Ruperra Castle
Encyclopedia
Ruperra Castle is a Grade II* Listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument
, situated in Lower Machen
in South East Wales
. It is currently in a ruined condition, and up for sale.
Built in 1626 by Sir Thomas Morgan
, Steward to the Earl of Pembroke
, it was one of the first of the 'mock' castles to be built in Wales. King Charles I
spent two nights at Ruperra Castle in 1645 shortly after the Battle of Naseby
. Resultantly the royal coat of arms was added to the decoration on the South Porch, and the present public footpath from Rudry
to the Castle is still known as "King's Drive."
Destroyed by fire in 1785, it was then absorbed into the Tredegar Estate to be rebuilt, and resutlantly became home, especially in the 19th century, to the heir of the estate. Godfrey Charles Morgan, 2nd Baron, 1st Viscount Tredegar, who was a captain in the 17th Lancers
during the Charge of the Light Brigade
at the Battle of Balaklava
in the Crimean War
, was born at Ruperra. It was during the early Victorian age that he undertook a lot of development, adding three new lodges as well as in 1826 a now listed iron bridge, allowing a carriage way through Coed Craig Ruperra and across the Rhymney River
to Lower Machen Church where the family and their servants attended Sunday services.
After the death of army officer turned politician Colonel Frederick Courtenay Morgan
in 1909, his son Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar
, embarked on a programme of refurbishment. Minor adjustements were made to the main house, but his major improvement was the building of a new stable block to replace the one destroyed by fire in 1895, a new reservoir and pump house in the deer park, and a new power house fitted with duplicate steam-driven generators, dynamos and boilers. The 1840s brew house, laundry and dairy range were converted to accommodate the estates staff.
Courtenay's son, Evan Morgan
, 4th Baron, 2nd Viscount Tredegar, poet and noted eccentric with links to Aldous Huxley
, Lord Alfred Douglas, Augustus John
, Nancy Cunard
and HG Wells, then owned Ruperra. He grew up there and, apparently, refused to sell it to William Randolph Hearst
, who's lover the actress Marion Davis
wanted a home in South Wales. Later, after Davis saw photographs of St Donat's Castle
, Vale of Glamorgan
in Country Life
magazine, that property was bought and revitalised by Hearst in 1925 as a gift to Davis.
But by 1935, the Morgan fortune was in decline. Despite having invested heavily in the property, the Morgan seat and main home remained Tredegar House
, with Ruperra used as a weekend hunting lodge. The entire 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) estate was put up for sale, with the contents either moved to Tredegar House or sold in three-day auction. Un-staffed and effectively abandoned, at the start of World War II
, like many other large estate houses, it was taken over by the British Army
, under who's control in 1941 it was destroyed by another fire. Post the end of the war, the entire estate was sold onwards as farm land, with the castle left as a decaying ruin, the status in which it remains today.
Mr Ashraf Barakat bought the castle in 1998, and tried to revive the sport of Polo
in Wales. After failing in a planning permission application to construct nine residential flats within the building, due to the discovery of nesting of both Greater
and Lesser horseshoe bat
s, he later applied to demolish it to build housing, but again planning permission was refused. In September 2010, Barakat put the castle up for sale, at a price of £1.5M.
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
, situated in Lower Machen
Lower Machen
Lower Machen is small hamlet of 19 houses on the A468 road at the very western edge of the city of Newport, South Wales.Machen itself lies further west in the county borough of Caerphilly, although both lie within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire....
in South East Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is currently in a ruined condition, and up for sale.
Built in 1626 by Sir Thomas Morgan
Sir Thomas Morgan, 1st Baronet
Major-General Sir Thomas Morgan, 1st Baronet was a Welsh soldier during the English Civil War, and Commander-in-Chief in Scotland during the Restoration....
, Steward to the Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
, it was one of the first of the 'mock' castles to be built in Wales. King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
spent two nights at Ruperra Castle in 1645 shortly after the Battle of Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
. Resultantly the royal coat of arms was added to the decoration on the South Porch, and the present public footpath from Rudry
Rudry
Rudry is a small village and community located to the east of Caerphilly in Wales. As a community Rudry contains not only the village of Rudry, but also the villages of Draethen, Garth and Waterloo....
to the Castle is still known as "King's Drive."
Destroyed by fire in 1785, it was then absorbed into the Tredegar Estate to be rebuilt, and resutlantly became home, especially in the 19th century, to the heir of the estate. Godfrey Charles Morgan, 2nd Baron, 1st Viscount Tredegar, who was a captain in the 17th Lancers
17th Lancers
The 17th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War...
during the Charge of the Light Brigade
Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. The charge was the result of a miscommunication in such a way that the brigade attempted a much more difficult objective...
at the Battle of Balaklava
Balaklava
Balaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...
in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, was born at Ruperra. It was during the early Victorian age that he undertook a lot of development, adding three new lodges as well as in 1826 a now listed iron bridge, allowing a carriage way through Coed Craig Ruperra and across the Rhymney River
Rhymney River
The Rhymney River is a river in the Rhymney Valley, south-east Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn estuary.The river forms the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.-Path of the river:...
to Lower Machen Church where the family and their servants attended Sunday services.
After the death of army officer turned politician Colonel Frederick Courtenay Morgan
Frederick Courtenay Morgan
Colonel Frederick Courtenay Morgan was a British Army officer and Conservative politician.-Biography:Morgan was the son of Sir Charles Morgan Robinson Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar, 3rd Bt., by his wife Rosamund Mundy. Morgan was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1853 and fought in the Crimean...
in 1909, his son Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar
Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar
Courtenay Charles Evan Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar OBE, VD , was a British peer.Morgan was the eldest son of the Honourable Frederick Courtenay Morgan, of Ruperra Castle, third son of Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar. His mother was Charlotte Anne, daughter of Charles Alexander Wilkinson, of...
, embarked on a programme of refurbishment. Minor adjustements were made to the main house, but his major improvement was the building of a new stable block to replace the one destroyed by fire in 1895, a new reservoir and pump house in the deer park, and a new power house fitted with duplicate steam-driven generators, dynamos and boilers. The 1840s brew house, laundry and dairy range were converted to accommodate the estates staff.
Courtenay's son, Evan Morgan
Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar
Evan Frederic Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar was a Welsh poet and author. The only son of Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar, of Tredegar Park, Monmouthshire, and Lady Katherine Carnegie, he was a chamberlain to Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI yet, as an accomplished occultist, was hailed by...
, 4th Baron, 2nd Viscount Tredegar, poet and noted eccentric with links to Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
, Lord Alfred Douglas, Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, Nancy Cunard
Nancy Cunard
Nancy Clara Cunard was a writer, heiress and political activist. She was born into the British upper class but strongly rejected her family's values, devoting much of her life to fighting racism and fascism...
and HG Wells, then owned Ruperra. He grew up there and, apparently, refused to sell it to William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
, who's lover the actress Marion Davis
Marion Davis
Marion Davis may refer to:*Marion Keene, known as Marion Davis, British big band singer*Marion Davis Berdecio, born Marion Davis, spy...
wanted a home in South Wales. Later, after Davis saw photographs of St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, overlooking the Bristol Channel in the village of St Donat's near Llantwit Major, and about 25km west of Cardiff...
, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
in Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
magazine, that property was bought and revitalised by Hearst in 1925 as a gift to Davis.
But by 1935, the Morgan fortune was in decline. Despite having invested heavily in the property, the Morgan seat and main home remained Tredegar House
Tredegar House
Tredegar House in Newport, set in the 90 acre Tredegar Park, is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II country house mansion in the United Kingdom.-History of the Building:...
, with Ruperra used as a weekend hunting lodge. The entire 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) estate was put up for sale, with the contents either moved to Tredegar House or sold in three-day auction. Un-staffed and effectively abandoned, at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, like many other large estate houses, it was taken over by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, under who's control in 1941 it was destroyed by another fire. Post the end of the war, the entire estate was sold onwards as farm land, with the castle left as a decaying ruin, the status in which it remains today.
Mr Ashraf Barakat bought the castle in 1998, and tried to revive the sport of Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
in Wales. After failing in a planning permission application to construct nine residential flats within the building, due to the discovery of nesting of both Greater
Greater Horseshoe Bat
The Greater Horseshoe Bat is a European bat of the Rhinolophus genus. Its distribution covers Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia. It is the largest of the European Horseshoe Bats and is thus easily distinguished from other species...
and Lesser horseshoe bat
Lesser horseshoe bat
The Lesser Horseshoe Bat , is a type of European bat related to but smaller than its cousin, the Greater Horseshoe Bat...
s, he later applied to demolish it to build housing, but again planning permission was refused. In September 2010, Barakat put the castle up for sale, at a price of £1.5M.