Craig-y-Nos Castle facts for kids
| Craig-y-nos Castle | |
Quick facts for kids  Craig-y-nos Castle in 2011 |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
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| Location | Swansea Valley, Powys, Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°49′30.00″N 3°41′03.00″W / 51.8250000°N 3.6841667°W |
Craig-y-nos Castle (meaning "Rock of the Night" in English) is a grand Victorian-Gothic country house in Powys, Wales, United Kingdom. It was built on beautiful parkland next to the River Tawe in the upper Swansea Valley. You can find it on the edge of the Black Mountain.
This historic castle was once owned by the famous opera singer Adelina Patti. Today, it is a boutique hotel and a popular place for events and conferences. The lovely grounds around the castle are now a country park, managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.
Contents
History of Craig-y-nos Castle
Early Owners of the Castle
The Powell Family's Time
The main part of Craig-y-nos Castle was built between 1841 and 1843. It was constructed by Captain Rice Davies Powell. He became an important local judge and a High Sheriff of Brecknock.
Sadly, his family experienced many losses during their time at the castle. Captain Powell himself passed away in 1862. His eldest daughter, Sarah, then inherited the estate. She later sold the property in 1876.
Morgan Morgan Buys the Estate
After being managed by the Chancery court, the estate was bought by Morgan Morgan of Abercrave. He paid £6,000 for it in 1876. Mr. Morgan, along with his son (also named Morgan Morgan) and their families, lived together in the castle for several years.
The family cleared a large area of old fir trees that stood between the castle and nearby quarries. These trees were said to be home to a group of red squirrels.
Adelina Patti's Era at Craig-y-nos
In 1878, the world-famous opera singer Adelina Patti bought Craig-y-nos Castle and its parkland for £3,500. She wanted to turn it into her own private estate. Patti was a prima donna, meaning a leading female singer, and had an amazing career.
She spent most of her life at Craig-y-nos. She only left to sing in the best opera houses in Europe and to tour the United States. Her beautiful soprano voice captivated audiences worldwide.
After her second marriage to French tenor Ernesto Nicolini, Patti started a big building project at the castle. She added new wings, a clock tower, a conservatory, a winter garden, and her own private theatre. After her last public performance in 1914, she lived quietly at Craig-y-nos with her third husband and loyal staff.
Adelina Patti's Private Theatre
The Adelina Patti Theatre is a very special place. It is a Grade I listed opera house, meaning it's considered extremely important. Patti had it built as her own private auditorium. It was designed by architects Bucknall and Jennings from Swansea, with help from Sir Henry Irving.
Patti wanted her theatre to be a smaller version of La Scala in Milan. It also has features from other famous opera houses, like Wagner's Bayreuth Festspielhaus and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.
The auditorium is about 40 feet (12 meters) long, 26 feet (8 meters) wide, and 24 feet (7 meters) high. It was originally decorated in pale blue, cream, and gold. Ten Corinthian columns support the ceiling. Between these columns are the names of famous composers like Mozart, Verdi, and Rossini. Patti's own monogram is also featured.
The stage had blue silk curtains and a backdrop showing Patti riding a chariot. The floor of the auditorium was very clever. It could be raised to be flat for use as a ballroom or sloped towards the stage for theatre performances. The theatre also had an organ, which Patti received as a gift in the United States. This organ was removed in the 1920s when the castle became a hospital.
The theatre could seat 150 people. At the back, there was a gallery where the castle staff could sit and enjoy the shows. The orchestra pit, separated by a railing, could hold up to 24 musicians.
The theatre officially opened on July 12, 1891. Guests included important people like the Spanish Ambassador and the founder of Reuters news agency. Journalists from around the world also attended. Patti herself performed, singing parts from famous operas like La traviata and Faust. A large party followed, with lots of champagne consumed.
Today, the theatre is like a time capsule. Its stage equipment is probably the only original 19th-century backstage setup still existing. The opera house is now used for weddings.
The Winter Garden at Craig-y-nos
The winter garden was a large, glass building with a high roof. Patti would walk here with her guests among tropical plants, while exotic birds flew around.
Two beautiful wrought iron water fountains, shaped like cranes, were made by a local ironworker named Mr. Crane. Their colorful feathers reflected rainbow light from the falling water, charming everyone who saw them.
During World War I in 1918, Patti gave her winter garden to the people of Swansea. It became the Patti Pavilion and has been restored several times since. One of the crane fountains is now in front of the castle, and the other is at Swansea University.
Early Electricity at the Castle
Craig-y-nos was likely the first private house in Wales to have electricity. The first in the UK was Cragside in Northumberland in 1880, just a year after Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb.
An Otto engine on the grounds generated 110 volts of DC power. This power was sent through bare copper wires to Swan lamps throughout the castle. It also powered an electrically operated Welte Concert Orchestrion, a musical instrument, in the billiards room. This system was installed before Patti's second husband, Nicolini, died in 1898.
Transport Links for Patti
Adelina Patti helped fund the Neath and Brecon Railway's Craig-y-nos railway station. A private road was built from the castle to the station, where Patti had her own luxurious waiting room. In return, the railway provided Patti with her own private railway carriage. She could ask for it to be attached to any train, allowing her to travel anywhere in the United Kingdom.
At the start of the 20th century, Patti owned one of the first motor cars in Wales. It's said she even raced a local doctor from Swansea to Abercrave for a small bet!
Craig-y-nos as a Tuberculosis Hospital
After Adelina Patti passed away in 1919, the castle and its grounds were sold in March 1921 for £11,000. It was bought by the Welsh National Memorial Trust, an organization created to fight tuberculosis (TB) in Wales.
The castle was rebuilt as a sanatorium (a hospital for long-term illnesses) and named the Adelina Patti Hospital. It welcomed its first patients in August 1922. In 1947, children at Craig-y-nos were among the first in the UK to receive streptomycin, the first effective antibiotic for TB.
In 1959, it became a hospital for the elderly. The castle closed as a hospital on March 31, 1986, when the remaining patients moved to a new hospital nearby.
You can find more information about Craig-y-nos as a TB hospital in the book 'The Children of Craig-y-nos'. Clive Rowlands, a famous rugby player, was a patient there in 1947 when he was eight years old.
Recent History of the Castle
After the hospital closed, Craig-y-nos Castle and its unique theatre were put up for sale. In 1988, a group of businessmen bought the property. After a lot of repair and restoration work, the castle opened to the public as an event venue.
Later, Doctor John Trevor Jones and his wife Penelope bought the castle. They continued important repair work, including fixing the theatre's doors and installing a new heating system. They also organized antique fairs, music events, and weddings to help fund the castle's restoration.
In 2000, they sold Craig-y-nos to SelClene Ltd. This company continued the restoration and opened the castle as a hotel.
In 2005, the castle was featured in the BBC Doctor Who episode Tooth and Claw, starring David Tennant as the Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. The Torchwood crew also stayed and filmed some scenes at the hotel for their episode Countrycide.
Haunting Stories
Craig-y-nos Castle is known for many stories of unexplained events. Some people believe it is haunted by the ghosts of Patti, her second husband Nicolini, and even the composer Rossini.
Visitors have reported feeling strange presences and hearing unexplained noises, like footsteps, throughout the castle. Nurses who worked there when it was a hospital also reported seeing figures and hearing sounds when no one was there. Some visitors have even felt breathing difficulties, as if patients who suffered from tuberculosis were still present.
The room that was once the Top Children's Ward is said to be the most active. Because the recovery rate for TB was low, many children who entered the castle never left. People have reported seeing full figures in this room and hearing children's footsteps, bouncing balls, and giggles.
One story of a dark, see-through lady on the stairs was later found to be a shadow cast by a statuette on the castle roof when the sun sets. The building was also investigated on the TV show Most Haunted.
Images for kids
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Craig-y-nos Castle in 2011
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Adelina Patti
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The Patti Pavilion in Swansea after its renovation in 2009
