Cyfarthfa Castle is the former home of the Crawshay family, historical ironmaster

Ironmaster

An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....

s of Cyfarthfa Ironworks

Cyfarthfa Ironworks

The Cyfarthfa Ironworks was a major 18th century and 19th century ironworks located in Cyfarthfa, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales.-The beginning:...

 in Park

Park, Merthyr Tydfil

Park is a community of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. As of 2001, it has a population of 4307.Park has several notable landmarks, but its most notable is Cyfarthfa Castle, which dominates the community....

, Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. Despite appearing superficially to be a fortified building it is a house built in the style of a large mansion. The castle stands in 158 acre (0.63940388 km²) of parkland, now called Cyfarthfa Park and maintained by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is the governing body for Merthyr Tydfil, one of the Principal Areas of Wales.-Political makeup:Elections take place every four years. The last election was 1 May 2008.- Current composition :-Electoral divisions:...

.

History

It was designed in 1824 by the architect Robert Lugar

Robert Lugar

Robert Lugar , was an English architect and engineer in the Industrial Revolution.Although born in Colchester, England, Lugar carried out much of his most important work in Scotland and Wales, where he was employed by several leading industrialists to design grand houses such as Balloch Castle and...

 for William Crawshay II

William Crawshay II

William Crawshay II was the son of William Crawshay I, the owner of Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales....

, and built at a cost of approximately £30,000 using locally quarried stone. The Crawshays lived in the house until 1889. The castle was sold in 1908 to the local council, who were initially unsure as to what purpose it should be put. Eventually, they decided to use part of the ground floor for a museum, which still operates. The rest of the building became a secondary school, and it was opened in 1913, operating as separate boys` and girls` schools. In 1945, they amalgamated, and in accordance with the then government policy the school was redesignated as a Grammar school

Grammar school

A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...

 under the name of Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School. It became a comprehensive school

Comprehensive school

A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

 in 1970, under the name Cyfarthfa High School

Cyfarthfa High School

Cyfarthfa High School is a comprehensive school, based in the town and borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, that was established in 1970. Cyfarthfa means "Place of the barking " in Welsh and the school crest reflects this.- Origins :...

 and is due to close as a comprehensive school in 2012.

Events

On 30 June 2007, Donny Osmond

Donny Osmond

Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...

, who traces his family history to Merthyr Tydfil, performed the 'Donny Comes Home' concert in the park grounds. The concert was attended by 15,000 people despite unseasonal heavy rain.

On 26 July 2008, Status Quo performed in the park grounds.

External links

• Old Merthyr Tydfil: Cyfarthfa Castle & The Park - Historical Photographs of Cyfarthfa Castle & Cyfarthfa Park.
• Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council
• Panoramic views of the castle
• Photos and images of the Crawshay family held on Gathering the Jewels