The Cyfarthfa Foundation opened its exhibition, Cyfarthfa: Past. Present. Future. at Cyfarthfa Museum and Art Gallery this January.
The exhibition presents a narrative that highlights the journey of the rich timeline of Cyfarthfa - its origins, recent history, present day and aspirations for the future.
From the geological foundations that shaped the industrial revolution to its role as a home, school, and cultural hub across the last two centuries, visitors will explore the global impact of Merthyr Tydfil’s iron industry, the everyday lives of those connected to the Castle, and the shared memories of school days, festivals and events that have taken place in the park, cementing its place at the heart of the community.
The exhibition also highlights the restoration plans being championed by the Cyfarthfa Foundation, blending historic preservation with bold creativity.
The Cyfarthfa Foundation is a charitable organisation championing the vision to transform Cyfarthfa Castle and Park at Merthyr Tydfil - a crucible of the industrial revolution - into a cultural centre and visitor attraction of international quality and an engine of social renewal.
Thanks to support from the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science at the University of South Wales, the exhibition includes an exclusive 360-degree scan of the interior areas of the castle which are currently closed to the public.
Guests can enjoy contemporary artwork that responds to the vibrant changes to come, including a newly commissioned artwork from Amanda Turner, a South Wales artist who was educated at Cyfarthfa Castle during it’s time as a school.
In 2025 Cyfarthfa Castle celebrates it’s bicentenary, and the exhibition forms part of Cyfarthfa200; a year-long celebration of events.
The Foundation’s exhibition also coincides with the arrival of its new Chief Executive, Jess Mahoney. Jess grew up in Merthyr Tydfil and previously worked as Head of Creative Cardiff, based at Cardiff University’s Centre for the Creative Economy.
Jess Mahoney said “I am thrilled to be joining the Cyfarthfa Foundation at this very exciting time to lead the realisation of a significant and ambitious future vision for Cyfarthfa Park and Castle. This exhibition is a fitting start to the bicentenary year: a timely opportunity to look back and celebrate the inspirational, globally-significant history of Merthyr Tydfil across the last two centuries, whilst also a moment to highlight the importance of investing now in our future aspirations for Cyfarthfa, and the work already being undertaken to champion its development and restoration.”
Dr Emmajane Mantle, Senior Lecturer in Built Environment as USW, was part of the University team which put together a number of pieces of visual content for the exhibition, including both a VR and computer-based walkthrough of the school.
“It was great to be involved in this project and to use our expertise to bring the site back to life – I don’t think they could believe how excited we were,” Dr Mantle said.
“It was a huge challenge from the start because we merged together hundreds of photos to create the walkthrough, then carried out a 3D laser scan with colleague Nathan Thomas, who also did a drone flight and created a 3D print of the castle, and used drones to get even more content to use in the display. We even produced a 3D model from the scans we did.
“Being able to use the expertise available at the University on this sort of project was a great experience, and I’m glad that this modern technology is able to give people an understanding of how the world looked two centuries ago.”
The exhibition has been made possible thanks to support from Cyfarthfa Museum and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, the University of South Wales, Merthyr’s Roots and funding from UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Cyfarthfa: Past. Present. Future. runs from 21st January to 31st March 2025. You can find out more about the exhibition and other events as part of the Cyfarthfa200 celebrations here.