Nanteos, Grade I listed country house hotel in Llanfarian, Wales
Nanteos is a Grade I listed country house built in the English Palladian style in the 18th century, located near Aberystwyth in the Welsh village of Llanfarian. The three-story building has a symmetrical south-facing front with seven bays and sandstone detailing, and the grounds include outbuildings such as stables and a circular dovecote.
The house was built for the Powell family between 1739 and 1757, replacing an earlier structure on the same land that was recorded as far back as 1666. Further work was carried out in the 19th century, and the property eventually passed out of the Powell family line.
The Nanteos Cup, a medieval wooden bowl kept at the estate for centuries, was believed by local people to have healing powers. The sick would travel from far away to drink from it, and the bowl gradually wore down from use over the generations.
The mansion now operates as a country house hotel, so access to the interior is generally linked to a stay or booking. Guests and visitors arriving by car will find the main entrance through a lodge on the western side of the grounds.
The Nanteos Cup was so widely known that some traditions linked it to the Holy Grail, with stories of monks from Glastonbury bringing it to Nanteos for safekeeping during the reign of Henry VIII. The cup is now kept at a museum in Aberystwyth rather than at the house itself.
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