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Cyfarthfa Ironworks

<Click on photographs to enlarge>

 

  Anthony Bacon started Iron production at Cyfarthfa in 1765. Richard Crawshay

  leased the works from Bacon's family in 1786, and in 1794 became the sole 

  owner. In 1803 he employed 1,500 people and Cyfarthfa Ironworks was said 

  to be the biggest in the world. 

 

  Richard Crawshay died in 1810, and the works passed to his son William 

  Crawshay. who appointed his son William II as manager, he took the works 

  to it's  greatest production  levels,  and  made many  improvements and  

  developments. His son  Robert Thompson Crawshay  took over in  1847.  

  Robert's  refusal to change  to  Steel production ( Steel was becoming a more 

  popular metal ),  eventually brought  about the works closure in April 1874. 

 

  Following Robert's death in 1879,  the  works  was  converted to a Steel 

  production plant,  by his son William Thompson Crawshay, at  a cost of  

  £150,000, and reopened  in 1882. It  again closed in 1910. In 1915 it  

  was reopened to produce pig iron and shell steel during  the Great War. 

 

  It finally closed forever in 1919. Dismantling was commenced in 1928.

 
 

A Cyfarthfa and Hirwaun One Guinea Note.

 
Anthony Bacon's Mantelpiece.

 

Cyfarthfa Works from the Air - circa 1920.

(Photograph courtesy of Gill Thomas)
   

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How a Blast Furnace in works.

Cyfarthfa Works 

CyfarthaWorks_web.jpg (107062 bytes)

Cyfarthfa Ironworks

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Blast Furnaces- 1881 During reconstruction 

Cyfartha Ironworks was originally driven by water, this was one of the supplies of water.

The weir shown here is on the Taff Fawr, just below Cefn Viaduct, where the water entered a 

Leat or channel (parts of which remain, and can still be seen today), to travel down to the works. 

This was constructed by Charles Wood,  who was contracted to build the furnaces in 1767.

Cyfarthfa_leat.JPG (109055 bytes)

Pont y Cafnau Bridge, showing the water supply from the Cyfarthfa Lake joining the water supply from 

the Taff Fawr Leat. These waters were used to turn the Water Wheels and later to feed the boilers which 

worked the Blast Engines.

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On top of the Blast Furnaces.

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Blast Furnaces 1896     

Cyfarthfa_BlastFurnaces_1896.JPG (3033953 bytes)
 
The Blast furnaces circa 1890.

 
Cyfarthfa Blast Furnaces.

 

Cyfarthfa Works 1894      

Cyfarthfa_BlastFurnaces_1894.jpg (181744 bytes)

In 1802 Nelson made a surprise visit to Cyfarthfa, it is said that 

Richard Crawshay cried with joy, and announced to the workmen,

 "This is Nelson, shout you Beggars!"
Cyfarthfa Works.

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Cyfarhfa_Engine.JPG (114461 bytes)
A  Group  Of Mill-Wrights With A Pipe Screwing Outfit.

Cyfarthfa_Works_GroupOfMillWrightsWithAPipeScrewingOutfit.JPG (138688 bytes)
Casting the Ingot Rail Loading benches

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Cyfarthfa_Works_LoadingBenches_.JPG (166706 bytes)
Castle Rolling Mill Charging the Bessemer Converter

Cyfarthfa_Works_CastleMill_MainDriveOnBottomRoll-FlexibleDriveOnTop.JPG (116271 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_ChargingTheBessemerConverter.JPG (199083 bytes)
Bessemer Coverter - Blowing a Cast Tapping the Cuppola.
Cyfarthfa_Works_CuppolaBeingTapped.JPG (210179 bytes)
   
Pandy Roughing Mill

Transporting the Ingot.

Cyfarthfa_Works_RoughingMillPandyMillOlderMill.jpg.JPG (119324 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_TransportingTheIngot.JPG (138261 bytes)
Engine No 14  with the Ingot Moulds.  

Cyfarthfa_Works_EngineNo14-Cyfarthfa_.JPG (112966 bytes)

 
Cyfarthfa Works C1883. by photographer Edgar Williams of 98 Brecon Road.

Cyfarthfa_Works_C1883_EdgarWilliams98breconRoad_2.JPG (187796 bytes)

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The Cam end of a  Mechanical Hammer.

The cam is rotated by the giant wheels which are driven by the Waterwheels. The

cam hits the arm of the hammer which in turn forces the hammer down to hit the

the iron being worked in the forge.

 
"Cyfarthfa"

Cyfarthfa_Cyfarthfa.JPG (188062 bytes)
"Cyfarthfa" - built August 1870, bought by the Crawshay Brothers in 1897.

Cyfarthfa_BuiltAugust1870_Sold1897ToCrawshayBros.JPG (181904 bytes)
 
Another locomotive bearing the name "Cyfarthfa".

Carpenter's Shop, 

Originally built as Robert Crawshay's Private Chapel. "The Chapel Of Ease"

To the right is Chapel Row, and in the top left Brychan Place, Brecon Road. Part of this This building exists

to this day.

Cyfarthfa_Works_CarpentersShopBuiltAsChapel.JPG (165110 bytes)
Cyfarthfa Works, In it's Prime.

Cyfarthfa_IronWorks_.JPG (150457 bytes)
Cyfarthfa Works, In it's Decay.

Cyfarthfa_Works_2.JPG (177754 bytes)
Cyfarthfa Works, now derelict, looking from Pwll Wat

Cyfarthfa_Works_LookingFromPwllWat.JPG (140266 bytes)
The Ruins.

 
  Cyfarthfa_Works_.JPG (153837 bytes)  

 

Home Crane

The Raw Material Store bunkers.

Cyfarthfa_Works_HomeCraneNearFittingShop.JPG (143487 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_TheRawMaterialStoreBunkers.JPG (186350 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_TheRawMaterialStoreBunkers_2.JPG (183469 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_TheRuins.JPG (171250 bytes)

Site of the Coke Ovens.

Overshot Water Wheel, near upper forge.

Cyfarthfa_Works_SiteOfThecokeOvens.JPG (140718 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_OvershotWaterWheel_NearUpperForge.JPG (170685 bytes)

Old Waterway Crossing. Old Waterway Switch.

Cyfarthfa_Works_RelicOfWaterPowerDays_UnderRoadCrossing.JPG (180394 bytes)

Cyfarthfa_Works_RelicOfWaterPowerDays_WaterSwitch.JPG (170932 bytes)
Blast Furnaces

Pont y Cafnau Bridge and the Hydro-Electric Station

           The bridge is believed to date from 1793. Pont y Cafnau (Bridge of Troughs) was

           built to carry the tramroad to the Gurnos limestone quarries and to take domestic coal

           to Cyfarthfa Castle. The Hydro Electric Station generated the electricity for the Merthyr

           Electric Traction Company to power the Merthyr Tramcars.

HydroElectricStation.JPG (746310 bytes)
From the Merthyr Express, January 26th 1926. (Courtesy of Peter Rogers)

Cyfarthfa_MEClipJan-9-1926_ThePassingOfCyfarthfa_PeterRogers.JPG (65223 bytes)
 

The site of the Cyfarthfa Works in 1951.

With Lines Bros in the distance and a Circus in the Park.

 
Hoover Transport occupied the site for a number years.

 

Turbine Generators on the River Taff at Cyfarthfa.

Any information on these turbines would be appreciated.

Do you have any photographs of  Cyfarthfa Ironworks?