|
Upper Swansea Valley
Craig-y-nos Castle 10
by Len Ley
|
|
The end of an era
The story of Craig-y-nos changed once more with the
death of Adelina Patti on the 27th September 1919, at her home
in the Welsh hills. Her embalmed body lay in her private chapel
until the 24th October when she was then taken to London for
all the world to pay homage to her memory at the Roman Catholic
Church in Kensal Green.
In accordance with her wishes, the great Prima Donna was taken
to France and buried near Paris in the Cemetary at Pere le Chaise.
She lies near Rossini and the grave is marked by her name on
a plain black stone.
|
Craig-y-nos Castle
in its heyday
with the full range
of extensions
including
the Winter Garden
Photograph by
kind permission of Brecknock Museum
|
|
|
Baron Rolf Von Cederstrom left Wales almost immediately after
her death and was to survive her by almost thirty years. He remarried
four years later and became the father of a daughter, dying in
1947 at Newmarket.
Since her death, stories have been told of her benign presence
being seen or felt over the years. The tiny figure of a lady
dressed in black is said to have been seen gliding across different
rooms and drifting around the courtyard.
One recent story tells of a lady pianist who once sat at a piano
in an ante-room of the theatre and then felt a presence behind
her. At her first attempt she played the whole of Pattis
Home sweet Home perfectly, before turning round to
find no one there.
|
|
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.
© Len Ley
|
|
There are 10 pages on
Craig-y-nos. Use the box links below to view other pages. |
|
|
|
|