Nanteos Mansion
Nanteos means the valley of the nightingale, and is a Georgian mansion house built for Thomas Powell in 1739.
The house is reputed to be haunted, and once held a cup thought to be the Holy Grail known as the ‘Nanteos Cup’. There are a few stories about the Nanteos cup. It was generally believed that the cup had been carried over to Britain by Joseph of Arimethea, who is said to have founded a religious settlement at Glastonbury. The Grail then came into the safekeeping of a group of monks from Glastonbury, who brought it to Strata Florida Abbey, either at the time of the Reformation or before. On the closing of Strata Florida Abbey, the cup passed to the Stedman family, and then on to the Powells of Nanteos through marriage. The cup is an olive wood bowl in bad repair, it is thought to be very ancient although its real origin is unknown.
The cup had a reputation for healing said to have been passed on by the Glastonbury monks. Water that had been poured from the cup was sent to sick people by the head of the family while it was in use, and this is probably where the legend grew up from.
The Nanteos cup is no longer at the mansion, as it went with the last member of the family when they moved out of Nanteos in the 1950’s. The mansion is now a hotel.
There are thought to be three ghosts that haunt the vicinity: The ubiquitous Grey Lady who appears when one of the Powell family is going to die, (she is thought to be a Miss Corbett who married into the Powell family during the 1700’s); A phantom huntsman, and a lady who hid her jewels after leaving her deathbed called the ‘Jewel Lady’. The latter ghost fulfils a folklore motif about the dead not being able to rest because they have hidden an object of value during life.
Directions: Approached from the B4340
Re: Nanteos Mansion
The Nanteos Mansion Hotel is no more – at least for the next 3 years! Paul, who was the manager and now the caretaker, says he has decided to close the hotel for major refurbs which will continue for the foreseable future whereupon he says he will, with any luck, no longer be there but somewhere pleasanter altogether! The Grail thing was apparently just a joke that got out of hand. In addition he was stitched up by a TV ghost investigation team called Ghost Hunters International who are based in Atlanta, Georgia and who turned out to be 100 per cent ‘fakes’. Apparently they planted ‘ghostly’ evidence and the police arrived and cut off part of the hotel as a crime scene, and Paul was secretly filmed having a conversation with police officers, in order to make the TV programme more interesting. Paul then ejected the TV crew from his property. Oh dear!
Cat
Re: Nanteos Mansion
I wonder how the Grail story all got started then? It is amazing that a story can get ot of hand and grow out of proportion. Though it makes more sense than them actually having a magical healing grail.