St Donat's Castle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle, 1774

St Donat's Castle, 1774

Creation time : 12th century
Standing position : Aristocratic residence
Geographical location 51 ° 24 '6.6 "  N , 3 ° 32' 0"  W Coordinates: 51 ° 24 '6.6 "  N , 3 ° 32' 0"  W.
St Donat's Castle (United Kingdom)
St Donat's Castle

St Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales . It is about 25 kilometers west of Cardiff on the Bristol Channel near the town of Llantwit Major . Since 1962 it has hosted the international high school Atlantic College .

Owner and history

Donat's Castle

The keep and inner wall are the oldest surviving parts of the castle and were built by the de Hawey family in the late 12th century. In 1298 the property passed through the marriage of Joan de Hawey to Sir Peter Stradelinges , a knight originally from the Bernese Oberland . The castle remained in the possession of the Stradling family until the childless death of Thomas Stradling, 6th Baronet in 1738 , after which it passed to Sir John Tyrwhitt. Archbishop James Ussher lived in the castle for some time during the English Civil War .

Then the castle fell into disrepair. Partial restoration was carried out by Dr John Nicholl Carne who bought the castle in 1862. Morgan Williams, the owner from 1901 to 1909, carried out extensive restoration work.

St Donat's Castle, 1775

After seeing photographs in Country Life magazine , newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst bought the castle in 1925. He spent a fortune renovating and modernizing the castle. He brought the electricity not only to St Donat's Castle, but also to the entire area. Hearst spent a lot of time with influential people at his castle, which has since been converted into a palace-like country estate. His parties with famous names like Charlie Chaplin , Douglas Fairbanks and the young John F. Kennedy were well known.

After the Hearst Empire ran into financial difficulties, the castle was put up for sale. However, during World War II it was requisitioned by British and American troops. After Hearst died in 1951, the castle was bought by Antonin Besse in 1960 and given to the board of trustees of Atlantic College.

St Donat's Arts Center

St Donat's Arts Center , a professionally equipped theater, is located on the castle grounds . Dating back to the 14th century tithe barn (Tithe Barn) was extended with a modern glass extension which today offers impressive views across the sea to Exmoor offers. The center offers a variety of exhibitions, festivals and live shows.

United World College of the Atlantic

The castle now houses the Atlantic College founded by Kurt Hahn . The Atlantic College is the first of seventeen today (as of 05/2018) of the so-called United World Colleges . Schoolchildren from over 120 countries learn and live here together for two years. You graduate from school with the International Baccalaureate . The aim is to raise young people to be more tolerant and responsible through international education, shared experiences and social engagement.

Haunted stories

St. Donat's Castle is considered to be one of the most haunted places in Wales. A variety of haunted stories are told. At the beginning of the 20th century an exorcism is said to have been carried out that made various apparitions disappear.

literature

  • Alan Hall: St Donat's Castle - a guide and brief history. Atlantic College, 2002.
  • Christian Hesse: strategies of survival. Challenges for the lower nobility in the 13th / 14th centuries Century . In: Christian Hesse, Annelies Hüssy (Hrsg.): Noble self-assertion and courtly representation. The barons of Strättligen . Hier + Jetzt, Baden 2013, ISBN 978-3-03919-288-5 , p. 13-31 .
  • Roy Denning, John B. Hilling et al. a .: The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College. With a foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales. Brown in conjunction with Stewart Williams, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 .

Web links

Commons : St Donats Castle  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hesse 2013: p. 22.
  2. ↑ Glammor Williams: The Stradling Family . In: Roy Denning (Ed.): The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College . Brown, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 , pp. 17-53 (English). P. 51.
  3. ↑ Glammor Williams: The Stradling Family . In: Roy Denning (Ed.): The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College . Brown, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 , pp. 17-53 (English). P. 47.
  4. ↑ John B. Hilling: The Buildings of St. Donat’s . In: Roy Denning (Ed.): The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College . Brown, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 , pp. 85-118 (English). P. 3.
  5. ↑ Howard C. Jones: WR Hearst and St. Donat’s . In: Roy Denning (Ed.): The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College . Brown, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 , pp. 69-83 (English). P. 69.
  6. ^ Nathan Bevan: Lydia Hearst is queen of the castle . Wales On Sunday. August 3, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  7. ↑ Howard C. Jones: WR Hearst and St. Donat’s . In: Roy Denning (Ed.): The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College . Brown, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 , pp. 69-83 (English). P. 83.
  8. ^ David Sutcliffe: The First Twenty Years of the United World Colleges . In: Roy Denning (Ed.): The Story of St. Donat's Castle and Atlantic College . Brown, Cambridge 1983, ISBN 0-905928-26-1 , pp. 85-118 (English). P. 86.
  9. ↑ Marc Alexander: St. Donat's Castle . In: Haunted Castles . Muller, London 1974, ISBN 0-584-10112-0 , pp. 233-234 (English).