Self guided room by room tour (page2) (Instructions in red)
Captain Powell's neo-gothic castle with Craig-y-Rhiwarth looming in the background
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 its close, the current owners decided to leave, and a remarkable chapter in the history of Craig-y-Nos was about to unfold.
A new mistress – Adelina Patti
The Castle’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 parkland for £3,500.
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 houses of Europe and elsewhere, captivating the world with her flawless soprano voice.
She spent around £100,000 (in ‘old’ money) on additions and improvements to the castle and grounds