Cyfarthfa Castle was built in 1825 by William Crawshay. It cost £30,000 and was home to the Crawshay’s until 1889. Merthyr Tydfil Corporation bought it in 1909, and it was turned into a school and museum.
Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Tydfil. Image: Christopher Tipping
I met with Kelly Powell – acting Museums Officer, Benjamin Price – Education and Interpretation Officer, Chris Parry – Community Officer and Michelle Lewis – Community Officer.
Images taken from a Cabinet of Iron samples manufactured by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, on display at the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Gallery. Images by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & GalleryImages taken from a Cabinet of Iron samples manufactured by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, on display at the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Gallery. Images by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & GalleryImage taken from a Cabinet of Iron & steel samples manufactured by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, on display at the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Gallery. Images by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & GalleryImage: A Cabinet of Iron samples manufactured by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, on display at the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Gallery. Images by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & GalleryImage taken from a Cabinet of Iron & steel samples manufactured by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, on display at the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Gallery. Image by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Gallery
Samples such as these by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, were made for no other reason that to illustrate and show off the skills of the workers in manipulating iron and steel. Many, if not all of these samples were bent cold !
On 27th June 1912, King George V and Queen Mary visited Dowlais Ironworks. A spectactular steel archway – the ‘Goat Mill Arch’, had been erected for the occasion, & decorated with many locally made manufactured steel components, very similar to, if not the same as those on display in the Castle Museum.
Image of the Royal Visit to Dowlais in 1912 and the Goat Mill Arch by permission of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & GalleryImage: Detail of the Royal Visit to Dowlais in 1912 and the steel Goat Mill Arch erected to mark the occasion. Image by permission of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/
During the same Royal Visit, a triumphant arch of locally mined coal had been erected. It had formed an entrance into Dowlais House, the former home of ironmaster John Josiah Guest and Lady Charlotte Guest, translator of the Mabinogion.
The Coal Arch – erected for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1912. Image by permission of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/The Coal Arch was still standing in 1956, when a decision was made to demolish the structure. Image by permission of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/
