Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery will temporarily close on Monday, 1st November 2010 for a major refurbishment to the ground floor facilities.
A £320,000 grant has been awarded to Cyfarthfa Museum & Art Gallery by the Heads of the Valleys fund, which will primarily be used to improve the interpretation of the galleries, as well as carry out repairs to the structure.
Among the objects on display will be a bronze age dagger from Cefn Cilsanws (the oldest known item from Merthyr Tydfil in the collection), dresses by Julien MacDonald and Laura Ashley, Robert Thompson Crawshay’s early photographs of family life, the first steam whistle in the world and an ancient Egyptian mummy head.
In this, its centenary year, the museum has enjoyed great success and has been home to some fascinating exhibitions. In August 14,782 came to see the ‘Turner & Penry Williams’ exhibition; the second busiest month on record in the entire history of the museum.
It is hoped that the improvements to the facilities will create a strong foundation for the museum in order to continue to tell the story of Merthyr Tydfil for another 100 years and beyond.
During the refurbishment, visitor enquiries can be directed to Canolfan Cyfarthfa, the newly built visitor centre in the grounds of Cyfarthfa Park, which is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and from Noon to 4pm on Weekends. For those visitors who usually enjoy the museum’s Tea Rooms, the Canolfan Cyfarthfa Cafe will be open for refreshments and light snacks between 11am and 4pm daily.
For further information contact Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery on (01685) 723112 or visit www.museums.merthyr.gov.uk
