Cyfarthfa Castle
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Cyfarthfa Castle is the former home of the iron-masters of Merthyr Tydfil.
It is not a fortified building, but a house built in the style of a large mansion, originally designed in 1824 by the architect Robert Lugar for William Crawshay II, master of the Cyfarthfa Ironworks. It stands in 158 acres of parkland.
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 current government policy, the school was redesignated as a “Grammar school”, under the name of Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School. It became a Comprehensive School in 1970, under the name Cyfarthfa High School.
