Not all these items are on general display. Please contact the museum if there is a particular collection you would like to view.

Fine Art

We have a wonderful fine art collection which is housed at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum. Works include early works of industrial Merthyr Tydfil by artists such as Penry Williams and Ibbetson. The collection includes painters who exhibited at the Royal Academy such as Collingwood Smith and Burne Jones. We also have a very fine collection of 20th century art, with names such as Esther Grainger, Cedric Morris, Kyffin Williams, and Curnow Vosper.

Ceramics

Our collection of ceramics is quite extensive with examples of local producers such as Swansea and Nantgarw, alongside Royal Worcester, Derby, Wedgwood and Chelsea to name but a few.

Textiles

We have a small collection of costume covering mainly women's wear of the Victorian era, with some items from this century. We also have a collection of samplers, and household textiles such as quilts.

Ethnography

We have a broad and varied collection of items from around the world, notably Africa, The Orient, Indonesia and Egypt. These were collected by Edwardian and Victorian travellers fascinated by other cultures.

Social History

The social history of the town is one of the most popular areas of interest to visitors. Our collections include items relating to the Crawshay family, industrial items from the Cyfarthfa and Dowlais works, coal mining, and modern day industries; religious items collected from various religious establishments in the area; and domestic items from the last century. This collection also includes the Joseph Parry memorabilia displayed at Joseph Parry's Cottage.

Natural History

A small collection of natural history has been built up mainly over the first half of the 20th century. The collection includes eggs, shells, some insects, and a collection of birds.

Archaeology

A small collection of local archaeology is kept at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum including finds from Penydarren Roman Fort and axe heads and flints.

Coins

The coin collection is modest, including examples of local tokens, and coins from British history, not necessarily collected locally.

Re-production / Copyright

Cyfarthfa Museum has a wonderful collection, which is often in demand from other institutions for reproduction in exhibitions, publications and on TV programmes. The museum charges a copyright fee for the use of any images.