Craig-y-nos Castle (meaning: Rock of the Night), is a Scots baronial-style country house near Glyntawe in Powys, Wales. Built on parkland beside the River Tawe in the upper Swansea Valley, it is located on the southeastern edge of the Black Mountain. The castle, formerly owned by opera singer Adelina Patti, is now a hotel. Its landscaped grounds are now a country park, managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. They are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. The castle is a Grade II* listed building and its theatre has a separate Grade I listing.
‘In the Psychic’s Chair’ is a weekly podcast filmed live from Craig y Nos Castle. The programme is sponsored by Martin Gover of https://www.mosthauntedcastle.com
The main building was built between 1841 and 1843 by Captain Rhys Davies Powell, to designs by Thomas Henry Wyatt. His younger son, his wife and younger daughter all predeceased him. Powell’s death in 1862 was followed by that of his eldest son in 1864 and his surviving daughter Sarah inherited the estate. After the death of her husband in 1875, the estate was sold.
After the estate entered into trust of the Chancery, it was bought by Morgan Morgan of Abercrave for £6,000 in 1876. Captain Morgan and his family, plus his son also called Morgan Morgan and his family, lived jointly in the castle for just over two years. The family cleared a large plantation of 80-year-old fir trees which stood between the castle and the quarries above, and were reputed to be home for a local population of red squirrels.
Adelina Patti purchased the castle and surrounding park land for £3500 in 1878 to develop it as her own private estate. Having achieved great success as an opera singer, she spent the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos, leaving it only to sing in the premier opera houses of Europe and to tour the United States. After her second marriage, to French tenor Ernesto Niccolini, she embarked on a major building programme at the castle, adding the North and South wings, the clock tower, conservatory, winter garden and theatre. After making her last public appearance in October 1914, when she sang for the Red Cross and filled the Albert Hall, she spent the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos with her third husband, Baron Rolph Cederstrom.
After Adelina Patti’s death in 1919, the castle and the grounds were sold to the Welsh National Memorial Trust for £11,000 in March 1921, an organisation founded to combat tuberculosis in Wales. Reconstructed as a sanatorium and called the Adelina Patti Hospital. It admitted its first patients in August 1922. In 1947, the children of Craig-y-nos were among the first in the UK to receive the first effective TB medicine, the antibiotic, streptomycin. In 1959, it became a hospital for the elderly. After the transfer of remaining patients to the new Ystradgynlais Community Hospital, the castle closed as a hospital on 31 March 1986.
Craig y Nos is famous for its paranormal activity and three years ago, Jeremy Marsh, Historian, Paul Brandon Geaneologist and me as a deep trance spirit medium, began research in earnest. Weekly sessions of filming and recording resulted in over 200 interviews with various spirits who visit the castle. It was so refreshing to gather actual stories in the voices of the souls once resident, and deep trance was the only way such detailed work could be achieved. This also led to the publication of a book, ‘Walls Have Ears’ The History of Craig y Nos Volume One 1843-1877, and a television twelve part series on https://www.showboat.tv/ called ‘Whisperings of Craig y Nos’, produced by John Rolls.
I decided it would be fruitful to continue our work by ‘going public’ and so ‘In the Psychic’s’ Chair’ was launched. The podcast features myself as host and each week Jeremy Marsh, Castle Historian discusses the experiences of the research backed up by supporting video evidence. A guest medium appears in each episode and shares their lifes journey as a medium and ambasador for spirit. We also have a Medium in Residence, Elaine Taylor who shares actual live footage of tours around the castle as spirits are engaged. It is important to share ar this point, these programmes are intended as research, discussion and development and are thus informative. The team welcomes interactions from other researchers, and interested groups. For further details please email https://www.mtyremanw@gmail.com
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Lazarus Carpenter - Author 