Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Sleeping at St. Donat's Castle

#9 on my list of things to do before I die was accomplished a couple days ago.  Friday, Feb. 12th I was asked to be the guest lecturer for the Atlantic College students for their Friday evening lectures.  I also had the opportunity to sleep over in the "Lloyd George room" so named because the famous Prime Minister slept there.  Supposedly Charlie Chaplain once took a bath in the huge tub in the room as well.

This castle is one of the oldest castles still being inhabited in the UK.  William Randolph Hearst bought the castle and it become his playground for a time.  Other ancient building were dismantled and brought to Llantwit Major in the most southerly part of Wales to enlarge the castle.  The room I lectured in was one of these rooms.  Known as Bradenstoke Hall it was once Bradenstoke Abbey.

Special thanks to all the students I hung out with for the two days there.  I had a blast.


The bathroom in the Lloyd George room was a bit outrageous.  Even the toilet was named "The Venerable"  That reminded me of St. Bede, but I probably shouldn't have had that thought in my head.

2 comments:

  1. That was no ordinary toilet in the castle - that was an original "crapper"! You were well honoured. Lloyd George apparently had a habit of sleeping all over the place. Such Infamy, though I suppose some good eventually came of it; I was taught by one of his bastard sons who became headteacher of my junior school. LOL :D

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  2. The former owner Hearst was notorious for his parties at St. Donat's, so other infamous people staying there is not a surprise. There are secret passage ways throughout the castle for such shinanigans to have taken place. I had a tour which included a few of those passage ways.

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