Nanteos Mansion
Brief History
Today Nanteos Mansion is one of the best places to eat in all of Aberystwyth, offering some of the finest locally produced cuisine, but this modern function doesn't seem to have been enough to chase away the past residents.
Construction on the house that stands today was finished in 1757 after 19 years of building work, with the stables being added in 1830 and the East wing and rear offices in 1841. There was however a settlement on this estate many years before the Nantoes mansion was built.
The area has been inhabited for since before Roman's arrived in Britain and has been associated with many legends and strange stories. The earliest official records of this particular piece of land having an estate on it is from 1665 when a man named Colonel John Jones, who was a Royalist during the civil war lived here.
The house passed through various owners until it landed in the hands of the Saxoncourt Group who now own the building and have it open to the public as a restaurant. They have also been known to allow paranormal investigations in the building with an episode of "Ghost Hunters International" being filmed here in 2008.
Is Nanteos Mansion Haunted?
The most famous legend associated with the estate comes from 1539, when a group of seven monks came to the estate after the dissolution of the monasteries. Since their lives were in danger they fled their original church with their most precious relic and came for sanctuary at Nanteos, and this relic is believed to be part of the Holy Grail itself.
The monks are the most commonly reported apparitions seen on the grounds, both inside and out and always described as wearing the classic robes and always walking somewhere, as if following a path they took regularly in life.
There's also a story about the two blacked out windows on the west side of the mansion. The one on the ground floor is still blacked but the one above it on the first floor has now been cleared. The story goes that when the Powell family owned the estate they were one day waiting for the arrival of Mr Powell to return from war.
His wife and daughter were looking out the two windows and saw him coming down the driveway, but a fox ran out in front of his horse causing it to bolt and it threw Mr Powell to the ground where he broke his neck and died instantly.
This is the most common story for the sounds of horse's trotting up the driveway when there is nothing there, which has scared many a guest.
Other than this there are a few tales of mysterious sounds, which include muffled conversations and the sound of harp music being played in the woods nearby.