Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter – September 2006
In case you feel you have missed out on some months, I confess our last Newsletter was in March 2006. So much for my original aim - to publish a ‘monthly newsletter’! The reason for the delay between newsletters is because we were unable to do too much building during the wedding season and so there hasn’t been much to report on. We have 70 weddings this year and are on target for 90 weddings next year.
This summer we’ve had over 1,000 guests a month staying overnight at the castle. This means we have to do our main building projects during the winter months when we have lower occupancy. This winter we will be pretty busy with the following projects:
(1) NURSES BLOCK UPGRADE .
We’ve had loads of complaints this year about the ‘budget accommodation’ Nurses Block which has 11 rooms with shared showers and toilets. Many guests were unhappy with having to pay 50 pence for the coin operated showers, so we removed the coin boxes to make the showers free. However the fundamental problem is that they are not en-suite and in order to qualify as a Hotel under new Tourist Board criteria in 2007, ALL our rooms have to be en-suite.
The volume of bookings in the summer has prevented us from doing anything major until now. Our original idea was just to put self-contained showers in the larger rooms leaving the smaller rooms using shared facilities. This would have been relatively simple to do. But on reviewing the consistently bad customer feedback on the Nurses Block, and taking into account the comments of the Tourist Board, we’ve decided we have no option but to make them all en-suite.
The work will be done in two stages – the odds first then the evens. The alternate rooms form the bathrooms for the bedrooms either side. Hulse Heating from Bristol are booked in to convert the 6 ‘odds’ into five en-suites, with work scheduled to commence 15/11/2006 and lasting two weeks. (Local plumbers able to do the larger projects are impossible to find so we have to use contractors from Bristol for our major works). Work on the even numbered rooms will commence once the odds are converted, probably in January 2007. We will end up with ten en-suites instead of the current 11 non en-suites, with the existing lounge, kitchen area and shower area converted into en-suites. The existing narrow ‘sofa-beds’ (shown above left) will be replaced by proper double beds.
(2) ATRIUM BLOCK – FIRST THREE OF EIGHT GROUND FLOOR EN-SUITES .
Conversion of the ground floor of the Atrium block was due to commence in January 2006 but was held back due to delays in the planning process. We had to change our original architects as it became apparent they were not responding to questions from the listed buildings officer. Earlier this year we appointed a well respected local man, Barry Tomlinson of Brecon. His work is highly regarded by the Brecon Beacons National Park and includes the award winning design for the recently restored Penycae Inn. New plans for the Atrium Block were submitted by Barry Tomlinson in the summer and we are advised they should be approved by early October. Assuming no more delays, we have booked in one firm of builders to commence work on the first three of the eight ground floor rooms (the rooms are through the arch on the picture on the right).
The first three rooms to be converted are the old ‘map room’ and ‘laundry room’ (located to the right of the archway in the picture) and the ‘mower shed’. The map room will become two double bedrooms (sleeping 4) plus a lounge with sofa-bed (sleeping a further 2). The laundry room will have one double bedroom (sleeping 2) and a lounge with a sofa-bed (sleeping a further 2). The mower room will have full disabled facilities, with a double bed and an additional single bed for a carer. This work is to be done by Lee Jones of A & J Carpentry in Ynyswen and is expected to take 10 weeks. So the first three atrium ground floor en-suites should be in service by end of January 2007.
(3) ATRIUM BLOCK – SECOND SET OF THREE EN-SUITES & NEW LANDING / HALLWAY .
At some point in mid January we will be taking on a second firm of building contractors to convert the ground floor rooms on the left of the archway into three en-suites. At the same time we will be working on the rooms above and installing a new staircase, landing and entrance hall. This will involve disturbance to rooms 23, 28 and 24 which require new soundproofed ceilings and floors.
A new staircase and corridor is to be built outside rooms 35 and 36,with the passageway that curves around room 24, instead passing through Room 24. Room 24 (shown on left) will divide into two rooms – one a small single en-suite, the other a large double en-suite (taking in the current passage) with good views overlooking the courtyard. This work will take between 8 - 10 weeks, from mid January to end March. We need to complete the changes to AB24 (which becomes AB24 & AB29) by mid March to accommodate existing bookings. We will then have an additional two en-suites on the first floor following the alterations to room 24 to become rooms 24 & 29 and conversion of a small room next to the Bridal Suite into another en-suite.
(4) NEW SPORTS ROOM, SPA AND SAUNA .
I would never have believed the complications we’ve had here. But then if I’d known what was involved, we would never have been diverted down this unplanned journey. It all started at the Builth Wells show in Summer 2005, when I spotted a hot tub/ Jacuzzi. Having spent the afternoon reviewing different hot tubs, I paid a deposit and anticipated delivery in a couple of weeks. My idea was to install the Jacuzzi in a log cabin in the garden. But on consulting the Brecon Beacons National Parks Authority, we discovered planning permission for a log cabin would not be granted. So where to put the Jacuzzi?
Our General Manager Ian Bloom had the bright idea of putting it in the derelict Aviary adjoining the old Conservatory. The Aviary of course would need some restoration work. We then decided we’d need a space for exercise equipment – to create a sports room. Next we realised we would need showers and toilets for the new sports room and spa. Then we added disabled facilities including a disabled loo and shower and a hoist for the Sauna and exercise equipment for the upper body (suitable for disabled use). All the levels on the floor had to be changed to allow wheelchair access. The coping stones didn’t fit and had to be recast and eventually tiled over. The steel took 6 months to fabricate and erect instead of the five weeks or so quoted by the suppliers – not a problem as we were still scratching our head over the wall, ground levels and coping stones. Just straightening up the old iron rails involved a month digging up the old patio and laying new foundations.
14 months later, and some £120,000 of work done so far, maybe I’d have been wiser to cancel the Jacuzzi and lose my £300 deposit! The good news is that in another couple of months we’ll have finished restoring Adelina Patti’s Aviary, replacing what was an eyesore, the ugly hospital era glass lean-to, with a new glass and steel extension to house a sports centre and spa. The steelwork on this smaller conservatory (replacing the lean-to) is an exact replica of the original Aviary steelwork – care of a local firm, Matrix Welding & Engineering in Pontardawe. The glass is provided by Siesta Conservatories & Windows in Neath Abbey. All the rest – foundations, repairs of stone walls, re-tiling the roof, internal walls, installation of loos and showers, internal tiling, ground-works, painting, etc - has been ably completed by our in-house seven-man builders team: Anthony Davies, Steve Sax (so named as he also plays the Sax), Mathew (Matej Misanko) & Peter Stano from Slovakia, Oliver Annaly our stonemason, and Marek Specht & Jerry (Jerzy Pulut) from Poland.
(5) RESTORATION OF MAIN CONSERVATORY TO PROVIDE SECOND FUNCTION ROOM .
The problem with restoring the Aviary and making it into a smart spa and sports room, is that you then have an eyesore next to it – the main Conservatory. This has been a leaky derelict building fit for nothing, with water streaming into it for decades. Most of the roof was rotten and the original felt covering had long ago disintegrated. As for the 130 year old windows, these as you can see from the picture (left) are in a sorry state. The top third is original while the lower two thirds are cheap modern panes installed in the Hospital era, probably in the 1950’s/ 1960’s, when the Conservatory was used as a TB ward.
Our original thoughts were to fence it off so it could not be seen from the spa. However the water pouring in through the leaky roof was introducing water into our new toilets for the spa area and flooding the neighbouring Breakfast room (resulting in damp walls and peeling wallpaper). Our own maintenance guys did their best to patch up the gullies between the two buildings. But a couple of month’s later and with water still coming in, we decided to bite the bullet and have the entire roof professionally repaired, stripping off the old roofing felt, replacing all the rotten timbers, and covering over with a durable fibreglass roof.
After several months of work during the summer, with pauses in-between rain showers, the roof of the Conservatory has now been fully repaired (above right). All the rotten timber and old gullies have been replaced, the entire roof covered in fibreglass. I must say it does look very neat. Our thanks to Keith Willis of Ystalyfera; his team have done a most professional job at a reasonable cost of £8,500. As fibreglass is far superior to roofing felt, Keith tells us it should not need any major recovering for another 30-50 years or more. The next step will be to replace the window frames and glass panes of the Conservatory (above left).
We were pleased to find the Conservatory, despite its appearance, is fundamentally sound. The building is supported by heavy wrought iron pillars and has not subsided or deteriorated structurally. With the roof repaired, it is not an overly complicated task to replace the windows, retile the floor and re-install the heating. We’ve had a reasonable quote for replacement of all window frames and glazing. The heating can be reinstated using the original radiators which are being sand-blasted and re-sprayed. The floor will be repaired with a self-levelling surface finish and retiled. While we are dependent on the speed of subcontractors, unlike the tricky work on the Aviary, the main Conservatory is a straightforward restoration with no ‘change of use’ or physical alterations involving lengthy planning applications.
The Conservatory overlooks Craig y Nos County Park and the River Tawe (below):
Patti’s Conservatory, abandoned since the 1970’s, should be brought into service as a function room for weddings and events by late Spring 2007. Our longer term plan is to provide a bar in what is currently the ‘Conservatory Dormitory’ and to upgrade the existing Atrium toilets for guests using the Conservatory. Catering will be provided via new secondary kitchens in the cellars – for which planning permission is required. In the short term, bar services can be supplied from the Nicolini Bar as this can be accessed via the Breakfast room (which has a door leading into the Conservatory). Catering will initially have to be limited to buffet style pending the conversion of the cellars into secondary kitchens as part of our Blue Bar project.
(6) BLUE BAR AND CELLAR KITCHENS – DEVELOPMENT OF 90 COVER RESTAURANT IN CELLARS .
With everything else that is going on this project has taken a back-seat. First of all we found most of the ceiling joists were rotten. With the room above being the heavily used Music Room (for dancing) and the main function room, we used the slack January and February period in 2006 to replace all the rotten floor joists. While nothing can be seen for this work, it was quite major and took several weeks. We now have a nice new ceiling in the Blue Bar with lovely spotlights; all it would have needed was a lick of paint and it would have been ready for use.
Unfortunately a visit from my mother convinced us all that the newly finished ceiling was too low (as we’d boxed in some ugly pipes – see picture on left). Anyone above 6 foot would hit their head on much of the repaired ceiling. We’d also planned to put in a second set of commercial kitchens in the neighbouring cellars, to provide catering for the Blue Bar and longer term, the Conservatory. But our architects pointed out the ceilings were too low for a commercial kitchen – you have to allow at least four feet above the cooker hobs to enable venting of any un-burnt gasses. The only option was to dig down the floor by three feet.
The question was – how far could we dig without undermining the foundations? Several test holes were dug and duly inspected by a structural engineer. A fair amount of digging was completed and then we all got involved in the Aviary restoration and spa. Meanwhile we’ve continued puzzling over how to plan for the new kitchens as the physical space is quite limiting. The idea was to position the cellar kitchens between the new Blue Bar restaurant and the main Conservatory. The new kitchens would then service both the Cellar Restaurant and the restored Conservatory. Now we are considering an alternative which is to make the cellars into a food preparation and storage area, with large walk-in chillers to store food prepared in the main kitchens above. This will remove the need for two sets of kitchens but needs a lot more thought. Also, of course, it needs planning permission. So realistically, this project is now on hold for at least a year and instead we are moving ahead with the restoration of the Conservatory. Just as the Cellar Restaurant and Kitchens has proved a far more involved project than we realised, in contrast the restoration of the main Conservatory has prove a much easier project than we had anticipated. The Conservatory will double up as a breakfast area, function room and restaurant / tea rooms, pending completion of the Blue Bar.
In the meantime we may decide to bring the Blue Bar back into service as it was originally – a small private bar with its exceedingly low ceiling. Reinstating the bar and redecorating it is not too big an operation. Lowering the floor and expanding into the wine cellars as originally envisaged may have to wait a year or two. More thought is needed on how the cellars will evolve.
(7) SUMMARY OF WORKS INTENDED TO BE COMPLETED BY END MARCH 2007 .
Our main season runs from April to end October. The winter is reserved for our major indoor works so as to minimise disruption to guests. The works on the ground floor of the Atrium will be major but as we have lower occupancy in the winter, we can move guests away from areas where building work is being done. Barring any unforeseen complications, by end March 2007 we intend to have 32 en-suites.
There will be 10 basic standard en-suites in the Nurses Block, 6 extra, luxury en-suites on the Atrium Block Ground Floor, and 2 further shower-only en-suites (with shared toilet) behind the theatre. Added to the 16 existing en-suites on the first floor of the Atrium, this brings us to 32 full en-suites - not counting the 2 Theatre rooms sharing a toilet.
We may get a 7th extra en-suite completed on the Ground Floor of the Atrium. The 8th en-suite / duplex on the Atrium ground / first & second floor is unlikely to be commenced until the summer as it involves a new-build extension; this external work is best done in the summer months. In the summer the Atrium yard roof will be removed and replaced with covered Victorian walkways giving access to all the ground floor en-suites.
The main Conservatory will be restored by end March, but with limited catering facilities, and using the Nicolini Bar and the Breakfast room. The Breakfast room has some peeling wall paper which needs replacing. Now that the roof leaks from the Conservatory are fixed, once the wall has dried out we can re-paper the walls in the Breakfast room. And of course, we SHOULD have the spa and sauna, Jacuzzi and sports room finished by end March!
And having put all this into a newsletter, we now need to press ahead and get the work done by our deadline of end March 2007.
Thursday, 7 December 2006
March 2006
Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter 03 - March 2006
This is our third Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter. If you require a copy of our January & February 2006 Newsletters, let us know and we will post a copy to you. We intend to publish these newsletters every month, to maintain a monthly diary of the building works and improvements and other news about Craig y Nos. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, as someone on our database of enquirers and past visitors. Each newsletter will also carry news on offers and events over the next one to two months. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply send back the mailing marked “return to sender - unwanted mail”, and we will take you off our mailing list. You can also keep up to date with developments and forthcoming events on our website, www.craigynoscastle.com.
1. Sauna / Jacuzzi and Health Spa - updateLast month I said we were looking for quotes for the small glass conservatory to go in front of the Aviary. This month I can report the steel and glass conservatory is finally on order, (after three firms declined the job as being a bit beyond them). The steel framework will cost around £18,000 and the Glass around £20,000. We should have some pictures of the steel frame going up next month!
Meanwhile the tiles have been chosen for the sauna and Jacuzzi area and for the bathrooms. There will be separate changing rooms and bathrooms for boys and girls, with a glass shower (above left) between the Jacuzzi and Sauna so you can have a cool-down rinse when moving from the Jacuzzi to the Sauna or from the Sauna to Jacuzzi. Non-slip flooring tiles will be used throughout (shown right).
2) Blue Bar (Cellar Bar) refurbishmentJust give it a lick of paint, I said, to make it ready for a small training meeting being run by a Hypnosis School. That was a month ago. First we found the ceiling was too damaged to simply repaint. So we thought of skimming it with plaster then painting it. Next we considered affixing plaster board to the ceiling and then skimming it. Finally we decided to do a proper job and take the old lathe and plaster down and completely redo the ceiling. This would also enable us to sound-proof it properly so noise from parties in the Blue Bar would not be heard in the Billiard Room and Music room above.
When finished, the Blue Bar will become the ‘Cellar Bar’. It will be a much smarter room suitable for small dinners, buffets, parties, and it already has bookings for eight small training seminars. 3) Floor Joists replaced in function room above Blue Bar.Having taken the ceiling down in the Blue Bar we found dry rot in the ceiling joists (shown right). The Blue Bar ceiling joists are also the floor joists for the main function room.
We decided to replace the rotten floor joists rather than risk, in a few years time, the floor caving in during an important function. These works have therefore taken the function room out of commission for two weeks.
Fortunately we have very few bookings in March so this is the ideal month to get such a major job as this done. Working in the main function room, Steve (right) saws joists to fit while above, Steve and Anthony slide the new joists into position. 4. Can we have a hole in the wall, Ollie?So asked the catering staff of Oliver, our resident Stone Mason. While we had the floor up in the main function room, it made sense to get this messy job done at the same time. We had to move the carvery and furniture anyway, so a small serving hatch between the kitchens and the carvery seemed like a good idea. The new serving hatch will be here.
We will now be able to pass food direct from the kitchens to the Carvery. This is safer from a Health & Safety perspective as we won’t need to carry hot serving dishes to the carvery from the kitchens, past guests standing in the Patti Bar and function room. 5. Long-term roof works to Music RoomFor some time we have had water stains appearing on the internal walls of the music room. Though the main part of the roof to the music room (right) was sound, being a reasonably recent fibreglass replacement by previous owners, there are gulleys into which the water drains from the roof. These were leaking, as was the leadwork between the parapets (see picture below) and the top of the wall. So we have had to remove all the parapets in this section in order to replace the lead and we have repaired the gulleys.
You will see there are rails between the parapets (left). These are not original and had been put in by the hospital some 60 years ago when the stone latticework in-between became unstable. We found some of the original latticework in pieces buried under the grass when we levelled the ground for the new patio last year. At the time we wondered what the pieces belonged to and put them to one side. We have since been given some old photos and prints of this side of the castle as it was 100 years ago. These will enable us to restore all the parapets and latticework in-between to their original state. Oliver our Stone Mason says this highly intricate work will take him several months in the summer.
Events Diary for MarchIn March we’ve some ghostly weekends devoted to ghostly events, hauntings, ghost hunting, ghost tours, paranormal investigations. The Ghostly Weekend Breaks are on:Sat 11th March – Evening Ghost Tours Fri 17th March - Evening Ghost Tours Sat 18th March – Day & Eve Ghost Tours & All Night InvestigationFri 24th March - Eve Ghost Tours 6pm-9pm & All Night Investigation
Sunday 26th March: Mothers Day Carvery. £11.95 per head for three courses. Please book in advance to be sure of a place.Friday 31st March: Giant Ghost Party: Buffet, mini ghost tour with séance, ghost party and live music. 6.30 pm till late. Tickets £15.00. To book, call 01639 730205. B&B also available. See www.craigynoscastle.com for more details.
This is our third Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter. If you require a copy of our January & February 2006 Newsletters, let us know and we will post a copy to you. We intend to publish these newsletters every month, to maintain a monthly diary of the building works and improvements and other news about Craig y Nos. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, as someone on our database of enquirers and past visitors. Each newsletter will also carry news on offers and events over the next one to two months. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply send back the mailing marked “return to sender - unwanted mail”, and we will take you off our mailing list. You can also keep up to date with developments and forthcoming events on our website, www.craigynoscastle.com.
1. Sauna / Jacuzzi and Health Spa - updateLast month I said we were looking for quotes for the small glass conservatory to go in front of the Aviary. This month I can report the steel and glass conservatory is finally on order, (after three firms declined the job as being a bit beyond them). The steel framework will cost around £18,000 and the Glass around £20,000. We should have some pictures of the steel frame going up next month!
Meanwhile the tiles have been chosen for the sauna and Jacuzzi area and for the bathrooms. There will be separate changing rooms and bathrooms for boys and girls, with a glass shower (above left) between the Jacuzzi and Sauna so you can have a cool-down rinse when moving from the Jacuzzi to the Sauna or from the Sauna to Jacuzzi. Non-slip flooring tiles will be used throughout (shown right).
2) Blue Bar (Cellar Bar) refurbishmentJust give it a lick of paint, I said, to make it ready for a small training meeting being run by a Hypnosis School. That was a month ago. First we found the ceiling was too damaged to simply repaint. So we thought of skimming it with plaster then painting it. Next we considered affixing plaster board to the ceiling and then skimming it. Finally we decided to do a proper job and take the old lathe and plaster down and completely redo the ceiling. This would also enable us to sound-proof it properly so noise from parties in the Blue Bar would not be heard in the Billiard Room and Music room above.
When finished, the Blue Bar will become the ‘Cellar Bar’. It will be a much smarter room suitable for small dinners, buffets, parties, and it already has bookings for eight small training seminars. 3) Floor Joists replaced in function room above Blue Bar.Having taken the ceiling down in the Blue Bar we found dry rot in the ceiling joists (shown right). The Blue Bar ceiling joists are also the floor joists for the main function room.
We decided to replace the rotten floor joists rather than risk, in a few years time, the floor caving in during an important function. These works have therefore taken the function room out of commission for two weeks.
Fortunately we have very few bookings in March so this is the ideal month to get such a major job as this done. Working in the main function room, Steve (right) saws joists to fit while above, Steve and Anthony slide the new joists into position. 4. Can we have a hole in the wall, Ollie?So asked the catering staff of Oliver, our resident Stone Mason. While we had the floor up in the main function room, it made sense to get this messy job done at the same time. We had to move the carvery and furniture anyway, so a small serving hatch between the kitchens and the carvery seemed like a good idea. The new serving hatch will be here.
We will now be able to pass food direct from the kitchens to the Carvery. This is safer from a Health & Safety perspective as we won’t need to carry hot serving dishes to the carvery from the kitchens, past guests standing in the Patti Bar and function room. 5. Long-term roof works to Music RoomFor some time we have had water stains appearing on the internal walls of the music room. Though the main part of the roof to the music room (right) was sound, being a reasonably recent fibreglass replacement by previous owners, there are gulleys into which the water drains from the roof. These were leaking, as was the leadwork between the parapets (see picture below) and the top of the wall. So we have had to remove all the parapets in this section in order to replace the lead and we have repaired the gulleys.
You will see there are rails between the parapets (left). These are not original and had been put in by the hospital some 60 years ago when the stone latticework in-between became unstable. We found some of the original latticework in pieces buried under the grass when we levelled the ground for the new patio last year. At the time we wondered what the pieces belonged to and put them to one side. We have since been given some old photos and prints of this side of the castle as it was 100 years ago. These will enable us to restore all the parapets and latticework in-between to their original state. Oliver our Stone Mason says this highly intricate work will take him several months in the summer.
Events Diary for MarchIn March we’ve some ghostly weekends devoted to ghostly events, hauntings, ghost hunting, ghost tours, paranormal investigations. The Ghostly Weekend Breaks are on:Sat 11th March – Evening Ghost Tours Fri 17th March - Evening Ghost Tours Sat 18th March – Day & Eve Ghost Tours & All Night InvestigationFri 24th March - Eve Ghost Tours 6pm-9pm & All Night Investigation
Sunday 26th March: Mothers Day Carvery. £11.95 per head for three courses. Please book in advance to be sure of a place.Friday 31st March: Giant Ghost Party: Buffet, mini ghost tour with séance, ghost party and live music. 6.30 pm till late. Tickets £15.00. To book, call 01639 730205. B&B also available. See www.craigynoscastle.com for more details.
February 2006
Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter 02 - February 2006
This is our second Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter. If you require a copy of our January 2006 Newsletter, let us know and we will post a copy to you. We intend to publish these newsletters every month, to maintain a monthly diary of the building works and improvements and other news about Craig y Nos. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, as someone on our database of enquirers and past visitors. Each newsletter will also carry news on offers and events over the next one to two months. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply send back the mailing marked “return to sender - unwanted mail”, and we will take you off our mailing list. You can also keep up to date with developments and forthcoming events on our website, www.craigynoscastle.com.
1. Sauna / Jacuzzi and Health Spa - work continues apaceThe return of our two hard working Slovakian workers, joining our existing workforce, means we should now progress faster.
We are still looking for quotes for the small glass conservatory which will stand in front of the old aviary - see footings and low wall (left). The new small conservatory will replace an earlier long since derelict extension built in the 1940’s when the castle was a hospital and will house the Jacuzzi and exercise bikes.
The 120 year old iron railings at the back of the castle had sagged and fallen over. Some will have to be replaced but most can be retained and straightened. See the new under-pinning (above and right) which is a lot more substantial than the original which had no foundations at all (above right).
The wall at the rear of the aviary has been taken back to stone, which has been rebuilt, repointed and repaired, so it can now be seen as it would have been 100 years ago. The room intended for the showers and loos, behind the main conservatory has now been cleared. The old bed pan washing sink (left), with upward pointing water spout, internal walls and redundant plumbing have been removed (right), ready for the new plumbing and internal walls.On the left in the foreground you can see the Aviary in front of which will be a new smaller conservatory which will lead onto a patio verandah with views over the Country Park and grounds. (The main conservatory in the background - see glass building with domed roof - is not being restored during this phase of renovations.) 2. Patti PagesWe are creating a new section on our website, www.craigynoscastle.com, devoted to Adelina Patti, who owned the castle from 1878 to her death in 1919.
Adelina Patti was a world famous opera star. She was so popular and well known in her day that her fame may be likened to that of the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Madonna all combined. Given the almost manic hysteria that greeted her arrival in any city worldwide, it is remarkable how little is now known of her. Her earnings reflected her fame, and were enormous. In one four month opera season alone, one of her more lucrative seasons, she earned £50,000! This was in the 1880’s, so in today’s money such a sum would be several millions.
She paid £3,500 (about £1,000,000 in today’s money) for Craig y Nos, then a small mansion house. She spent a further £100,000 extending it and buying up most of the land all around. This was small change to a performer who could earn such sums in a year or two and whose personal jewellery - donated by the Royal Houses of Europe and numerous admirers - was worth several times more than the castle.
3. Dr. Who filmed at Craig y NosFans of Dr. Who may recognise the castle in a forthcoming episode of the series. The highlight of one of our overnight hotel guest’s stay turned out to be the moment Billie Piper accidentally trod on her dog’s tail between scenes.
Based on Elizabethan times, the story line concerns someone with a werewolf in their cellars. Aside from that we know as little about the plot as anyone else. All the shots involving the castle were of the front entrance and the atrium block. We had all the windows painted black to give the castle a medieval look.
The BBC arrived en masse with some 30 articulated trucks and filmed into the night. It bucketed down with rain all day, one of the wettest days I’ve ever seen. As they went over time, we asked what they were going to do about the remaining daylight scenes once it got dark. “You haven’t seen our sun, mate!” exclaimed one of the technicians. Sure enough, a huge crane arrived and hoisted an immense lighting array some 70 feet above the castle, bathing the hamlet of Craig y Nos in bright ‘sunshine’. The rain however continued sheeting down; not even the BBC could control the weather! Events Diary for February & March
Saturday 11th Feb: Valentines Party and Carvery Dinner - tickets £16.95. Sunday 12th Feb: Valentines Carvery Luncheon - tickets £11.95 + Free mini tour of castle rooms.
Friday 17th Feb & Friday 11th March: Paranormal Investigation. Dinner, Bed and Breakfast in an en-suite plus in-depth all-night investigation, £99 per person assuming two sharing.
Fri 24th & Sat 25th Feb: Evening Ghost Tours: Adult ghost tours with use of paranormal investigatory equipment led by experienced paranormal investigators. Gain an insight into what paranormal investigating is all about. £10.00/person. (B&B also available).
Friday 31st March: Sleeping Giant Spring Ball: Evening dress essential. Buffet and live music. 6.30 pm till late. Tickets £28.00. To book, call ‘The Sleeping Giant Foundation’ direct, 01639 731062. B&B available (book B&B separately via castle reception). See www.craigynoscastle.com for more details.
This is our second Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter. If you require a copy of our January 2006 Newsletter, let us know and we will post a copy to you. We intend to publish these newsletters every month, to maintain a monthly diary of the building works and improvements and other news about Craig y Nos. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, as someone on our database of enquirers and past visitors. Each newsletter will also carry news on offers and events over the next one to two months. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply send back the mailing marked “return to sender - unwanted mail”, and we will take you off our mailing list. You can also keep up to date with developments and forthcoming events on our website, www.craigynoscastle.com.
1. Sauna / Jacuzzi and Health Spa - work continues apaceThe return of our two hard working Slovakian workers, joining our existing workforce, means we should now progress faster.
We are still looking for quotes for the small glass conservatory which will stand in front of the old aviary - see footings and low wall (left). The new small conservatory will replace an earlier long since derelict extension built in the 1940’s when the castle was a hospital and will house the Jacuzzi and exercise bikes.
The 120 year old iron railings at the back of the castle had sagged and fallen over. Some will have to be replaced but most can be retained and straightened. See the new under-pinning (above and right) which is a lot more substantial than the original which had no foundations at all (above right).
The wall at the rear of the aviary has been taken back to stone, which has been rebuilt, repointed and repaired, so it can now be seen as it would have been 100 years ago. The room intended for the showers and loos, behind the main conservatory has now been cleared. The old bed pan washing sink (left), with upward pointing water spout, internal walls and redundant plumbing have been removed (right), ready for the new plumbing and internal walls.On the left in the foreground you can see the Aviary in front of which will be a new smaller conservatory which will lead onto a patio verandah with views over the Country Park and grounds. (The main conservatory in the background - see glass building with domed roof - is not being restored during this phase of renovations.) 2. Patti PagesWe are creating a new section on our website, www.craigynoscastle.com, devoted to Adelina Patti, who owned the castle from 1878 to her death in 1919.
Adelina Patti was a world famous opera star. She was so popular and well known in her day that her fame may be likened to that of the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Madonna all combined. Given the almost manic hysteria that greeted her arrival in any city worldwide, it is remarkable how little is now known of her. Her earnings reflected her fame, and were enormous. In one four month opera season alone, one of her more lucrative seasons, she earned £50,000! This was in the 1880’s, so in today’s money such a sum would be several millions.
She paid £3,500 (about £1,000,000 in today’s money) for Craig y Nos, then a small mansion house. She spent a further £100,000 extending it and buying up most of the land all around. This was small change to a performer who could earn such sums in a year or two and whose personal jewellery - donated by the Royal Houses of Europe and numerous admirers - was worth several times more than the castle.
3. Dr. Who filmed at Craig y NosFans of Dr. Who may recognise the castle in a forthcoming episode of the series. The highlight of one of our overnight hotel guest’s stay turned out to be the moment Billie Piper accidentally trod on her dog’s tail between scenes.
Based on Elizabethan times, the story line concerns someone with a werewolf in their cellars. Aside from that we know as little about the plot as anyone else. All the shots involving the castle were of the front entrance and the atrium block. We had all the windows painted black to give the castle a medieval look.
The BBC arrived en masse with some 30 articulated trucks and filmed into the night. It bucketed down with rain all day, one of the wettest days I’ve ever seen. As they went over time, we asked what they were going to do about the remaining daylight scenes once it got dark. “You haven’t seen our sun, mate!” exclaimed one of the technicians. Sure enough, a huge crane arrived and hoisted an immense lighting array some 70 feet above the castle, bathing the hamlet of Craig y Nos in bright ‘sunshine’. The rain however continued sheeting down; not even the BBC could control the weather! Events Diary for February & March
Saturday 11th Feb: Valentines Party and Carvery Dinner - tickets £16.95. Sunday 12th Feb: Valentines Carvery Luncheon - tickets £11.95 + Free mini tour of castle rooms.
Friday 17th Feb & Friday 11th March: Paranormal Investigation. Dinner, Bed and Breakfast in an en-suite plus in-depth all-night investigation, £99 per person assuming two sharing.
Fri 24th & Sat 25th Feb: Evening Ghost Tours: Adult ghost tours with use of paranormal investigatory equipment led by experienced paranormal investigators. Gain an insight into what paranormal investigating is all about. £10.00/person. (B&B also available).
Friday 31st March: Sleeping Giant Spring Ball: Evening dress essential. Buffet and live music. 6.30 pm till late. Tickets £28.00. To book, call ‘The Sleeping Giant Foundation’ direct, 01639 731062. B&B available (book B&B separately via castle reception). See www.craigynoscastle.com for more details.
January 2006
Craig y Nos Castle Newsletter 01 - January 2006
After five years of refurbishment and restoration work at Craig y Nos, and some £1.2m spent, I found we had no historical record of the works being completed. The intention of this newsletter, complete with photo’s of our progress, is to ensure you and we have an accurate record of the works we are doing over the next five years. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, as someone on our database of enquirers and past visitors. Each newsletter will also carry news on offers and events over the next one to two months. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply send back the mailing marked “return to sender—unwanted mail”, and we will take you off our mailing list.
Sauna / Jacuzzi and Health Spa opens Summer 2006The sauna and exercise equipment will be located in the old ‘aviary’ where the c19th opera singer Adelina Patti once kept various exotic birds. This has been re-roofed and the stone wall at the back (which was falling down in places) rebuilt and re-pointed.
A new glass conservatory will stand in front of the old aviary. It will replace an earlier long since derelict extension built in the 1940’s when the castle was a hospital and will house the Jacuzzi and exercise bikes. We hope to be finished by Summer 2006 but the firm contracted to erect the steel frame has backed out, saying the project is beyond them. We are now seeking alternative contractors for the steel frame, glass roof and sides.
The 120 year old iron railings at the back of the castle were originally built on inadequate foundations and have since sagged and become crooked. We are now jacking up, straightening and under-pinning the railings (right).
We had planned to install showers and loos in the Aviary, along with the Sauna, but there was not enough space. So the loos for the Health Spa will now be in an area which already has plumbing from the hospital days, behind the conservatory (once the Children’s ward). Shown (left) is an old bed pan washing sink, with upward pointing water spout. This works, as I found out when I turned on the tap and got a soaking. 2. New Reception opened & Front Hall redecoratedFor many years we had no proper reception as the space was occupied by a redundant ‘condemned’ hospital lift.
During 2005 the lift was dismantled and removed, revealing some very nice stonework and twin arches at the back of what is now the reception area. Some of the stone walls needed rebuilding and re-pointing. We employ a stone mason (Oliver) full time and even then the amount of stone work is more than he can cope with. Jack (above and right) can often be found behind reception, ready to welcome B&B guests. The castle is a pet-friendly hotel, so if you have pets yourself, they are able to stay as well. 3. Old 14 ft high Stone Wall collapsesWhile preparing an area beside the Nurses Block Accommodation block for extra car parking spaces, we were somewhat disappointed to wake up one morning (after a particularly windy night) to find a substantial part of our 14 ft high stone wall between us and the main road that runs alongside the castle had blown over. Over the years the lime rendering had turned to mud and the wall became little more than a precariously balanced pile of old stones.
Two weeks later and new foundations have been dug and concrete footings are already in place. However it will not be until we have better weather in the summer months that the wall will be re-built by our stonemason.
First the large pile of stones, lime and mud from the wall (left) needs to be cleaned and sorted out ready for the stonemason. This time-consuming manual work will be given to a couple of Slovakian boys who are very good workers. 4. New Carvery & Function Room redecorationIn 2005 we redecorated the main function room which houses the old Billiard room and Music room. The colour scheme has changed from cream and green to shades of pale blue and white. The radiators have had many layers of decades old paint stripped off and have been repainted in gold. A new carvery has been installed in one corner. This has improved our food service enormously as guests are able to help themselves to as much or as little freshly cooked hot food as they wish. Our Sunday Carvery is well regarded and definitely worth experiencing. Events Diary for January and FebruaryNo restoration grants have ever been made available to Craig y Nos. This means all our restoration efforts have had to be funded by events at the castle and by contributions from our other business - a domestic cleaning agency franchise. The two most popular events at Craig y Nos are weddings and ghost hunts!
Saturday 14th January: Paranormal Investigation. Dinner, Bed and Breakfast in an en-suite plus in-depth investigation, £99 per person assuming two sharing.
Sunday 15th January: Brides Day and Carvery. Meet our weddings suppliers, sample the Sunday Carvery, and discuss your plans and ideas with our Wedding Planner, Alison Davies, or with Steve Campisi and Kelly Burnell who will be offering free tours of the castle and accommodation.
Valentines Events in February:Saturday 11th February: Valentines Party and Carvery Dinner - tickets £16.95.Sunday 12th February: Valentines Carvery Luncheon - tickets £11.95 + Free mini tour of castle roomsTuesday 14th February: Valentines Carvery Dinner £11.95.
24th - 26th February: Spiritual Weekend. Loads of stalls and ghost tours, hypnosis, readings etc.
See www.craigynoscastle.com for more details.
After five years of refurbishment and restoration work at Craig y Nos, and some £1.2m spent, I found we had no historical record of the works being completed. The intention of this newsletter, complete with photo’s of our progress, is to ensure you and we have an accurate record of the works we are doing over the next five years. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, as someone on our database of enquirers and past visitors. Each newsletter will also carry news on offers and events over the next one to two months. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, simply send back the mailing marked “return to sender—unwanted mail”, and we will take you off our mailing list.
Sauna / Jacuzzi and Health Spa opens Summer 2006The sauna and exercise equipment will be located in the old ‘aviary’ where the c19th opera singer Adelina Patti once kept various exotic birds. This has been re-roofed and the stone wall at the back (which was falling down in places) rebuilt and re-pointed.
A new glass conservatory will stand in front of the old aviary. It will replace an earlier long since derelict extension built in the 1940’s when the castle was a hospital and will house the Jacuzzi and exercise bikes. We hope to be finished by Summer 2006 but the firm contracted to erect the steel frame has backed out, saying the project is beyond them. We are now seeking alternative contractors for the steel frame, glass roof and sides.
The 120 year old iron railings at the back of the castle were originally built on inadequate foundations and have since sagged and become crooked. We are now jacking up, straightening and under-pinning the railings (right).
We had planned to install showers and loos in the Aviary, along with the Sauna, but there was not enough space. So the loos for the Health Spa will now be in an area which already has plumbing from the hospital days, behind the conservatory (once the Children’s ward). Shown (left) is an old bed pan washing sink, with upward pointing water spout. This works, as I found out when I turned on the tap and got a soaking. 2. New Reception opened & Front Hall redecoratedFor many years we had no proper reception as the space was occupied by a redundant ‘condemned’ hospital lift.
During 2005 the lift was dismantled and removed, revealing some very nice stonework and twin arches at the back of what is now the reception area. Some of the stone walls needed rebuilding and re-pointing. We employ a stone mason (Oliver) full time and even then the amount of stone work is more than he can cope with. Jack (above and right) can often be found behind reception, ready to welcome B&B guests. The castle is a pet-friendly hotel, so if you have pets yourself, they are able to stay as well. 3. Old 14 ft high Stone Wall collapsesWhile preparing an area beside the Nurses Block Accommodation block for extra car parking spaces, we were somewhat disappointed to wake up one morning (after a particularly windy night) to find a substantial part of our 14 ft high stone wall between us and the main road that runs alongside the castle had blown over. Over the years the lime rendering had turned to mud and the wall became little more than a precariously balanced pile of old stones.
Two weeks later and new foundations have been dug and concrete footings are already in place. However it will not be until we have better weather in the summer months that the wall will be re-built by our stonemason.
First the large pile of stones, lime and mud from the wall (left) needs to be cleaned and sorted out ready for the stonemason. This time-consuming manual work will be given to a couple of Slovakian boys who are very good workers. 4. New Carvery & Function Room redecorationIn 2005 we redecorated the main function room which houses the old Billiard room and Music room. The colour scheme has changed from cream and green to shades of pale blue and white. The radiators have had many layers of decades old paint stripped off and have been repainted in gold. A new carvery has been installed in one corner. This has improved our food service enormously as guests are able to help themselves to as much or as little freshly cooked hot food as they wish. Our Sunday Carvery is well regarded and definitely worth experiencing. Events Diary for January and FebruaryNo restoration grants have ever been made available to Craig y Nos. This means all our restoration efforts have had to be funded by events at the castle and by contributions from our other business - a domestic cleaning agency franchise. The two most popular events at Craig y Nos are weddings and ghost hunts!
Saturday 14th January: Paranormal Investigation. Dinner, Bed and Breakfast in an en-suite plus in-depth investigation, £99 per person assuming two sharing.
Sunday 15th January: Brides Day and Carvery. Meet our weddings suppliers, sample the Sunday Carvery, and discuss your plans and ideas with our Wedding Planner, Alison Davies, or with Steve Campisi and Kelly Burnell who will be offering free tours of the castle and accommodation.
Valentines Events in February:Saturday 11th February: Valentines Party and Carvery Dinner - tickets £16.95.Sunday 12th February: Valentines Carvery Luncheon - tickets £11.95 + Free mini tour of castle roomsTuesday 14th February: Valentines Carvery Dinner £11.95.
24th - 26th February: Spiritual Weekend. Loads of stalls and ghost tours, hypnosis, readings etc.
See www.craigynoscastle.com for more details.
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