasm continued when the group visited the museum galleries where the drawing in the sketchbooks gave a sense of purpose and focus to that part of the session.”
“The group work I observed was outstanding, both in terms of interactions between the children on the tables, but also in the feedback element of the workshop where children confidently explained to the rest of the class the objects that they had been examining.”
The workshops have been well attended and feedback from students and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. Workshops are still available before the end of the school year in July 2024 to Year 4 classes in Merthyr Tydfil schools. If your class haven’t already attended please click here to book your place.