University tech experts give visitors a look at Castle’s inside story

Experts at the University of South Wales (USW) have helped to deliver virtual access to an inaccessible area of one of the region’s most historic sites as part of an exhibition marking its bicentenary.

Opening this month, The Cyfarthfa Foundation’s exhibition - Cyfarthfa: Past. Present. Future – which is being hosted at Cyfarthfa Museum and Art Gallery in Merthyr Tydfil - presents a narrative which highlights the rich timeline of the site.

These range from the geological foundations which shaped the Industrial Revolution, to its role as a home, school, and cultural hub, across the past two centuries.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able 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.

As part of the exhibition, experts from USW’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science have produced an exclusive 360-degree scan of the interior areas of the castle which are currently closed to the public.

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.”

As part of the exhibition – which forms part of the year-long Cyfarthfa200 celebration - guests can also enjoy contemporary artwork which 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 its time as a school.

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.

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.”

The exhibition has been made possible thanks to support from Cyfarthfa Museum and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, USW, Merthyr’s Roots, and funding from UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.