If you’ve visited Cyfarthfa lately, you may have noticed a new logo cropping up across the site. This logo was recently created as part of a bigger package of work designed to promote Cyfarthfa as a key destination, and bond the activities of this historically significant landmark, naturally beautiful park and surrounding community.
Over the course of its 200-year past, from the days of the Crawshay family to the present time, Cyfarthfa has had many different icons, symbols, emblems and crests to represent both the family and the diverse uses of this renowned place.
The Crawshay Family
The Crawshay Family Coat of Arms was seen in Merthyr throughout the late 1800s, including on the front of the caps worn by the Cyfarthfa Brass Band. It features a bullmastiff standing over a pyramid of cannon balls, as Cyfarthfa loosely translates as ‘barking place’ and the family made their name in the iron industry. The crest also includes a plough, as Richard Crawshay’s family were originally farmers in Yorkshire. Also prominent in the logo is the word ‘Perseverance’ – symbolic of Richard’s drive to make Cyfarthfa ironworks one of the greatest in the world.
Twentieth Century
In the early 1900s, Cyfarthfa Castle and Park was acquired from the Crawshays by Merthyr Tydfil Council with the Weekly Mail reporting it being for ‘the purposes of public walks and pleasure grounds’ and declaring ‘Cyfarthfa Castle for Merthyr’. Subsequently part of the building became Cyfarthfa Castle Secondary School, then in 1945, Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School. In 1970 Cyfarthfa High School was formed by the amalgamation of Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School and Georgetown Secondary Modern School. The school crest again reflects Cyfarthfa’s interpretation as ‘place of the barking (dog)’.
Today the ground floor of the oldest section of the castle building houses the current museum and gallery, conveying the industrial history of Merthyr and displaying an art collection of more than 300 works by a wide range of artists. Since opening in 1910, the museum has had various logos featuring iconography linked to Cyfarthfa, including its familiar turreted silhouette, and even a pineapple!
This links back to the site’s famed horticultural activities: pineapples up to 6lbs in size were grown by the Crawshay's gardening team at The Pinery greenhouse on-site, and were considered to be popular with the family, who often used them as displays of wealth and extravagance to their guests.
Modern Day
In 2010 it was recommended that a new signage and orientation scheme should be introduced for Cyfarthfa. This would adopt the traditional ‘Crawshay’ colour scheme of forest green and gold , and develop a logo that symbolises both the castle and park. This is the design most people will be familiar with today.
Kelly Powell, Museum Manager at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Gallery reflects on some of the symbols and images that have featured throughout Cyfarthfa’s past: “Cyfarthfa has always been more than a castle, museum, or park – it is a place woven into the story of Merthyr Tydfil. Having worked here for 24 years, I have seen how each generation leaves its mark through the various symbols and logos that represent the site’s rich history. They serve as visual reminders of our shared heritage, while helping new audiences connect with Cyfarthfa’s past, present, and future, ensuring its legacy remains visible and relevant for future generations.”
Following the success of Cyfarthfa’s bicentenary year in 2025, a new logo for Cyfarthfa has been established. The Cyfarthfa Foundation worked with South Wales agency Limegreentangerine, with input from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Cyfarthfa Community Forum and Cyfarthfa Park Forum to develop a new destination brand that draws on the history of the site whilst looking forward to its future.
Keeping with the forest green theme, the new logo represents the history, nature and community of Cyfarthfa. Inspired by the castle’s shape, its beams are representative of Cyfarthfa’s central role in ironmaking as it casts a watchful eye from the top of the valley. Its mirrored form represents past and future, whilst the design can be seen as unifying multiple themes as one: mimicking a butterfly to symbolise nature, a sunrise to represent a ‘new dawn’, and also a ‘crown’ (Cyfarthfa, famously being the ‘jewel’ in Merthyr’s). It can now be seen appearing throughout Cyfarthfa Park and Castle, including on new signage around the park, and we are excited to roll this out further. The branding is designed to be memorable, impactful and celebratory, and can be adopted by other organisations based on the park to celebrate Cyfarthfa.
Alex Down, Creative Director at Limegreentangerine said “We’re really pleased to see the new Cyfarthfa brand in the world. We hope it will bring fresh energy to the castle and help more people connect, and reconnect, with its remarkable story. It shows the difference that thoughtful, heritage-led design can make in celebrating such an important place, find new audiences and ensure a storied history of this significance gets the recognition it deserves.”
Do you have any more details or memories on previous icons, crests, coats of arms or logos used at Cyfarthfa? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at info@cyfarthfafoundation.wales