Ruperra Castle 100 years ago
In 1900 the 53000 acre Tredegar Estate was flourishing. Its daily income was £1000 with £2.5 million in cash in the Bank.
The Morgans’ place amongst the British aristocracy was secured when Sir Charles Morgan Robinson Morgan, grandson of the Gould Morgans became the first Baron Tredegar in 1859. His sons, Godfrey and Frederick were heroic survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean war.
Godfrey as the heir in waiting lived at Ruperra until moving to Tredegar House as Lord Tredegar in 1875. Known as Godfrey the Good he believed that with great wealth came great responsibilities. Did this include in 1908 updating the steam generators which supplied electricity to the buildings on the Ruperra site? His brother Colonel Freddie who lived there with his family had not spent much money on repairs. When he died unexpectedly in 1909, his son Commander Courtenay Morgan continued to improve Ruperra to provide a beautiful home for his son Evan when he married, unaware that Evan disliked country life and did not want to live there. So servants were employed to maintain the historic castle, the beautiful glass house and gardens, the updated Bothy, a two story stable block and coach house and a new pump house and reservoir. The family and their guests visited for country pursuits into the 1930s.
Courtenay was a Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and in 1914 had bought Pullitzer’s yacht “Liberty”, one of the largest steam yachts of its day. But before he could adjust to life as the generous and charitable owner of a large estate, with plenty of opportunity for his favourite pursuits of hunting and shooting, World War I broke out. He transformed the “Liberty” at his own expense into Hospital Ship No 10 able to hold 800 men. After the war he refitted her as a private yacht and sailed her round the world twice visiting every colony in the British Empire before selling her in 1920.
In 1935 a year after Courtenay died, the trustees of the Tredegar Estate tried to sell Ruperra, concerned by the effect of the 30% landowners’ death duties after three Morgan deaths. On failing, the contents of the house were sold and negotiations followed with the Ministry of Defence to requisition Ruperra, ideally suited for training soldiers for the coming war. Any remaining luxury items were removed or covered up when the first regiment of soldiers moved in.
Evan, the new Lord Tredegar, had to visit Ruperra sooner than he thought in 1941 when the South Tyne Electrical Engineers were stationed there. Some stayed at the castle servicing by lorry the Searchlight crews camping in the area the nearest being a muddy field by the Black Cock Inn on Caerphilly Mountain.
What happened next is best explained in a letter from a Tyneside Soldier, Lance Robinson of North Shields, North Tyneside.
Dear Sir,
A Welsh friend of mine, who lives now in my home town, has shown me a photo of your model of ‘Ruperra Castle.’
I know that we ‘Geordies’ speak a special kind of language but to be taken as Dutchmen came as a bit of a surprise. What I mean is that we were British soldiers that were there the night the castle took fire and not the poor Dutch who were blamed for it.
The fire brigades came from all over South Wales, even from England, if I remember. I sent a cutting from the newspaper to my Dad of the facts of the episode. The officer who was injured was one of the local Rugby players from Tyneside.
After the fire, we had to live in the stables.
The castle was beautiful – the grand room upstairs had a sprung floor for dancing I presume although I cannot remember a dance. The men who were billeted in the Castle were very upset, the day after the fire, to see the place gutted. .
As far as we know the fire started in the attics and some of the lads who could not get out by the staircase owing to the rafters falling on to the stairs had to lower themselves out of the upstairs windows. My brother and I came out that way, also our pet dog Taffy, who behaved wonderfully well.
The officer who visited us after the fire, I was told was Lord Tredegar;he seemed very concerned regarding the comfort of the soldiers.
I am very sorry to see that the castle has been left to neglect as I used to love to look around it and the surrounding area. The locals were very nice people and I liked the club.
I hope this puts the facts right.
Yours truly
Lance Robinson
Ex Sgt R.e.s
Look out for Ruperra Trust events about the Fire after Covid.
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