Margam Castle investigation.

Friday 8th August 2008.

Pre investigation visit.

Back in April this year, I visited the castle to conduct a risk assessment prior to our investigation. I was met by park manager Alison Lloyd who kindly took me of a tour of the areas we would have access to during our investigation.

Having to get back to her office, Alison left me to it. It was during this time whilst I was assessing the south wing bedrooms that I heard unmistakable footsteps. Thinking it was Alison coming back to join me, I said ‘Hello?’ No response. The footsteps were so loud and clear, I was sure that a staff member was approaching. Puzzled, I made my way back to the stairs but there was no sign of anyone. I checked the main staircase and called out again. No response. The sun was shining outside but it seemed strangely dark and cold on the upper floor as I made my way back to where I had left my notes.

I had left my notes on the floor next to the chair and yet on my return, I was shocked to discover that they had been placed on top of my bag on the chair. I knew that no one had passed me either going to or coming back from the staircase so who was responsible for moving them remains a mystery even though I couldn’t get it out of my mind that I thought a little girl was responsible.

Continuing my assessing, the West Wing bedrooms seemed to have a totally different feel. The atmosphere in the South wing seemed light and cheerful despite the fact that my notes had mysteriously moved. The West wing however seemed to feel very oppressive and my impression was that there had been a lot of negativity, particularly at the far end rooms nearest the main staircase. There was a mixture of emotions of complete and utter despair, depression and anger. In my mind’s eye I was outside the building on the grass looking up at the building and I could see a young woman looking out. I felt that this happened a lot but accompanied by this, dark shadows were often seen in the same window.

After the visit, I decided to look up the reports of hauntings at the Castle so I could work out how best to utilise our equipment during the investigation and was astounded by the plethora of activity that is alleged to have taken place there. When I read about the Victorian children who had reportedly moved objects, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

I decided to keep my strange experiences at the pre investigation visit to myself so as not to influence the rest of the team in any way during the investigation itself.

Margam Castle is an impressive and dramatic site and was only recently been reoccupied after many years of disrepair. The number of paranormal stories coming from the site on a regular basis could make this property a contender for most haunted building in Britain.

Previous activity:

Murdered gamekeeper.

One frequently encountered spirit is thought to be Robert Scott a gamekeeper at the house for many years. It is thought that Scott was murdered by a poacher and his spirit still rages around the grounds today. Robert Scott has often been seen purposefully ascending the Gothic staircase leading the Castle. His presence has come forward regularly with psychic investigators, all of whom have insisted his spirit is consumed with rage over his unjust killing.

Both the castle and grounds are reputed to be haunted.

The white lady.

The castle is said to have the ghost of a ‘White Lady', who has also been seen in the grounds. It is believed she had once worked at the castle and had taken her own life after becoming pregnant. It is not known who this woman was or who the father of the unborn child may have been.

Monks.

There are reports of one particular monk that has been witnessed regularly in the Abbey and nearby ruined cloisters.

It is also believed that several monks wander around the estate, along with a gentleman who has been described as a ‘well to do' type of man.

The Blacksmith.

The figure of a man, believed to have been the blacksmith for the estate, has also been reported by staff and visitors alike at Margam Castle. Whenever he is approached however, he simply vanishes into thin air.

The large figure of the blacksmith is a familiar vision to many of the gamekeepers and gardening staff who maintain the vast castle grounds. At night security guards have reported running footsteps and chattering voices with no sign of any living intruder.

Ethereal noises.

The security staff at the castle often report strange and unexplained bangs and thuds emanating from areas of the building that are unoccupied at the time. Phantom footsteps have also been heard on a regular basis, as have the singing voices of ghostly children.

Victorian Children.

The sound of giggling children is heard frequently through the long corridors and dramatic rooms of the family areas. There have been reports of children in Victorian dress seen drifting in and out of doorways and mischievously moving objects.

The Margam Cat.

Several visitors have reported seeing and hearing a spectral cat within the castle.

Horses.

Horses have been heard in the courtyard.

Little boy.

There have been many sightings of a little boy in the library. It is thought that his name is Theodore.

In recent years the high reports of paranormal activity have brought psychic investigations to the property. Reports of cold spots and orbs in the Castle were frighteningly abundant; it seems the Castle is flushed with psychic energy.

Rocks have been thrown at those who hold séances and endeavour to speak with the spirits. The most violent and angry spirit is certainly Robert Scott who is said to have slammed doors and hurled projectiles, and emit a foreboding presence.

The investigation.

Friday 8th August 2008.

Moon phase:

First quarter.

Myself and guest member Hayley Wakeman arrived at the castle at 6pm to be met by Stuart Andrews of Supernatural investigations UK.

Castle manager, Alison Lloyd introduced me to staff member James who would be with us for the evening and showed myself and     Hayley around the areas that we had access to. It was disappointing that a few areas in the south wing which I had seen on my previous visit were now out of bounds due to health and safety reasons.

Hayley and I quickly set to work setting up a locked off camera at the foot of the main staircase to record throughout the investigation. We conducted baselines and placed 7 trigger objects upstairs which were dotted around the South Wing areas. These included 3 porcelain dolls and 4 plates of marbles on flour.

Whilst in the far end of the south wing, both myself and Hayley heard noises coming from the ‘out of bounds area’ which consisted of a few tapping sounds and a shuffling noise. We knew that no one was permitted access beyond the point where we were and although I was aware of the bat population in the building, I personally didn’t think that these noises could be attributed to them It was decided that we would leave a Dictaphone in this area throughout the investigation. 

A temperature data logger was placed in the south wing and the other was placed at the top of the main staircase.

First impressions

Kevin (SI UK) first impressions whilst on the initial walk around, he felt very drawn to the main stair case for some reason. Another area where he felt it has been quite active in the past was up on the first floor area in the south facing part of this building. Mainly at the far end of this wing, he sensed that it had indeed been very active in the past.

Before the investigation began Phil and Clairo went for a walk down to the Orangery and some ruins in the garden areas. On the way back up they were behind what is now the Gift shop area. The back door was green and when Phil approached it, he had the sense of a man called Charles and physically sensed a pulsating and heavy feeling down his left hand side of his head face and shoulders. He even slurred a bit when he spoke and had the sense that a man either had a stroke or maybe was burnt and paralysed on that side of his head at some point.

Scott Andy and Penny were all aware of monks being seen at some point at the Abbey ruins.

When our guest member Jane arrived at the castle she was gathering with everyone else in the Library which was situated by the entrance. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what looked like the outline of a dark shadow from the right hand side of the room. The figure didn’t last long and vanished .Jane moved around the room and when she stood by the window where she saw the shadow figure she began to feel sick and dizzy which was very odd considering she was very well all night up until that moment. As Jane removed herself from that area those feelings of disorientation left her and she began to feel well again.

Penny felt an overwhelming sadness in the castle. She felt that members of the family pop back and remember it how it was in its heyday.

On going to the courtyard where the toilets were, Penny picked up on a man in uniform on a horse, wondered if the place had been requisitioned for army purposes at any time!

Before the investigation began Richard S picked up on a spirit by the name of George who was in the cafeteria area

Penny stood in the bay window of the dining room and felt frustration and loneliness. Looked down and to her left she saw long white skirt. Looking out over the garden she saw Phil and Clairo walk by and about 5 minutes later saw out of the corner of her vision a figure move across garden. Thinking it was one of them she looked directly that way – but no one was there. Upstairs as Penny walked into the Grand staircase passage, at the end she saw the doorway to the yellow dressing room. Here she saw a black figure walk past the door from the window. She went to see who it was but no one was in there.

As I was coming down the stairs leading out of Lady Pollingtons bedroom, I heard what sounded like a groaning noise behind me. Jamie was nearby as he had just set up the audio equipment in the yellow bedroom, very near to the entrance of Lady Pollingtons bedroom. Jamie didn’t hear the noise but the audio equipment was recording at the time so this would be checked post investigation.

(see Technical analysis)

Jamie Saw two shadows move quickly behind me upstairs in the south wing, next to the room with the doll trigger objects. (Yellow bedroom)

Investigation areas:

1. Library/ Drawing room and Dining room

2. Main staircase

3. West wing

4. South wing

BSPRI members:

Clairo

Wend

Jamie

Tracey

Phil

Gayle

Hayley

Scott

Andy

Emma

Penny

Richard

Tina

Dan

Richard S

Kate

Guests:

Kathryn

Hayley

Jane

Staff:

James

Supernatural Investigations UK.

Stuart Andrews (Digital SLR)

Becky Andrews (Dictaphone)

Francesca Haydon (Digital Camera)

Damian Haydon (DV Camcorder)

Kevin Hynes (Dictaphone)

Jason Higgs (D8 Camcorder)

Georgia Blight (Digital Camera)

Equipment:

Toshiba laptop
2 USB temperature data loggers
Sharp mini disc recorder
Tecpel EMF field tester
Digital thermometer
Olympus VN-240pc digital voice recorder
2 Sony DCR-HC19E handycam camcorders with Sony IR light attachment
Sony handycam camcorder with 0 LUX and tripod
Sony DCR-SR35E hard drive camcorder with Sony IR light attachment and tripod.
Sony DSC-H9 cybershot stills camera with built in IR .
apple macbook, t.c. electronics konnekt 24D firewire audio interface and SE2200 large diaphragm condenser microphone.
Samsung digital camera (10mp)
Kodak digital camera (3mp)
Kodak digital camera (5mp)
sony hard drive camcorder
concord digital stills camera

Group 1

Clairo

Jamie

Kathryn (Guest)

Tracey

Phil

Gayle

Jane (Guest)

Group 2

Wend

Hayley (Guest)

Scott

Andy

Emma

James (Staff member)

Group 3

Penny

Richard

Tina

Dan

Richard S

Kate

Group 4

Stuart

Becky

Francesca

Damien

Kevin

Jason

Georgia

Vigil 1.

8.45- 9.30pm

Group 1 - . Library/ Drawing room and Dining room

  Tracey was looking at Phil and Claire, who in the dining room facing the fire, when she noticed two black shadows move from the bricked up doorway at the far end of the room, they crossed in front of the glass case to the fireplace.   Both Phil and Claire were in the middle of the room and shadows they cast went straight in front of them and not to the right hand side of them.  These shadows were moving quickly and dissipated into the fire place.

At 9pm in the dining room area at the North end by the glass cabinet there was Phil had a sense of a man walking through what was a blocked up doorway all the way down to the fireplace. He had the name Robert Aspinall. A short while later whilst facing the same wall Phil had 2 surnames come to him which were ‘Evans’ and ‘Harcourt’.

Group 2 – The Main staircase

Scott heard singing in a different language around the back of the staircase.

8.55 – While stood in the alcove behind the staircase Andy felt the presence of a tall stocky man. He was very well dressed and seemed to have a powerful personality. Andy got the name J Talbotte connected to him (this may however been subconsciously picked up due to pictures and the history being displayed).

8.58 – Whilst sat on the right hand bench on the ground floor behind the stairs, Andy saw a grey mist form from the corner opposite him underneath the staircase. Andy watched the mist grow to about 4 foot tall. The mist then slowly moved towards him but when it reached the door behind the staircase it either disappeared or went through the doorway, Andy can’t be sure which.  This was a first for Andy as he saw this with his naked eye.

9.20 – At the point where Andy saw they grey mist form where Emma was stood. He saw a green light move in a diagonal direction upwards towards the ceiling. Emma was feeling cold whenever she was stood in this area. As soon as she moved away, the feeling left her and it only returned when she stood in the same spot again. Small light anomalies were also being seen in the same area by all members of the group but no light source could be found that could have caused them.

Scott was picking up on a Margaret Thomas who was dressed in grey and was standing on the staircase with her hand on the rail. He felt she was from the pre Victorian era. He felt that she walks around this area as though she is looking for something and looks sad and sorrowful. Scott wasn’t sure who or what she was for. He was being made aware of a feeling around the neck with this woman and felt a burning sensation around his throat. He wasn’t sure if she was hung or beheaded but felt it was something of that ilk. 

Scott also picked up on someone being stabbed in the back with a sword and also that someone had fallen from the balcony.

Whilst on the staircase, the whole group heard noises coming from around the back of the staircase.

The group then gathered in the left hand corner behind the staircase looking towards the right hand corner and were asking out for Margaret.

Emma saw white lights in the left hand corner which was also seen by Andy.

Behind the staircase, Scott picked up on a really tall, broad man with a beard which he was twiddling with. The man seemed to be angry and agitated and was not a very nice person at all. Andy was also picking up on the same man and added that the man seemed to have a short fuse and would lose his temper very easily. He would be nice one minute and then he would snap (like Jekyll and Hyde).

Scott got the name Edward with this man. Nearing the end of the vigil, Scott came over dizzy.

Group 3 – The west wing

Tapestry bedroom going through to Captain Fletcher’s room

8:45, Richard S didn’t detect any active entities in this area and didn’t pick up any phenomena but he did get a feel for children playing in this area. He also felt very emotional, a sense of sadness.

8.50 Tina had the feeling like she was waiting for someone important to arrive.

Dan thought he saw a shadow when the lights were still on. It took about 10 minutes of the security guard James to locate the light switch and turn off lights. Dan followed James to the South wing and felt asthough someone was hiding in the room and heard gentle footsteps. The group were stood still trying not to make too much noise on the floor. The group could hear voices from below.

Penny picked up on someone contemplating suicide or having done it and she also picked up on a death of a man through some kind of breathing problems, heart failure perhaps. Penny could hear a piano played clairaudiently – quite slowly, the music being sombre.

8.55 Tina gets the name John James of the year 1850.

At about 9pm the energy felt quite expectant, elastic. Sudden drop in temp but it was 19.8C on taking a reading.

9.20 Dan had an impression of a hospital feeling in the main room of the west wing.

9.14 load noises (possibly from other group)

9.20 in Captain Fletcher’s bathroom Penny felt someone had been very sick and lots of vomiting. She got name Daffyd.

9.30 Dan had general feelings of poor balance.

Penny was stood with her back to the wall saw bright red flash of light to her right. She checked the area – there was a datalogger but that was green and the light she saw was much higher up, at eye level.

Group 4 – The South wing

In the far end room Kevin picked up on the presence of a young woman in a classic white flowing dress. He was unsure if this was indeed the same female that he picked up by the stairs. She was located just behind an area where two chairs had been placed in a doorway (see below photo).

Light anomaly captured above doorway.

Vigil 2

9.30pm - 10.15pm

Group 1 – The main staircase

Phil walked around under the stair case and on the right hand side he heard a noise, either a crack or click sound and stopped. He turned his torch on and was near one of the rear benches. He stayed there for a minute or too and then passed on. Phil checked for any possible causes but could not see anything immediate.

When Gayle was sat on the stairs, she felt like there was lots of activity happening in the room at the top of the stairs – like there was a party going on (she couldn’t hear the party in the grounds the whole night – so it wasn’t that). Then there was an almighty bang from somewhere and she couldn’t hear the activity any longer.

As Jane began walking up the stairs she stood and turned only to see a small dark outline which appeared to be a child popping its head back and forth beside the banister at the bottom left hand side of the stairs.

Tracey saw several flickers of little lights.  Tracey had the sense of either a cat or dog sat in the middle of the staircase, against the balustrade on the left hand side looking up.  Tracey also sensed the present of a little girl, with blond curly hair playing peek-a-boo through the gaps in the balustrade on the right hand side of the staircase, looking upwards. Kathryn sensed a boy called Sam watching and playing around the balustrade on the same side.  Tracey noticed that her arms looked very strange, it appeared as if my arms and hands were mottled….she couldn't work out whether it looked as though she was changing to a dark brown colour or whether it was a skin condition such as psoriasis or burns.  This happened for at least 5-10minutes when she was sat near the middle of the staircase.  Jane kept seeing a mist at the foot of stairs that kept increasing, then decreasing but no clear form was seen.

Jamie felt a cold spot at the top of the staircase.

9:35 to 9:50 on the middle of the stair case on the left hand side Phil experienced very frequent touches and strokes to his forearms, hands and wrists. He even had 3-4 occasions where he felt touches to the back of his head too. He checked that he was not brushing against things in the dark. There was nothing at all head height so the head touches were definitely not from any architecture.

At around 10:00 pm Phil and Clairo sat down on the bench mentioned earlier, and they both sensed a monk like character, old and cowelled. They sensed he and other people may have had private and clandestine conversations down in the very area, and both sensed growing energy in that spot. Phil also felt that the monk at some point may or been attacked and may of had his left arm cut off up to the elbow joint.

Group 2 – The west wing

Members of the group were seeing small lights flickering around the tapestry room. On further inspection, Hayley discovered very small holes in the floor near the bay window and found that the small lights only appeared when the group in the room below were taking photographs.

9.53 – Andy felt as though someone was stood behind him but no one was there!

10.10 – Andy could see dark shapes move around near the entrance next to door where the stairs are. At this time also a loud bang was heard with no explanation.

While up in this area Scott picked up on a dog spirit. Andy thought he could see a small person stood in a doorway. As he approached the doorway a dog appeared. Andy backed of and as he did the dog followed him into the room about 3 meters and then disappeared.

Scott picked up on children and he felt breathless as if someone had died in this area.

Scott picked up on a pretty little girl with blonde hair who he felt would have been about 5 or 6 years of age when she passed. He was getting a drowning with her…possibly in a large pond or lake. The girl would run around and play in the area.

The whole group heard a very loud band at 9.55pm. It seemed to be coming from the South wing area of the building.

Scott was also picking up on a boy who, unlike the girl was dressed quite poorly. He felt his name was Jack and he was about 13 years old and may have worked as a stable hand or something like that.

Scott was also picking up on a baby buried somewhere in the building and the body was hidden.

Group 3 – The South Wing

Lady Pollington’s room

19.8C no EMF

As Dan walked in he felt shivers. Tina and Dan sat in middle part and saw orbs that may have been caught on cam.

9:40, Richard S was aware of 4 active spirits in this room but they were refusing to communicate with me and felt very aggressive. He felt very emotional but stronger than previously and he became slightly tearful.

9.45 Dan had feelings of a teenager/ young woman who was imprisoned by illness (not physical but of depression) she wanted to be out side but instead just used to look out the window.

The group split up here, Rich and Penny was in this room, Tina and Dan in bedroom 24 and Richard and Kate between 24 and 25.

9.50 Tina saw a red light flash in the eves of the middle room left side above the window.

9:50, Richard S began to feel frustrated and short tempered which he believed is what the leader of the 4 entities was impressing upon him. He could also detect the smell of burnt wood.

Tina also felt there were connections with France in this room around about the time of the revolution.

Penny was sat looking at corridor, doorway in and the window in the south corridor. She saw movement by the doorway and saw very clearly a young girl with long curly blond hair, wearing a dress of undeterminable colour, with a large bow and bustle, and black stockings (like Alice in wonderland) stood by the window, eyeing her up cautiously. Penny felt children had been seen /heard running up and down this corridor.

There was a green flash of light in the centre of the room. Penny picked up on a lady who liked to embroider but was in poor state of health. There was someone who liked racquet sports and may have owned a black Labrador.

9.53 there was a noise of movement behind Penny by the small window.

10.00 noise by the door like scuffing feet.

Energy building up directly in front of Penny but quickly dissipates.

10.03 move to middle bedroom – swap with Dan and Tina. 20.9C

no EMF

10.05 Tina feels like a gentleman stood by the window but he paces back and forth across the room.

Penny felt there was a drowning in the lake or loss at sea. She also felt that news was brought to the house.

10.04 Richard was in Bedroom 25 and heard a loud bang from the Nursery wing.

Penny felt there was a governess present who was strict religiously and a man who would not hesitate to beat the children if they did not obey. Richard was picking up on 4 individuals and particularly one man who was very angry. Penny saw energy build up in the doorway to the bathroom.

10.15 Tina begins to feel really hot by the door.

Penny felt there were about 4 or 5 children in total. And one was still present because she was waiting for the angels to take her but she didn’t know what they looked like.

Group 4 -  Library/ Drawing room and Dining room

Three members of the team heard a loud bang in the corner by the screen in the dining area.

Kevin did feel that one of the most active areas was the Dinning Room, for a number of reasons, first being that a number of the team including Kevin witnessed several noises coming from within this room even though no one else was present at the time, this did occur on a number of occasions.

In this room Kevin also picked up on a male presence standing with his arms resting behind his back looking out of the window. In his minds eye Kevin could see he was very smartly dressed as if a party was happening of some kind out side on the lawn, He felt that he was on his own looking upon the party from the window. He had dark hair which had been brushed back and it looked like he had applied what Kevin described as some kind of hair lacquer. He also had a very thin moustache almost as if he was a man who was attached to the armed services.

Vigil 3

10.15pm – 11pm

Group 1 – The South wing

Jamie sensed somebody walking toward him and heard two footsteps.

As the group entered the yellow bedroom Jane noticed it had a funny atmosphere. She stood in one spot and started to feel a chill all over her legs and also felt a tickle on her left ear, At first she put this down to her hair but when making sure her hair was out of the way and by the way it was touched it would have had to have been a hand or item that would have done such a thing

In the same room, Tracey looked down at her hands and they were changing into a little girl’s hands.   The Childs age seemed to be around 6 or 7.   The first name she got was Eliza….then Bethan was the strongest name given. After Tracey mentioned a little girl Claire got the names Emily and Elsie and saw in her mind a little girl with long blonde hair.

  There were some shuffling noises and Tracey felt there was something/one approaching from the doorway.  Claire sensed a man with a beard and actually felt some beard growth on her own chin.  Claire then sensed that Jamie's face then appeared to take on the appearance of a man with a beard.

The energy felt like it was building up but then dropped.

Gayle was recording the table tip so was stood outside the group. There were noises coming from behind her that really started to get to her. Claire reached out and touched Gayle’s arm to reassure her, but it did the opposite as Gayle didn’t realise it was Claire, so she jumped and shouted. This broke the atmosphere and nothing else happened.

The group all then moved to the larger rooms Claire was standing between the doorways of the two large rooms. Gayle could see a man standing in the middle of the room with the large table and his legs kept disappearing; but she could see him. Gayle told Claire, but she couldn’t see him (no-one else could) and Claire asked Phil to walk down the room, towards the figure. As Phil walked down the room the figure disappeared but the interesting thing was that Phil could sense the energy of a man., Claire could see something there too which then moved to the corner of the room.

Claire got the name George.

Phil then walked down to the area then across to the bay window. It was nearing the end of the vigil so Claire went towards him to pick up the clipboard and radio on the table and could see Phil looking at her. Claire felt it was almost as if he was going to say something to her like 'what are you doing' or 'go away'. It was at this point she felt a little bit threatened so she asked him if he was ok in which he

Responded that he was fine and the feeling went away.

In the same room there were a couple of lights and Tracey felt distinctly light headed near the doorway between the connecting rooms.  The room (which contained the door to the stairs) appeared pretty quiet; however the adjoining room leading to the yellow bedroom had an angry energy within it.  The energy certainly felt to be of an older man and not the child.

Group 2 – The South wing

10.35 – On approaching the furthest room into the South wing Andy and Scott could hear stones being thrown in the room upon calling out. .

Throughout this vigil the group could see dark shadows from the door that had been cordoned off. Hayley felt very nervous at this point as every time she turned around, she could see shadows moving behind me. Andy felt as though there was a domineering male who was involved with this as well as children and a female presence.

Andy could also see a female stood at the window in this room that was looking out over the grounds. She was looking at a moment that changed her life but Andy could not pick up on any more information.

Group 3 - Library/ Drawing room and Dining room

20.3C no EMF

10.30 Tina feels like horses have been seen pulling stage coaches. (Looking out of window towards abbey)

10.45 Dining room Tina feels like people have seen shapes or shadows or shadows out of the window from the corner of their eyes and that when they have turned to look the shapes have disappeared.

Dan stood up the far end near the fireplace felt like someone was behind him.

10.55 in the library Tina has the feeling like she has come back home but is unsure why. At the same time, Dan felt very drained, more than usual. The place seemed souless.

Penny picked up on the name, Mar or Mad in it – Maddy. Rich got Mair . Also Lucy – either Lucian or Lucinda.

In dining room, Rich sees lady standing besides me in the bay window looking at Penny. Penny seemed to think that it was the same woman in white she encountered earlier. There was a lot of noise coming from group above.

Penny also sensed a maid in a black uniform bringing in a tray. Penny felt there was a connection to Dorset (Chesil, as in Chesil beach)

Group 4 – The main staircase

Kevin picked up on a presence half way up the main stairs who was a male.

Photo of area where Kevin picked up the male presence

A bit further on Kevin sensed something very terrible had occurred previously, in his minds eye I could see a pregnant lady who was wearing a very elegant white dress who had fallen down the stairs and had lost the baby due to the fall, he felt that at the time she was heavily pregnant.

This is the area where Kevin felt the female had stopped after falling down the stairs which can bee seen on the right of the photo.

Kevin also had the impression whilst in this area of shouting and arguments as if a two people were shouting across the upper landing and stairs to each other, He was unsure if this was connected to the female who had fallen.

The groups had a well earned break at this point.

Vigil 4

11.55pm – 12.45am

Group 1 – The South Wing.

In the farthest rooms towards the nursery area, all was quiet.   Tracey saw one light, but didn’t feel any presence there at all.   Tracey was a little unnerved by the presence of bats…but felt nothing else.

Group 2 - Library/ Drawing room and Dining room

While me, Emma and Hayley were stood near the bay window in the library closest to the dining room, Andy could see a female dressed in white stood next to us. “All girls together” this lady said.

While stood in the bay window near the dining room Andy saw someone walk into the Dining Room. Andy thought this was Scott but on further investigation Andy found the room empty and found that Scott had been sat on the floor in the Library.

Group 3 – The main staircase

18.7C no EMF

Dan felt nothing but tranquil to begin with.

11:59, Richard S picked up on the residual of a lady by the name of Margaret who was wearing a long white lacey corseted dress. After a short while on the stair case he picked up on Margaret  looking down at us from the closed off area of the stairs and she was later joined by the spirit of a boy child of approximately 5-6 years of age. There was also a male energy present who he felt was looking down at the group from the balcony at the top of the stairs and, although Richard S couldn’t associate the name with him directly, he received the name Henry.

12.05 Tina feels likes she is being watched from the balcony by small feminine figures aged 17-20 years of age and looking like they are in Elizabethan dress.

12.20 Dan felt like someone was stood in the arches who was connected with the place.
Had also seen two green flashes in two arches.
Dan felt that ladies and gentlemen in fine dress attending a party would stand there.
He also felt feelings of grandeur/ pride over the architecture as if it was a personal project, but not necessarily homely.
12.25 Dan felt a young lady was slowly and solemnly coming down the stairs.
12.45 Dan got the name “Lady Sarah”.

Penny was aware of people being seen on the stairs and also looking over the parapet. Richard and Penny felt someone may have fallen over. Both Rich and Penny picked up on man with a limp – perhaps so bad he had to have callipers. Richard S went upstairs expecting to see Rich and was surprised to find him sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

Richard also felt the presence of a woman with child at the top where it splits into 2.

Penny had been aware of a small boy (about 4) dark hair and steely blue big eyes and freckles. He was jumping up and down. She felt him all over the house and I got the impression his knick name was froglet because he jumped up and down all the time. He was a lovely energy. Penny felt that his name could have been Peter?

Penny walked down to bottom of hall, where I heard a male voice whisper from the hall like “done”?

Also someone said c’est tres dificile – French for ‘its difficult’

The atmosphere was very heavy and then Penny saw a black shape of a man, Rich’s build and height ascent the stairs and disappeared after about 5 steps and a flash of red light to the side. Penny felt very nervous.

Group 4 – The West wing

Notes to be added

After all groups completed their vigils in each of the 4 main areas, members chose the area that they felt was most interesting during the night to make a return last vigil before the debrief.

South wing séance (Bedroom 25)

Penny picked up on girl and boy very quickly. She told the boy he could go with her guide Simon who was behind her if he wanted to. Energy changes were happening frequently and there was coldness between Penny and kate.

Penny felt a presence of girl strong between herself and Scott. Something touched Scott’s arm between him and Andy. Scott went into trance in hope that the little girl came through, but as this was happening Richard brought the attention to the angry man, which subsequently appeared to take over Scott. The entity claimed he had murdered a girl and dumped her body in the lake. Richard confirmed he had picked this up too. On questioning said entity it was not revealed who he was or why he wanted to stay there tormenting people. Penny said he was scared of something not to move to the light, he replied he was not and banged the table hard. I carried on asking questions and telling him that he must own up to the things he’s done to move on.  Penny felt Richard was attempting trance and knew she couldn’t control the situation if both went under, as she felt he would leave Scott and move to him. Knowing Scott very well Penny didn’t feel at any time in danger.

Penny asked her guide Simon to take him out of Scott and there was a significant change of energy and Scott collapsed on the table. Penny held his hand – he was OK just a little weak. He asked for fresh air so Andy and Penny took him down through the whole house past the other group on the stairs and outside.

Andy made his way alone on the upper levels back to the room. As soon as he walked through the door from the staircase on the first floor, Andy could hear footsteps behind him. They kept getting closer and closer so Andy quickened his pace to get back to the group.

After Penny had to go and reclaim her notes back in the room, she went on my own with a torch which died on her as soon as I got there. She then had to feel my way in the dark back to the stairway and as she walked through the room where the dolls were she heard footsteps coming from the window and heard a female voice!

The yellow bedroom revisit (South wing)

Nothing to note, apart from Claire thinking Jamie had morphed into an old man wearing a baseball cap and looking a bit like Joey Deacon.

All was calm.

Group 4’s revisit to Library/ Drawing room and Dining room

In the Dining Room, a loud bang was heard again in the corner by the screen by three members of the team

The main Staircase

After all the locations had been done by all the teams at the end of the evening Phil, Emma and Andy went underneath the stairs to the back door near the bench. They waited there and spoke out and a noise was heard but apart from that, no other phenomenon was recorded as they didn't have enough time.

Group 4’s return to the South wing (bedroom 25)

The team decided to venture back up to the first floor area of the building for a final vigil after the debrief. At this point a number of the team decided to turn off their equipment to see if this would indeed make a difference.

Upon entering the furthest room Kevin was firstly hit with the over all feeling in this area, it genuinely felt that the air was charged and he personally felt that something was indeed building. They continued to call out for any sign’s from the spirits and asked them to interact with them. Upon leaving the area the team were pleasantly surprised to hear what can only be describe as a marble being thrown and rolling along the floor, as soon as the event occurred the whole team stopped and searched for what could have been the cause but they were unable to find any logical explanation for this occurrence which left the team feeling that there were indeed more questions than answers. Stuart was at the back and can state 100% that none of the team were responsible. They tried in vain to find it or to recreate the sound using various bits of debris lying around, but to no effect.

Technical analysis.

The footage from locked off camcorder at the foot of the main staircase revealed nothing unusual throughout the entirety of the investigation. There were orbs captured from time to time floating up the staircase and also from left to right in front of the foot of the stairs but these were analysed and were found to be merely dust. Some members had reported seeing a white mist around the staircase area during their vigils but this was not picked up on any of the footage.

Neither of the group camcorders picked up on any of the shadowy figures that were reported in any of the areas during the night. There was the odd bat and dust caught but nothing else. There was however, the sound of a stone falling or being thrown twice during my group vigil in the farthest room in the South wing which was picked up on the group camcorder.  The Dictaphone that was left in far room of the revealed no EVP and no other auditory noises that were reported like stones falling and shuffling were captured on this device.

The temperature data loggers remained constant throughout the night in both the top of the staircase and the South wing and although there were sudden temperature drops reported by members during all vigils, this was not reflected in the thermometer readings and no logical explanation has been found for this.

None of the three doll trigger objects moved during the investigation but in the far west wing where two marble trigger objects had been placed, the one on the table had marks in the flour and the one on the floor in the corner of the same room, one of the marbles had seemed to have moved.

As these areas hadn’t been locked off during the investigation, it cannot be ruled out that these could have been accidently knocked by members during vigils.

One of the triggers on the floor by the window in bedroom 23 had been accidently kicked and trigger object in room 24 and the one at the top of the staircase remained undisturbed throughout the night.

Richard S went through his recordings on his Sony digital MP3 voice recorder but no audibles were detected.

Jamie went through the audio footage and he snipped out about 4 or 5 different noises which might be of interest, although nothing was conclusive. The noise I heard coming from Lady Pollingtons bedroom before the vigils began was picked up by the mic, but it was heard again on several occasions - whenever somebody was walking through the doorway. Jamie is 100% sure it was the floorboards as it didn't have the same frequency range as a voice.

The SI UK team had control object movement in the dining room (slight, two mm appx) twice in the adjoining room during the second session. Sadly this did not repeat during the free time when a camcorder was locked off facing it.

At the end of the night when the BSPRI team had left, I returned upstairs to pack up the equipment and trigger objects. The SI UK team were just finishing their revisit to bedroom 25 in the far South end. They explained how they had all heard what sounded like a marble rolling. Together with Hayley, I checked all the trigger objects but there were no marbles missing and I didn’t find any on the floor anywhere.

Quotes

Wend:

“For me, Margam castle was such an impressive location. I rarely get spooked but this place made me jump on more than one occasion during the night.

The place definitely warrants further investigation.” 

Jamie:

“This was a really impressive building with an atmosphere that was hard to beat.  It wasn't quite as active as I'd hoped it might be, but was worth the visit for ambience alone.”

Andy:

“Wow! Beautiful and Haunted. A classic case of so much to do, so little time. I love the place and cannot wait to return”.

Penny:

“Margam oozed sadness, it was dripping from the walls, but I was impressed to have 3 visual sightings of figures, with the woman in white being so close and so strong. For our last invo it was impressive.”

Tracey:

“This was one of the best investigations I have ever been on.  The location was superb, very atmospheric.  Everybody in my group experienced something, which made it a great group investigation.”

Phil:

“Margam does require more investigation for sure. And personally I believe that what was said of things outside in the grounds holds true aswell.

Margam was immensely interesting to investigate, and has a lot of charm to it.

Would love to go there again, in any capacity.”

Jane Donovan (Guest):

“With so much activity in this building it’s no wonder people leave with such a hype and enthusiasm about the stories which are behind the walls of Margam Castle. The night was eventful and full of lots of paranormal activity some of which was personal experiences but even with this, I would say it has been the best location for me.”

Kevin Hynes (Supernatural Investigations (UK))

“I thoroughly enjoyed investigating Margam Castle,   what more could you ask for -  great location, great investigation and I enjoyed working along side the BSPRI team, many thanks to Wendy for making us feel welcome”.

Conclusion

Margam Castle was without doubt one of our most interesting investigations to date. With so many investigators witnessing shadowy figures in both the south and west wings of the building and all 4 groups hearing noises coming from areas which were out of bounds, the Castle was a most intriguing location that definitely warrants further investigation.

It came to light during the debrief that the groups had witnessed and sensed a lot of the same phenomena during the night which was amazing.

BSPRI wish to thank Supernatural investigation (UK). It was a pleasure to work along side such a professional and friendly group. We very much look forward to working with you all again in the very near future and hope that you will join us on a revisit to Margam Castle next year.

BSPRI and Supernatural investigations (UK) would both like to thank Alison Lloyd and Margam Castle for allowing us to conduct an investigation at such a magnificent atmospheric location.  

Sadly, Margam Castle was the last BSPRI investigation for Penny and Richard.

Penny is concentrating her efforts on her regression therapy and Richard on his platform work.

The BSPRI Team wish them both of them luck in the future.

Report correlated by Wendy Isaacs

History and design

Margam Castle, a Tudor Gothic mansion was, with it’s service buildings and courtyards, built between 1830 and 1840 and it is listed Grade I as a building of exceptional quality and with some spectacular features such as the staircase.

It was not until the 1820’s that Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803 – 1890) determined to build a new house at Margam.

The Margam estate had been in his family since 1536, however Thomas Mansel Talbot had demolished the original mansion house in 1787 to replace it with the magnificent Orangery that can be seen in the gardens today. Proud of this ancient family lineage Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot had always been attracted to romantic Margam. He wished to rebuild a suitable country residence which would compliment Margam’s illustrious history.

The site was deliberately chosen for its historic associations and picturesque position at the foot of a wooded historic hill, Mynydd-y-Castell, itself the site of Margam’s earliest habitation, with the ruins of the Cistercian Abbey and the eighteenth century Orangery visible to the West. The prospect of the house, rising above the Orangery and monastic remains to the west is unique in Wales.

Whilst the recognised and accredited architect is Thomas Hopper (1776 – 1856), it is rather interesting to find that another distinguished architect was closely involved with the project and almost certainly influenced the finished house with work on the interior and exterior, the stables, terraces and lodges, the Shrewsbury architect Edward Haycock (1790 – 1870). Thus we have two distinguished 19th Century architects involved with Margam.

However there is a third person who was to greatly influence the architectural style and finished design and this was C.R.M.Talbot who was greatly influenced by the architecture of two family homes borrowing elements from Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, ancestral home of the Talbots and residence of his cousin W.H.Fox Talbot ; and the idea of the octagonal tower from Melbury House in Dorset, the seat of his mother’s family, the Fox-Strangeways, Earls of Illchester.

Margam was really designed by three men Hopper, Haycock and Talbot and influenced by two earlier houses Laycock and Melbury whilst presenting an unique creation in sympathy with its sylvan surroundings, evocative of a rich and illustrious past – which is exactly what C.R.M.Talbot had in mind.

The Building

The irregular plan and pinnacled, chimneyed and castellated skyline of the house give it a Romantic appearance. The house was built around a complex of three courtyards, one in the centre of the main block and two former service courts to the east forming an oblong site with four elevations, three of which included the most decorated parts of the main house. There are two main storeys, with a gabled third storey. The surfaces of the building are ornamented with carvings and sculpted heraldic panels, the great number of shields and coat of arms of the branches of the Mansel family show the owner’s pride in his family history, which are seen in the stonework.

A dramatic octagonal tower with attached stair turret ( the stair turret is not the original height, decorative parapet stonework has appeared to have been removed) is situated in the centre of the building, it rises two storeys above the main house and at the top is a viewing room.

The house is aligned east-west, with the main entrance front on the north. The drive approaches from the south east, dividing just before the house The southern branch leads to the stable court on the east end of the house and the main drive runs through a short cutting between grass banks and to the forecourt with central grass circle in front of the main entrance.

This entrance is a two-storey gabled porch, with a four-centred arched door and a Gothic traceried window over it. The long, irregular south front, with protruding bays, oriel windows and another arched door, overlooks the wide terrace which also extends along the west front. Inside there is a spectacular stone staircase rising up the first two storeys of the tower

Most of the building work was completed by 1836 when the interior decoration began, the gothic style continued in the entrance and staircase halls. Whilst the exterior may have been impressive, it gave little indication of the elaborate finishes within. It had a spacious library, a drawing room, dining room, study and muniment room

The staircase hall was flagged and fitted with a fleu-de-lys and riband carpet in pink on a rich brown. Later a set of fitted gothic stalls were installed around the edge of the staircase hall each carved with a back panel set with monograms of C.R.M. Talbot, above were carved lifelike figures of the animals seen on the park.

The library, drawing and dining rooms were sumptuously decorated with carved woodwork and panelling, stained glass windows, gilded plasterwork and handsome marble fireplaces. Bedroom suites were treated in various ways, including the then fashionable Chinese style, another was decorated with tapestries and some contained fireplaces of the popular, local, Mumbles marble. Gold leaf, carved marble, fine furniture, French rococo panelling, crystal chandeliers, Chinese lacquer screens, porcelain vases, paintings by Rubens, Canaletto, all completed the opulent furnishing of the rooms. C.R.M.Talbot was an avid collector. He brought many sculptures, paintings and antiques back from Italy. Margam was soon filled with fine furniture, paintings and object d’art.

To the east of the main block are the Grade II* service buildings clustered around a cobbled and flagged service court, with a screen wall on the north side topped with stepped crenellations. The entrance to the courtyard is through a massive, higher archway topped with a heraldic panel at the west end of the north side. Kitchens and domestic offices, including laundry, bakehouse and brewery, are ranged around all but the south side which is bounded by a wall with a door in it leading through to a smaller yard of stores and larders. To the east is the boiler house, laundry-maids sitting room and gun room, to the south of which is a long, single-storey Gothic building with arched doorways in the end walls and small three-light windows with shallow buttresses between them.

Further to the east continuing the main axis of the house is the stable court, an L-shaped area with an entrance on the north side and a bounding wall on the south.

The mansion is mostly built of a local sandstone, Pyle ashlar, which has mellowed beautifully over the years. Inside, use was made of a harder stone for the staircase hall whilst bricks were used extensively for the internal walls, the cellars and other parts of the building.

Oak and pine were used for rafters and flooring, with an ingenious use of cast iron railway lines to support the stone landings of the main staircase. Elsewhere cast iron was used for the drainage system, for grilles and ventilation covers. The guttering and water pipes were of lead, with the Talbot crest embellishing each hopper above the downpipes. The complicated roof was of lead and Cornish slate and was constructed at so many levels and angles that it was always necessary for a small army of men to regularly sweep out the gutters and gullies whilst the onset of snow saw estate workmen sweeping the roofs clean. The great number of elaborate chimney stacks, all in variations of the Tudor style were especially made in Bedfordshire and brought to Margam.

Building the Castle

In a letter 7th December 1928 Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot’s aunt wrote to her son W H Fox Talbot; she talks of his plans for the house, Kit was C.R.M. Talbot’s pet name…

"Kit has remained here a fortnight and went up to the town with Mr Fielding… Kit seems to like this place extremely and is determined to build a tower to his new house, a large hall and above all things secret staircases.!"

The young squire was determined that his new house would be the envy of the country and suited to his lineage, rank and fortune.

Sadly, no finished elevations drawings or plans exist for Margam with the exception of three small rough sketches. It is known that Hopper did present Talbot with detailed drawings and plans and probably Haycock would have completed some drawings too. Many of these architectural drawings were later framed and hung in the corridors at the Castle until their disappearance in 1941.

Picture 2 scanned Sectional drawing of the tower and staircase hall by Thomas Hopper

Letters and extracts from the estate accounts for 1830 to 1840 help illustrate the progress of the building works. During June 1830, entries record quarrying stone, digging foundations and drains and by December 1831 the main house was roofed in and the design of the tower was finalised. Work progressed steadily and the year 1834 saw great advances towards the completion of the house with work on the domestic offices and outbuildings competing with the works on the interior of the main house.

By 1836 most of the work on the main house was complete though work continued on the domestic offices and outbuildings. 1837 saw continued activity with plasterers and carpenters still at work and the foundations were dug for additional stables to the east of the house and in 1839, records show payment of £48 for 6,000 slates used on some of the courtyard building and a letter from Kit Talbot’s mother, Lady Mary Cole, describes the works to the terrace and the steps down to the gardens. During 1840 the works were completed and Talbot turned to the building of the estate’s entrance lodges.

Men and materials

Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot’s new mansion house was designed by Thomas Hopper, he was then the County Surveyor of Essex, patronised by the Prince Regent and a fashionable architect. The style chosen was Tudor Gothic and he excelled himself in the design. Encouraged by Talbot he let his imagination run riot. Resulting in a sea of towers, turrets, pinnacles, cupolas, battlements and gables. Margam was as romantic as any gothic enthusiast could wish it to be.

However, much of the design of the interior and that of the stables and terraces was by Edward Haycock, the County Surveyor of Shrewsbury, who had been a pupil of Sir Jeffry Wyatt, the architect of Windsor Castle..

The Baglan Hall agent Griffith Llewellyn and his brother Thomas were responsible for the general oversight of the building project whilst the Margam bailiff, David Richards became the effective Clerk of Works. Running totals of the expenses incurred were meticulously kept in the estate accounts by the agent. Between 1830 and 1832 accounts record payments of almost £8,000 for wages, materials, freight and haulage charge; of this some £4,286.1s.7d was paid out for the year 1831 alone.

There was a flurry of activity on the estate as ships arrived at the harbours of Taibach and Aberavon. These ships brought limestone from Aberthaw, lead from Gloucester, slate from Cornwall and glass from Liverpool. Stone was hauled from Pyle and bricks supplied from a new kiln at Margam.

Many of the workmen and craftsmen employed were themselves the sons of the men who had worked on the building of the Orangery for Thomas Mansel Talbot. There was always a sense of continuity with employees and their families on the Margam estate which lasted into the 20th century. Some entries in the accounts for 1831 give an insight into the names of the craftsmen and artisans employed such as William Gubbins at the quarry in Pyle, Richard Jones the stonemason, Francis Lewis and James Pritchard made bricks and Benjamin Howell supplied horse hair for plaster.

The new house must have been a wonderful sight to its proud owner as completion of the work came near. The cost had been well over £50,000, the equivalent of several million pounds today, but this still does not take into account the vast resources that the estate contributed to the project.

The occupants, visitors and the later years

In 1835,Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot had married Lady Charlotte Butler, the daughter of the first Earl of Glengall, There were four children from his marriage - Theodore, Emily Charlotte, Bertha Isabella (who marries John Fletcher of Saltoun) and Olivia.

The house flourished, in its heyday it was visited by the gentry. The Prince and Princess of Wales, later to become Edward VII and Queen Alexandra came for lunch on 17th October 1881 and planted a tree in the gardens to commemorate their visit.

One frequent visitor to Margam was Talbot’s cousin, Henry Fox Talbot of Lacock. A pioneer photographer, he succeeded in taking one of the earliest photographic views which clearly shows the corner of the southwest façade.

Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot died in 1890, his only son Theodore Mansel Talbot had died in 1876 and his daughter Miss Emily Charlotte Talbot inherited her father’s Margam and Penrice estates. She made various changed to the house, new bathrooms and plumbing was installed, the heating improved and in 1891 - electricity was installed. The billiard room was added, being built over the small inner courtyard. Jacobean in style it became the popular haunt of gentlemen guests invited to her large house parties in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A large skylight of plain coloured glass lit the room. The fireplace had an elaborately carved mantle bearing the date 1892 and the initials ECT, Emily Charlotte Talbot. Miss Talbot maintained a large retinue of servants in the house and on her estate including an army of gardeners.

Following the death of Miss Talbot in 1918, her nephew Captain Andrew Mansel Talbot Fletcher (1880-1951) inherited the Margam Estate. He and his family frequently stayed here during the summer holidays. He often opened the grounds to the public hosting fetes and celebrations.

He altered the castle little, although did convert the old stable block into a squash court and garage in 1930.

Following the outbreak of war in 1939 the Government requisitioned the Orangery and part of the Castle. The trustees of the Margam estate decided to sell the greater part of the property, and Captain Fletcher and his family returned to their Scottish estate at Saltoun.

The four-day auction organised by Christies of London took place between 27th and 30th October 1941.The sale was to attract dealers from all over the country as well as many local people anxious to have a last opportunity to view the treasures and maybe purchase an inexpensive memento. Monday was the sale of the 18th and 19th century collection of silver, Tuesday that of the many fine books which raised more than the silver.

Wednesday saw the highlight of the sale with the disposal of Talbot’s fine collection of paintings, sculpture and ancient marbles. They included work by Canaletto, the National Gallery represented by Sir Kenneth Clark secured the dell’Abbate of "The Story of Aristaeus", Gentileschi’s "Repose on the Flight to Egypt" was sold to the Duke of Kent, and the Rembrant to a Dutch buyer whilst the National Museum of Wales acquired seven watercolours of Welsh scenes by Ibbetson.

Of the sculpture and marbles, some were acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm and Lord Trent. One item was left unsold, a life-size statue of an obscure Roman Emoporer called Lucius Verus, this is now housed in the Orangery where it can be seen today. The final day saw the sale of the furniture, tapestries and household effects.

The contents of the Castle were soon dispersed leaving an empty and forlorn mansion.

During the war years both British and American troops were housed at Margam Castle. In 1942 the estate was sold to Sir David Evans-Bevan, the proprietor of the Vale of Neath Brewery. He never actually lived in the building and it gradually fell prey to vandals and thieves, and into decline becoming an empty shell.

Restoration and renewal

The acquisition of the estate in 1973 by the Glamorgan County Council began an encouraging new chapter in the history of the Castle which was interrupted in 1977.The vast amount of work found necessary at the estate and the need for urgent work to safeguard the Georgian Orangery meant that the Castle was virtually last on the list of priorities. The stables and squash court were renovated, an Interpretative Centre opened in June 1977. Some clearance work at the Castle had been commenced when a disastrous fire gutted the interior of the Castle on August 4th, 1977. Gradually a programme of restoration and improvement work was undertaken.

The North Wing was re-roofed in 1982, using many of the original slates and stabilisation and consolidation of walls, chimneys and turrets affected by the fire was undertaken. The stonework of the central gable above the west bays had collapsed during the 1977 fire and this was rebuilt to incorporate a new stone shield depicting the West Glamorgan County Council Coat of Arms.

Despite increasing budget and financial strictures the most urgent structural repair works slowly progressed. Internal renovation was concentrated on the north wing and entrance hall, and in 1983 electricity was reintroduced into the mansion for the second time in it’s history. In 1987 the ambitious internal restoration of the elaborate plasterwork and fan vaulting of the entrance hall and the great staircase ceiling beneath the tower was undertaken. The original gothic style wall panelling had been severely damaged and only a small section could be saved., but from this plaster copies were made and are in place, painted to resemble wood. At the same time the Tower Room with its superb views over the Park and surrounding countryside was also restored.

1995 brought, with works to the South and West Wings, the completion of the final phase of the re-roofing and structural repairs, the Mansion was at last safe and watertight. On the 1st March 1996 a service was held by the Bishop of Llandaff to commemorate the restoration works to date, and a plaque unveiled on the half- landing of the great staircase.

Following local government re-organisation in April 1996, the West Glamorgan County Council ceased to exist and The Castle, together with Margam Park became the responsibility of the newly created Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council which has continued the restoration programme.

The North wing has now been converted for use as a residential centre for education purposes and accommodates a Field Study Centre housing dormitories and bedrooms, together with classrooms and laboratories, for use by school parties and adult courses from Wales and further afield. The outbuildings around the east courtyards house the park administration offices and the Visitor Centre.

During the summer months, the main staircase area and some of the ground floor rooms may be viewed by the public

http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1333&lang=en

Margam Abbey

Robert, earl of Gloucester, founded Margam Abbey only short time before his death. Indeed, it was a few weeks after Robert's death that the first colony of monks arrived from Clairvaux. Robert of Gloucester (the bastard of King Henry I, half-brother of the Empress Matilda, and leader of the Empress's party during the 'anarchy' of King Stephen's reign) was a very wealthy man indeed. The site he allocated to the abbey comprised of 18 000 acres of land near the west coast of the lordship of Glamorgan: the original endowment consisted of 'all the land between the Kenfig and Afan rivers from the brow of the mountains to the sea'. Over the next century the monks acquired a fairly compact chain of estates across the vale and border vale of Glamorgan. By 1291 the abbey had an annual income of £256, making it the richest monastic house in Wales. At this time the abbey was actively farming nearly 7000 acres of land. During its earlier years Margam Abbey seems to have been a house of good repute. Writing in the late twelfth century, Gerald of Wales described Abbot Cynan as 'a learned man and one discreet in his behaviour'. He added that 'of all the houses belonging to the Cistercian Order in Wales this was by far the most renowned for alms and charity'.

The lay-brothers posed particular problems for Margam abbey. In 1190 the abbot of Margam and his community were punished as they had not observed the Chapter's prohibition of beer. Unspecified misdemeanours took place at Margam in 1190-1, and the abbot was given forty days penance and ordered to send two of his conversi to Clairvaux to do regular satisfaction. A serious revolt of the lay-brothers occurred in 1206. They formed a conspiracy and rose against the abbot, pulling the cellarer from his horse and chasing the abbot 26 miles from the abbey. They then barricading themselves in the dormitory and withheld food from the monks. Fountains Abbey stepped in and the guilty were made to walk all the way to Clairvaux as punishment. The ring leaders were then dispersed throughout various houses of the Cistercian Order. The monastery was also badly hit during the rebellion of Owain Glyn Dwr in the early fifteenth century, and apparently the monks were reduced to wondering about like beggars. But it was not all bad luck. In 1210, King John stayed at the abbey with his army en route to Ireland, and again on his return three months later. In recognition of the monks' kindness the king exempted Margam from the taxes he imposed on the other houses. This was particularly fortunate for Margam and John's own foundation of Beaulieu the only two houses to escape the crushing burdens of King John's taxes.

At the time of the Dissolution the net annual income of the house was valued at £181 and only eight monks remained at the monastery. The abbey was dissolved in 1536 and the monks dispersed. Following the Dissolution the nave of the church was given over to parochial use and the abbey buildings were privately purchased. The construction of a great mansion was begun during the sixteenth century but was swept away during the eighteenth century to make way for a garden dominated by a mighty orangery. The nave was restored at the beginning of the nineteenth century and is now used as a parish church. Other remains of the abbey can be found in a Country Park to the east of the church and include the twelve-sided chapter-house and vestibule.

Margam Castle - Background Notes

Writing from Rome in the Winter of 1771, Thomas Mansel Talbot expressed a declining interest in Margam and its dilapidated, rambling old mansion, stating in a later letter "I leave Margam for Penrice with very little reluctance." He demolished Margam House, the historic home of his Mansel forebears between 1786-1793 having built a villa in the classical style at Penrice. On the site, Talbot constructed Margam's magnificent Georgian Orangery, the finest example of late eighteenth century architecture in South Wales.

Almost forty years later, his son Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot formulated plans for a grandiose new mansion in a prominent position overlooking the park at the foot of the wooded Iron Age Hill fort of Mynydd Y Castell. He developed and revitalised the Margam Estate, a work continued by his daughter Emily Charlotte in a manner befitting this ancient family seat.

C. R. M. Talbot was born on the 10th May 1803 at Penrice, Gower, the only son of Thomas Mansel Talbot (1747-1813) and Lady Mary Talbot (1776-1855). His early years were spent at Penrice before being sent to a private school at Wimbourne in Dorset. T. M. Talbot, who was responsible for building the villa at Penrice and Margam's magnificent Orangery died in 1813, his vast estates being left in trust for his son.

On the 28th December 1835, he married Lady Charlotte Butler, daughter of the Earl of Glengall, at Cahir House, County Tipperary, the ceremony conducted by his close friend, the Reverend Calvert Jones. There were four children from the marriage, Theodore, Emily Charlotte, Bertha Isobella (who married John Fletcher of Saltoun) and Olivia. Lady Charlotte died in 1846 whilst at malta. Two years later, Talbot was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan.

Keenly interested in the new art of photography, he encouraged his relatives William Henry Fox Talbot and John Dillwyn Llewellyn in their experiments. Fox Talbot produced some early views of the south west facade of Margam Castle. After perfecting his techniques, Fox Talbot revealed his findings to the public in 1839.

The main entrance was on the north, with terraces to the south and west, broad flights of steps and a gravelled walkway leading to the 'pleasure grounds'. The interior decoration rivalled that of the impressive exterior, the main family rooms including a library, drawing, dining, morning and business or muniment rooms, many decorated with carved woodwork, panelling, gilded plasterwork, stained glass windows and marble fireplaces, the whole dominated by the central staircase tower. A number of bedrooms were decorated in the fashionable styles of the period - these were the Chinese, Tapestry, Yellow and Green bedrooms. Furnishings were fine tapestries, antiques and works of art purchased at auctions at home and abroad.

The domestic offices comprised a vast kitchen, scullery, pantries, stillroom, housekeeper's room, steward's room, housemaids' sitting room, storerooms, butler's pantry, plate safe and extensive cellars. Adjoining the house, around a paved courtyard, were the brewery, laundry and bakehouse, while the castle yard contained the gunroom, harness room, coach houses and stables. Land agents, gamekeepers, woodmen, butler, housekeeper and other household servants were essential to maintain the estate in good order and keep life flowing smoothly. These officials and employees frequently had to be housed, clothed and fed, in many instances giving the estate a lifetime's service.

In 1814, Christopher was sent to Harrow School, followed by a period of private tutor ship under the supervision of a Mr. Lipscomb of Fulham, London, before entering Oriel College Oxford in 1820, graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in mathematics in 1824. The same year he came of age and inherited his vast estates, the occasion being celebrated with great festivities. At Margam, the British Ensign was hoisted on Mynydd Castell, the village decorated with ribbons and garlands and three hundred and fifty tenants and guests attended a banquet presided over by the land agent, Griffith Llewellyn and the vicar, the Reverend Bruce Knight.

Later that year, accompanied by several travelling companions, a cruise of the Mediterranean and an extended tour of several European countries was undertaken and a number of art purchases were made to add to an extensive family collection housed at Penrice. Returning to Britain, Talbot focused his attention on the management and improvement of his estates, determined to combine his responsibilities with the continued pursuit of his favourite leisure pastimes, especially yachting. At Margam he bred horses for racing and hunting, kept a pack of fox hounds and was a frequent visitor to the fashionable Glamorgan races. Like his father, Talbot farmed much of the park and its surrounds. At the outset, he determined to stop indulgences which tenants and employees considered a right. The villagers were forbidden their practice of allowing pigs to root about in the Great Wood and Crook the gardener was prohibited from growing potatoes in the nursery ground.

Within a few years, Talbot formulated grandiose plans for a new mansion at Margam. An immediate problem was the shortage of funds and ready cash which Talbot attributed to those "who had held the purse strings in his minority, and their desire to get rid of ready cash by any means possible". The land agent, Griffith Llewellyn, was instructed to strictly curtail estate finances and Talbot, aboard his yacht Galatea at Corfu, offered to have his annual expenditure reduced to two thousand pounds. Consideration was given to discharging estate employees, casual work rates were reduced and even the possibility of dismissing a ploughman engaged by the family for forty years was discussed.

Financial difficulties overcome, the 1830s were to witness the realisation of the young squire's dreams of building a Tudor-Gothic mansion at the foot of the Iron Age hill fort of Mynydd y Castell. Its construction, and the creation of the pleasure grounds removed the last vestiges of the gardens created by the Mansels.

Work began on clearing the site in 1827, the road from Llangynwyd to Taibach being diverted in 1829, to avoid crossing the park. The house was completed between 1830-1839, with work continuing on the terraces, outbuildings and lodges into the 1840s. Much material came from the estate: stone from Pyle quarry, timber from the estate woodlands, and bricks from a kiln specially built at Margam. Talbot chose as his architect, Thomas Hopper, (1776-1856) best known for his work at Penrhyn Castle in North Wales, at Carlton House in London for the Prince Regent, (later George IV) and at Windsor Castle. Its young owner greatly influenced the eventual design, the exterior showing numerous heraldic shields and carved faces, relating to the history of Margam and the Mansel-Talbot families.

When visiting Margam during its construction, Talbot resided at Margam Cottage, an unpretentious dwelling on the perimeter of the park In 1835 he married Lady Charlotte Butler (1809-1846), daughter of the first Earl of Glengall, at Cahir House, County Tipperary, the service being conducted by his close friend and associate, the Rev. Calvert Jones. There were four children from the marriage, Theodore, Emily Charlotte, Bertha Isabella (who married John Fletcher of Saltoun) and Olivia. Lady Charlotte died in 1846 whilst at Malta. Two years later Talbot was appointed Lard Lieutenant of Glamorgan.

By the spring of 1836, fires were first lit in the 'Great House'. The 'coccle', a central heating system based on hot air, was in operation and pipes laid to convey water. Margam now replaced Penrice as Talbots' principal residence.

Work continued on the house and outbuildings for a further eight years. With Francis Bray carving old oak for the entrance hall, furniture and picture frames, and Daniel Jackson, a mason from Cumberland, cleaning, polishing and working marble, Talbot's house, with its mock battlements, turrets, pinnacles and majestic central octagonal tower, was complete, at a cost in excess of fifty thousand pounds.

By the early l840s most of Margam village had been demolished, including the Comer House Inn, with the inhabitants being rehoused at Groes wound the unusual octagonal Beulah Chapel. Four of the old almshouses were to remain, later serving as a bothy for the gardeners, and fishpond was constructed by excavating and damming the marshy lower reaches of Cwm Philip, its waters ultimately intended to supply the fountains added to the terrace of the Orangery in 1851-53.

During this period, Talbot turned his attention to politics becoming liberal M.P. for Glamorgan in 1830, claiming the seat vacated by his step-father Sir Christopher Cole, which he was to retain for 59 years. The following year he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society, its members including such distinguished figures as Humphrey Davy, Michael Faraday and his cousin William Henry Fox Talbot.

One of the first to recognise the benefits of improved transportation and its potential for industrial growth, he was responsible for introducing and supporting a Bill of 1834, for the improvement of the old harbour of Aberavon. A later Bill of 1836, allowed further expansion and the change of name to Port Talbot in his honour. The development of Swansea Docks was actively encouraged and it was his daughter, Emily Charlotte who performed the opening ceremony of the new South Dock in 1859. In 1838 he purchased the Copper Works at Taibach and later sold it to Messrs Vivian and Sons.

Talbot was a pioneer in the introduction of railways to South Wales, and he was chairman and major shareholder in the South Wales Railway. When, in 1849, the proposed line was halted for lack of funds, he provided the whole of the capital needed to complete the project (estimated at £500,000), and actively encouraged friends and associates to invest in the venture. In June 1850 the line was complete from the outskirts of Swansea to Hagloe, twelve miles from
Gloucester, and on the morning of June 18th Talbot, his fellow directors, distinguished guests and chief engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel set forth from Chepstow on the seventy-five mile journey to the western terminus at Swansea. A great influx of visitors, estimated at 20,000, thronged the streets of Swansea, and spectators covered the local hills and every vantage point to witness the historic event. The train arrived shortly after one o'clock, having completed the journey in four hours, and the directors, their guests, and local dignitaries, numbering over seven hundred, were entertained to a lavish breakfast provided by the Mayor and Borough of Swansea in a marquee on the Burrows. The return journey by special train to Chepstow was completed in three hours.

When the South Wales Railway merged with the Great Western Railway in 1863, Talbot became a director and induced the board to purchase the Vale of Neath Railway. At the time of his death the value of his holding of Great Western Railway stock was estimated at one million pounds.

The Mansel-Talbots had, from an early date, involved themselves in industrial enterprises, granting numerous leases on their lands for iron and copper works and the extraction of coal, iron and limestone. Hence non-agricultural profits rose dramatically during the nineteenth century as industrial activity increased, and payments came from sleeping and surface rents, wayleaves and the royalties paid on minerals extracted by estate tenants and lessees. The land agents were expected to direct and supervise this expansion, which involved them in the negotiation of leases, the collection of rents and royalties, legal wrangles and the mountains of correspondence that ensued from such dealings.

The threat of invasion by the French in 1859, prompted the formation of a large detachment of Volunteers at Margam, which later became the 1st Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers, Talbot assuming command with the rank of Captain. Drills, manoeuvres and rifle competitions being regularly held in the park.

Yachting was Talbot's lifetime passion, owning and racing several yachts, including the Giulia, the Galatea, the Capricorn, and the luxury paddle steamer, the Lynx. In 1823 he was elected a member of the Royal Yacht Club (later the Royal Yacht Squadron), and he was its Vice Commodore from 1851 - 1861. The Squadron was based at Cowes and its regattas and races were held around the Isle of Wight and in the nearby coastal waters. The Galatea, one of the fastest yachts of its day, had once provided signal service by conveying important Government despatches to England in January 1828, the 179 ton schooner, arriving at Southampton in six days from Gibraltar at an average speed of eight knots, faster than any British man of war.

Talbot was one of the few gentlemen to participate in 'private matches', the most notable being in 1834 when the Galatea and Lord Belfast's Waterwitch took part in a race from the Nab to the Eddystone and back. The result was a victory for the Waterwitch, after two day's hard sailing in rough weather. In 1869 aboard the Lynx he attended the opening of the Suez Canal, accompanied by members of his family and several i