Staging
Centuries-old churches, remains of a Norman castle, tangible reminders of history-making events and industrial and engineering firsts - and nature in all its glory, preserved and enhanced for today’s visitor… Merthyr Tydfil has an almost infinite number of places of interest.
Morlais Castle Aerial Image Credit: Paul R Davies www.ecastles.co.uk
The beautiful Pontsticill Reservoir, originally Taff Fechan Reservoir, was opened in 1927 to supply water to much of the South Wales Valleys.
The 110ft high embankment is holding back 15,400 megalitres of water.
The reservoir is popular with sailors …
The Cyfarthfa Works were, for a generation at the beginning of the 19th century, the largest ironwork in the world and the source of great wealth to its owners, the Crawshays.
The impressive remains that can still be seen are of six massive blast fur…
Built in the 1790's to carry water from a weir across the Afon Taf to Cyfarthfa Ironworks.
The Cyfarthfa Leat is an old watercourse, running approximately 1000m from its source on the banks of the Taff Fechan to Cyfarthfa Lake and was originally buil…
The viaduct is the third largest in Wales and is now a Grade II listed building. It was designed by Alexander Sutherland in conjunction with Henry Conybeare and partly built by Thomas Savin and John Ward. In early 1866, the project faced disaster whe…
The Pontsarn Viaduct was built in the 1860’s to carry the Brecon and Merthyr Railway over the river was designed and built by Savin and Ward and their engineer Alexander Sunderland (as was the Cefn viaduct).
It has 7 spans and is an historic listed s…
On the 21st February 1804, Merthyr witnessed the first ever steam locomotive journey, as Richard Trevithick’s ‘Pendydarren Locomotive’ travelled down through Pentrebach and on to Abercynon.
Trevithick is largely overlooked as the creator of the World…
South Wales played an important part in the development of structural cast-iron. Here in Cyfarthfa one such cast-iron structure is significant, not only for its innovative design and that it carried both a tramroad and water troughs, but because it i…
This Grade II listed hump back bridge over the River Taff has links as far back as the 1540’s.
The current incarnation was assembled in 1811 with attractive Pennant Sandstone and is well worth a visit. If you do so between May and September the nearb…
Taf Fechan SSSI
The nature reserve is a 2.5km stretch of dramatic wooded limestone gorge cut by the River Taf Fechan, between the bridges of Pontsarn and Cefn Coed to the North of Merthyr Tydfil.
It lies adjacent to the eastern side of the popular Ta…
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is custodian to 619 hectares of publicly owned open space. We believe it is important to look after, protect, and develop our parks and public open spaces ranging from Cyfarthfa Park to our small playgrounds and …
Overlooking Trefechan are the remains of Morlais Castle.
It was originally built around 1270 by the Earl of Gloucester and Lord of Glamorgan, Gilbert de Clare, on land claimed by Humphrey de Bohun - This dispute culminated in the Battle of Maesvaynor…
Travel to the remote hillside near Pontsticill to St Gwynno's Church (better known as Vaynor Church), and you’ll find the grave of Merthyr Tydfil ironmaster Robert Thompson Crawshay, who had the original St Gwynno’s rebuilt in 1870 after the original…
Despite at first glance appearing deserted there is more to Gelligaer than meets the eye – its complex history of fact and legend has left interesting Roman and Medieval remains. Among its gems are the interesting Roman and Medieval remains, a megali…
Located in the south of the Brecon Beacons, this stunning landscape amongst the rolling hills frames both Pen-twyn (Dol-y-gaer) and Taf Fechan (Pontsticill) Reservoirs.
It’s steeped in history with an Iron Age hillfort and Bronze Age barrow amongst …
Penywern, built in 1839, was initially the main barracks for soldiers stationed to keep the peace in Merthyr Tydfil after the 1831 Merthyr Rising. It was owned by the Dowlais Iron Company which used the reservoirs and ponds to feed water to the Dowla…
This viaduct, near Treharris, to the southeast of Quakers Yard Station, runs over the River Taff. Constructed as part of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s single-track Taff Vale Railway it connected Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff docks. It and opened in 1841.
Thi…
Immediately opposite the entrance gates to Cyfarthfa Castle, the farm was built in 1816 and then the clock tower was added in 1856. The original clock had three faces with one facing Cyfarthfa Ironworks. It was built soon af…
The lower end of Merthyr Tydfil High Street at Gilar Street was redeveloped in 2013 as an events space framing both St Tydfil’s Church and the Robert and Lucy Thomas Memorial Fountain.
It was renamed Llys Janice Rowland…
High above the A470 to the north of Quaker’s Yard, the Giant’s Bite is a dramatic gap in the skyline quarried from the ridge top at the former Cefn Glas mine and quarry.
The site was intensively grazed up to the mid-1990s when a large belt of native…
The Vale of Neath Railway was begun in 1847 to link Merthyr Tydfil with the ports of Neath and Swansea and was completed to Merthyr in 1853. The engineer for the railway was Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859). The ‘Rhydycar Skew Bridge’ carried the …
Pontmorlais
The Heritage Quarter was once the town’s bustling focal point.
“Pontmorlais has a rich built heritage which bears testimony to the town’s past industrial wealth. Created between the mid-18th and early 20th centuries, the area contains m…
Blue Pool (Pwll Glas) at Cwm Glais
Adjacent to the Taff Trail below the Pontsarn Viaduct close to Morlais Castle is the Taf Fechan Gorge. This, the most scenic section, is protected as part of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Taf Fechan Nature Reser…
Garwnant Visitor Centre
Situated just off the A470, five miles north of Merthyr Tydfil, Garwnant Visitor Centre sits in the heart of the beautiful Fforest Fawr and is the starting point for walking trails, mountain biking routes for junior riders an…
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