The Ghosts of Graig Y Nos Castle

This castle is unique because it was a private gothic home for years then a hospital. Many state it has the strongest paranormal activity in the UK. Graig Y Nos has a variety of hauntings. 

It is located within the very beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park in the Upper Swansea Valley in South Wales.

A British army captain, Rice Davies Powell who was a surgeon built the castle in 1841. The castle drained his finances and it is said his family was cursed because of their bloodline. His wife and two younger children died of disease and his eldest son was killed in a hunting accident. After this the captain went blind and then insane. 

The next family to own the castle were the Morgans. They stayed only a brief two years.

Adelina Patti a prima donna opera singer and superstar of her day fell in love with the castle in 1876 and bought it. She renamed the castle Graig Y Nos meaning “Rock of the Night”. Patti lived in the castle for over fifty years. 

She had a 150-seat theatre auditorium built where she performed for friends and the world’s elite. Her black clad ghost is seen in various places around the castle but most often in this theatre. It is stated that if someone sings her favorite song, “Home Sweet Home” she will appear.

Her ghost is also heard singing in a large room upstairs that once was her boudoir. The ghosts of her second husband and the man she admired most the composer Rossini also are seen. 

When Patti died in 1919 her body was kept in the castle cellar until it could be embalmed. In her will she requested to be buried with Rossini, she was but then for some unknown reason his body was moved. It is stated that this is why they both haunt the castle.

After Adelina Patti’s death the castle was used as a tuberculosis sanatorium starting in 1922. This hospital was named after Patti. 

For over thirty-seven years patients were treated for this disease, unfortunately many didn’t survive. It is believed their ghosts still roam the castle. Witnesses over the years state they have seen patients that seem to be confused and lost walking along the first floor corridors.

Nurses who worked at the sanatorium stated that they were always nervous on the back stairs. They heard skirts rustling as if an unseen person walked in front of them. Others saw a ghostly figure pass them on this same staircase. 

Many other visitors have reported a heavy feeling that seemed to constrict their breathing while they were in the castle. Doors are seen opening of their own accord even when bolted shut and footsteps and bangs are heard.

One of the most active spots in the castle is where the Children’s Ward was located. Many apparitions have been seen here. Childlike giggles and footsteps are heard as well as balls bouncing. 

A film crew who was conducting an interview in the castle’s kitchen experienced Adelina Patti’s temper. It was stated that although a very accomplished soprano Pattie was never able to master the role of Carmen. Suddenly a saucepan that was placed on the back of a cook stove flew off and fell to the floor.

By the late 1950s the castle was being used as a hospital for the elderly. In 1986 the last patients were transferred to a newer facility. 

Since then the castle has been restored. Today it is used as a hotel. There is so much activity that the owners encourage investigations. They often host paranormal conferences.