Description of the contract
Summary
The Cyfarthfa Foundation wishes to appoint a consultant to undertake strategic planning and visioning for a new museum and visitor attraction at Cyfarthfa Park & Castle in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK.
Bidders will likely have experience of early-stage planning for a museum and/or visitor attraction transformation project.
Who we are
The Cyfarthfa Foundation (a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity) was established in 2021 to realise a 20-year vision for Cyfarthfa Park and Castle at Merthyr Tydfil.
We have a high-calibre, active board membership that draws expertise from finance, law, education, history, architecture, community development, local government, and the creative industries.
The Cyfarthfa Foundation aims to develop the castle and its 160-acre park into a major visitor destination of international quality with a future expansion to include the Cyfarthfa furnaces and landscape to make 250 acres. At the core of the Cyfarthfa Plan is a proposed radical overhaul of the Grade-1 listed castle, turning the current building, which is currently in poor condition, into a new museum and gallery of the highest quality.
The Cyfarthfa Foundation has already considered proposals for developing the art proposition at Cyfarthfa. The Foundation is now keen to further explore the story of Cyfarthfa as a museum which will also drive the vision for a new visitor offer across the wider site and with an ambition to attract a global audience.
History of Cyfarthfa
Merthyr Tydfil has been described as the crucible of the industrial revolution. One of several ironworks that developed in Merthyr, the importance of iron production at Cyfarthfa cannot be understated. Today, the Welsh capital city of Cardiff is known by many, but in the nineteenth century it was Merthyr grabbing attention as a hard-working, smoke-filled, social melting pot.
Cyfarthfa Park and Castle were built for one of the ‘ironmaster’ families, the Crawshays, but the castle itself was only ever lived in by the family for a short time. Gifted to the local authority, it became a museum and then a school, the latter closing a decade ago. Today, only 15% of the castle is occupied by a museum and gallery displaying a selection of its art and social history collections, while the rest of the building has fallen into severe disrepair.
In addition to the castle, the parkland and wider heritage area are extremely popular with local people for sport and leisure, as well as attracting a steady flow of visitors from further afield. The wider heritage area includes the remains of the 260-year-old Cyfarthfa ironworks furnaces, historic viaducts, tramways and bridges, as well as the Red House arts centre in the town centre and the historic synagogue.
Contract requirements
The consultant will work closely with Foundation staff, Board and selected stakeholders to help us define a vision for a new museum and visitor attraction. We are open to discussion about how best to do this and welcome challenge to our existing approach, but we anticipate the following:
1) Working with us to better understand the audiences and market (local; domestic; international) for a new museum and visitor attraction at Cyfarthfa.
2) Helping us to ‘find the story’ among the rich and varied narratives that surround Cyfarthfa.
3) Considering the spatial requirements and development options that will allow for first class display and visitor appeal.
4) Working with us to define resources and timeline for a capital development project at the castle (e.g., museum transformation).
Our pillars for sustainability - Excellence, Renewal, Pride, Opportunity - guide our ways of working and we hope the work will reflect the following:
Excellence
A new museum and visitor attraction will be informed by the best available expertise in scholarship, collections research, and curatorial approaches.
Renewal
A new museum and visitor attraction will reflect both the re-greening of the valleys post-industrialisation and the social renewal of our communities, both now and in the future.
Pride
A new museum and visitor attraction will reflect the strong sense of pride felt in the community and convey a confident sense of its place to the world.
Opportunity
A new museum and visitor attraction will maximise employment opportunities and create moments to learn and play for a range of ages and lifestyles.
Timescale and scoring
The Foundation requires delivery of the final report by the end of March 2024, with an interim report in January 2024.
Submissions will be reviewed against the following criteria:
40% = cost
30% = proposed methodology
20% = team portfolio and expertise
10% = references
Fee
Up to £60k (inclusive of VAT)
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