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Craig y Nos
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[edit] Penwyllt
Penwyllt is a Welsh village located in the upper Swansea Valley, on the southern edge of the Black Mountains.
came into creation as a result of the need for quicklime in the industrial processes in the lower Swansea Valley, taking clay from the hills and turning it into quicklime in a pair of lime kilns[1].
Forest of Brecon Tramroad[2]
In total there were fifteen lime kilns within the parish of Penwyllt:
- Craig-y-nos: two lime kilns created in the railway age, dated 1878[3]
- Pen-y-Foel: a bank of four kilns erected in around 1863 to 1867 by, it is thought, the Brecon Coal & Lime Co. There is a loading bank for railway wagons in front of the kilns[4]
- Twyn-disgwylfa: Built by Joseph Claypon between 1836 and 1842*, this bank of seven kilns has been largely destroyed by quarry tipping. Only one draw arch can now be seen[5]
- Twyn-y-ffald: The 1825 and 1827 kilns built by Joseph Claypon have been largely demolished, although the single draw arch can still be seen[6]
HQ of the South Wales Caving Club[7]
[edit] References
- Hughes, Stephen, The Brecon Forest Tramroads, RCAHM in Wales, 1990
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Craig Y Nos Castle was built in 1843 by a Captain Rice Powell. The family of the captain moved in, and Captain Powell settled to the life of a country gentleman, becoming a county magistrate and a High Sheriff of Brecknock. Although both he and his father married well, misfortune began to fall upon the family when cholera took his younger son in 1851. He suffered the loss of his wife and his daughter before he died in 1862.
Two years later, the eldest son was killed in a hunting accident on the Isle of Wight. Sarah, the eldest daughter, had married a Captain Allaway and the couple remained at the castle after the death of her brother, until tragedy struck once more when Captain Allaway died a few years later. His widow moved to Tenby shortly before the property was sold in 1875-76.
The Dutch family, Overbeek, of Calcutta and Capetown, were connected by blood and it was thought that the hint of their curse overshadowed the Powell family.
The estate then entered into Chancery and was finally brought by Morgan Morgan of Abercrave for £6000. Mr Morgan and his family settled at the castle where his son, also Morgan Morgan, joined him soon afterwards. Both families lived together happily for several years, each with a kitchen in what was the basement. A massive pillar stood in the middle of the larger kitchen, where a bottle containing a current newspaper and freshly minted coins were said to have been buried.
At the time of the sale a large plantation of fir trees stood between the castle and the quarries above. The trees were about 80 years old, of fine girth and length, with squirrels leaping from branch to branch.
As the decade grew toward it’s close, the current owners decided to leave, and a remarkable chapter in the history of Craig-y-nos was about to unfold.
In 1878, the castle and its setting captivated the leading opera star of that day, who felt she had found the home of her dreams amid the calm isolation of this beautiful valley. It’s name alone strikes a romantic note and in rough translation means ‘Rock of the Night’.
This small estate in the mountains of Wales appealed to Madam Adelina Juana Maria Patti, who brought the castle and surrounding park land for £3500. The prima donna had reached the soaring heights of a spectacular career and was to spend the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos, leaving to sing in the premier opera house of Europe and elsewhere, captivating the world with her flawless soprano voice.
For twenty five years she sang for Queen Victoria by private invitation and would surely have known many members of the Royal family. Many honours were bestowed upon the Diva and the Tzar Alexander II awarded her the Russian Order of Merit in 1870 Other sovereigns of state, including Franz Josef of Austria and Emperor Maximillian of Mexico, showed their appreciation in a similar manner. The theatre at the mansion was a remarkable addition and could hold 150 people. It was designed as a private auditorium where an international Queen of Song could enthral with her remarkable voice, all those who came to listen.
The opening ceremony took place on the 12th July 1891, when the list of guests included the Spanish Ambassador and Baron Julius Reuter, founder of the Foreign News Agency. Sir Henry Irving was to have given the opening address but was unable to attend and a leading actor, William Terris, deputised for him. This unfortunate man was assassinated by a ‘madman’ outside the Adelphi Theatre in London, some six years later The Diva made her last public appearance in October 1914 when she sang for the Red Cross and, once again, filled the Albert Hall with an adoring public that loved her still. Her life of travel was almost through, and she came to spend the greater part of the year at Craig-y-nos with her husband and a devoted staff.
Her theatre remains a time capsule, and the stage is probably the only surviving example of original 19th century backstage equipment. The sound of her recordings within the auditorium can often affect the people who hear it.
The winter garden was another architectural feature to be built for the Baroness at the end of the 19th century. A spacious building with a soaring roof and made mainly from glass, this was where the Diva would promenade with her guests among tropical plants whilst exotic birds flew within. A pair of iron fountains fashioned as cranes with multi-coloured plumage shed rainbow light from their falling waters and captivated all who saw them. Once again, time and the war brought change to the castle, and in 1918 the Prima Donna presented her winter garden to the people of Swansea where it became the Patti Pavilion and has been restored. One of the fountains stands in the forecourt of the castle and the other is said to exist in the grounds of Swansea University. When the contractors arrived to dismantle the winter garden they were told that all able bodied men had gone to war and they would have to find an alternative labour force.
Craig-y-nos was the first private house to be wired for electricity, and evidence of this was found some years ago by Mr J. A. Lea, the last Hospital Secretary, and someone from an electrical company engaged in relevant research. Power at 110volts [dc] was generated by an ‘Otto’ gas engine which was fuelled from a small gas works situated in the grounds.
The wiring consisted of planks with two parallel grooves that took a bare copper wire and covered with a corresponding piece of wood. This supplied power for ‘Swan’ lamps and an electrically powered ‘Orchestra’ organ which was controlled by a punched paper roll and situated in the Billiard Room. It was the pride and joy of Nicholini, thus dating it prior to his death in 1898.
Craig-y-nos was the first private house to be wired for electricity, and evidence of this was found some years ago by Mr J. A. Lea, the last Hospital Secretary, and someone from an electrical company engaged in relevant research. Power at 110volts [dc] was generated by an ‘Otto’ gas engine which was fuelled from a small gas works situated in the grounds.
The wiring consisted of planks with two parallel grooves that took a bare copper wire and covered with a corresponding piece of wood. This supplied power for ‘Swan’ lamps and an electrically powered ‘Orchestra’ organ which was controlled by a punched paper roll and situated in the Billiard Room. It was the pride and joy of Nicholini, thus dating it prior to his death in 1898.
The castle and the grounds were sold to the Welsh National Memorial Trust for £11,000 in March 1921, and it was called the ‘Adelina Patti’ Hospital at the request of the Baron. It functioned as a chest hospital and many were nursed back to health during this period until the scourge of tuberculosis was conquered. In its latter years, the patients were mainly elderly and infirm. During the Second World War an RAF pilot was brought to the hospital for treatment and met a young woman who was almost confined to her bed. They decided to wed but she was too ill to travel so the church granted them a special dispensation. They were married in the theatre and returned to the outside world after recovering their health.
The castle finally closed as a hospital on the 31st March 1986 after the transfer of remaining patients to the new Community Hospital at Ystradgynlais. The Welsh Office maintained Craig-y-nos Castle and its unique theatre until it was sold into private ownership. It remained open to the public for several years but is currently in private ownership.
STAIRS
The stairs you see on the camera have been subject to much discussion in recent times as a figure of a semi-transparent lady was apparently captured on camera by a group of investigators (independent of TPW). It is also where many ex-patients claim to have seen a black figure stand and then walk down the stairs at around the same time everyday. It has since been discovered that a statuette which is situated on the roof of the castle casts a shadow which resembles a lady when the sun starts to set.
During investigations run by TPW, various light anomalies have been witnessed along with shadows which appear to have no origin and even a set of feet appeared to walk up the stairs.
PATTI BOUDOUR
The Boudous is said to be one of Adelina Patti’s favourite rooms due to the view from the large window. During the hospital days, it was used as a sitting/lounge room for patients and so would have possibly been the favourite of many patients too. With this in mind, we often carry out experiments in the room and have had some excellent results both visually and audioly as TB back then only had a 80% recovery rate and many people stayed at the castle for years and so it become their home, so if they were to revisit somewhere, would it be their favourite room?
TOP CHILDRENS WARD
This is possibly the most active room in the castle and was once a children’s ward. With the recovery rate of TB being so low, many children entered the castle at an extremely low age and never left. Many full apparitions have been seen in this room and have interacted with us on numerous occasions. Again, light anomalies are regular sights along with the sounds of childrens footsteps, bouncing balls and giggles.[8]
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Craig-y-Nos was an early Victorian country house, set in parkland alongside the river Tawe, in the Upper Swansea Valley in South Wales. It was built in 1840 by Captain Rice Davies Powell. Adelina Patti purchased it in 1878 having seen the potential to develop it into her own private estate.
Her considerable means allowed her to create a personalised retreat, where she could entertain friends and recharge her energy after exhausting tours.
The Courtyard: Craig-y-Nos Castle
It was after her second marriage, to Ernesto Nicolini, that she embarked on a major development of the site, adding the North and South wings, the clock tower, conservatory, winter garden and theatre. Not only did she build extensively but she incorporated the latest technologies of the day.
Craig-y-Nos Castle was one of the first private residences in Britain to have electricity. As well as providing lighting for the castle and winter garden it enabled Adelina to install the latest lighting technology in her theatre.
An electrically powered orchestra organ (Orchestrion) was also acquired for the French Billiard Room. This was controlled by punched paper rolls, each of which played a different tune. Grand pianos were also installed in most of the rooms, including the Grand Bedroom.
Craig-y-Nos Castle from Penwyllt
Important visitors were able to avail themselves of Adelina's private transport service. A private road was constructed from Craig-y-Nos Castle to the small railway station at Penwyllt, where a lavishly furnished private waiting room was installed. An equally luxurious railway carriage was commissioned and the railway company provided Adelina with her own train to take her whenever, and wherever, she wanted to travel.
Visitors included Prince Henry of Battenberg, the Crown Prince of Sweden and The Prince of Wales, who was later to become Edward VII. The Spanish Ambassador and Baron Julius Reuter (founder of Reuter's News Agency) officiated at the opening of the her private theatre at Craig-y-Nos on July 12th 1891.
Adelina also had one of the first motor cars in Wales and around the turn of the century, is reported to have raced a local doctor from Swansea to Abercrave for a small wager. The un-surfaced or cobbled roads, winding up and down the hills and through the small villages of the Swansea Valley, would have made the eighteen miles seem like an endurance test.
Her private theatre was modelled on the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London. The names of famous composers were inscribed in its ornate mouldings, with Rossini holding pride of place over the centre of the stage.
It is still used today for operatic performances and offers one of the few remaining examples of fully functional, mechanically operated, Victorian backstage theatre equipment.
The Theatre at Craig-y-Nos Castle
The glass winter garden, with its soaring roof, tropical plants and exotic birds, was her great delight and in 1918, the year before her death, she presented it to the City of Swansea.
Swansea had already made Adelina its first "free-woman" and they re-erected her winter garden close to City Hall and named it the "Patti Pavilion".
The Crane Fountain
One of her original pair of crane fountains can still be seen in the castle grounds. This was made in the local ironworks at Ystradgynlais, owned by a Mr Crane. He made lots of decorative ironware featuring his favourite bird and namesake.
Craig-y-Nos Castle and the lovely grounds of Craig-y-Nos Country Park are open to the public throughout the year and recent restoration of the castle means that visitors can now stay in the comfort of Adelina's former home.
This lovely area is now a part of Brecon Beacons National Park, a conservation area of outstanding natural beauty. [9]
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Madam Patti decided to erect a theatre in her Castle at Craig-y-Nos in which she could give private performances. It was designed by Swansea architects Bucknall and Jennings with input from Henry Irving, and was based on Wagner's opera house at Bayreuth. The grand opening, held on 12th July 1891, was attended by many dignitaries and stars of the opera world and it was said that 450 bottles of champagne were consumed at the party.
The theatre could seat 150 people. There was also a mechanical floor which raised the auditorium to stage level to allow it to be used as a ballroom. At 40 feet long, 26 feet wide and 24 feet high the auditorium was decorated in pale blue, cream and gold wall panels. Ten Corinthian columns supported the ceiling and in between these were the names of composers such as Mozart, Verdi and Rossini, all gilded and surmounted by Madam Patti’s monogram. A member of her staff, Ethel Rosate-Lunn, remembered that:
The Theatre, Craig-y-Nos Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery "It was a lovely little theatre consisting of ground floor and circle and, of course, dressing rooms. In my time all the seats were upholstered in velvet of a soft blue colour and the walls were decorated in honour of the great composers who had composed the opera's in which she sang."
The Organ at Craig-y-Nos Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery There was also a magnificent organ which was given to her in the USA after one of her tours there. This was dismantled in the 1920s when the buildings became a hospital.
The back of the theatre housed a gallery where the domestics would sit, enabling them to enjoy the performances but would keep them away from the high society guests. The orchestra pit was separated from the seating area by a balustrade and held up to 24 musicians. The stage area was fronted by blue silk curtains and the most impressive back drop shows an illustration of Madam Patti riding in a chariot, dressed as Semiramide from the opera of the same name by Rossini. Months in advance of the 12th of August 1891 grand invitations were sent out as there were to be two types of guests, ones which were to be invited to stay and others which were invited just for the performance. The houseguests arrived several days before the grand opening. Among these were the Spanish Ambassador, The Baron and Baroness De Reuter (founder of the news agency), and Sir Henry Hussey Vivian Bart and Lady Vivian. Several journalists from international newspapers such as The Telegraph, Le Figaro and the Boston Herald had also been invited so that they could report on the opening.
August the 12th 1891, the day of the opening, the festivities were non-stop. Madam Patti was the ideal hostess making sure that the guests had everything they needed as well as overseeing the finishing touches to the evening concert. In the early afternoon the orchestra and chorus hired from a Swansea Opera Company had a final rehearsal. By late afternoon a specially chartered train from Swansea arrived in Penwyllt Station with the evening guests, they were conveyed to the Castle for light refreshments and preparation for the evening’s entertainment.
The programme was due to start by 8pm but had run behind schedule before it had even started and by the time everyone was seated and the orchestra ready it had reach 8.30. Before the performance a speech of inauguration was made by an actor by the name of William Terriss, who had stood in for an indisposed Henry Irving. He was full of praise for the ‘Queen of Song’ and rounded off his address by declaring the Patti Theatre open.
The orchestra roused into the prelude to act one of Traviata by Verdi. The chorus entered to loud applause but more was to come as Madam Patti arrived on stage wearing a pink satin gown, trimmed in white and embroidered with roses. Her performance was greeted by a standing ovation. In the second half Madam Patti sang the Garden Scene for Faust, one of her accompanists being her husband Ernest Nicolini. A standing ovation was given by the appreciative audience, with many a hat and hanky being waved.
The audience, singers and players were invited to a buffet supper served in the conservatory.
The theatre was often used for performances which showcased local musical talent; below are some of the programmes from some performances at the Patti theatre.
This first is for a special matinee performance of 'East Lynne' - 'a play without words, founded upon Mrs Henry Wood's novel'. Mme Patti appears at the bottom of the cast list. The programme states 'The lullaby sung by Madame Patti in the last scene has been expressly composed for and dedicated to her by M. Andre Pollonnais; the words by Mr Hermann Klein.'[10]
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A head for business Adelina Patti was an extremely highly paid performer, regularly commanding one thousand pounds per appearance (which one hundred years ago was a sum beyond most peoples' wildest dreams). On one occasion, she received a staggering five thousand pounds, a fee that was unequalled by any other performer until some seventy five years afterwards. It has been said of Patti that she gave no-one an opportunity to become her debtor. She was rigid in her policy of payment in advance of any appearance. In the case of the five thousand pounds performance, the story goes that she would not agree even to go to the theatre until she had received four thousand pounds of the fee. Once at the theatre, she agreed to put on her make-up upon receipt of a further eight hundred pounds but stubbornly held o[11]
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A "unique" record of life inside a tuberculosis sanatorium has gone on display after an appeal for memories prompted a worldwide response. The exhibition has been organised by Ann Shaw, of Crickhowell, Powys, a former patient at the Adelina Patti Hospital in the Swansea Valley. Better known as Craig-y-nos Castle, it housed TB patients from 1922-59. The display, at the Welfare Hall, Ystradgynlais, coincides with a reunion of staff and patients. Craig-y-nos Castle was the estate of the world-renowned opera singer Adelina Patti until her death in 1919. Two years later, it was bought by an organisation founded to combat TB in Wales and was reconstructed as a sanatorium before admitting its first patients in August 1922. Ms Shaw, a writer and artist who was there from 1950-54, began her search for information about the hospital and its patients last year, and advertised on websites and in local newspapers. She said: "Little did I know I was about to tap into the collective memory of a whole community, of people with stories waiting to be told, many of whom had never spoken of their experiences before." Ms Shaw said all the respondents had "their own unique tales of their time isolated from their families and the rest of the world in this secluded sanatorium on the edge of the Brecon Beacons." She said she had received e-mails from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the UK, and had been "deluged" with photographs. The exhibition is part of an oral history project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Sleeping Giant Foundation charity. Carole Reeves, outreach historian at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the history of medicine at the University College of London, said they were recording the memories of many of the people in the photographs. "It will be the first ever collective account by patients and staff of life inside a tuberculosis sanatorium and is therefore a unique heritage project," said Dr Reeves. "The time period, from the 1920s to the 1950s, is also crucial because of the tremendous activity by medical professionals and other groups to understand the nature of tuberculosis. "The real treatment breakthrough came in 1947 when the first effective medicine, an antibiotic called streptomycin, became available in Britain. "The children of Craig-y-nos were among the first to receive this new 'wonder' drug". The exhibition can be seen until Saturday 29 September, and is also online. [12]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.brocross.com/industrial%20history/welsh%20limekilns/powys/craig-y-nos.htm
- ^ http://history.powys.org.uk/school1/ystradgynlais/gtforest.shtml
- ^ http://www.brocross.com/industrial%20history/welsh%20limekilns/powys/craig-y-nos.htm
- ^ http://www.brocross.com/industrial%20history/welsh%20limekilns/powys/pen-y-foel%20kilns.htm
- ^ http://www.brocross.com/industrial%20history/welsh%20limekilns/powys/twyn-disgwylfa.htm
- ^ http://www.brocross.com/industrial%20history/welsh%20limekilns/powys/twyn-y-ffald.htm
- ^ http://swcc.org.uk/cottage/cottage.php
- ^ http://www.theparanormalworld.net/ghostcam/html/craigynos.htm
- ^ http://www.opera-singer.co.uk/adelina2.htm
- ^ http://a-day-in-the-life.powys.org.uk/eng/cult/eu_ptheat.php
- ^ http://www.pattitheatre.com/patti.htm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/6984547.stm
