The seat of the Morgan family for more than 500 years, Tredegar House is a stone and red-brick 17th-century building set amid extensive gardens, 2 miles west of Newport city center. It is among the finest examples of a Restoration mansion in Britain and the oldest parts date to the 1670s. The National Trust took over management of the property in late 2011 and has done a great job bringing the fascinating stories of its owners to life.
The Morgans, once one of Wales' richest families, were an interesting lot. Sir Henry was a 17th-century pirate (Captain Morgan's Rum is named after him); Godfrey, the second Lord Tredegar, survived the Charge of the Light Brigade; and Viscount Evan was an occultist, a Catholic convert and a twice-married homosexual who kept a boxing kangaroo.
Ground-floor highlights include the sumptuous grand dining room and adjoining "gilt room," blanketed in gold-leaf and with paintings of bare-breasted mythological figures.
The decor of the upstairs bedrooms fast-forwards in time to the 1930s, when Evan Morgan was hosting his fabulous parties at Tredegar. For the full Downton Abbey experience, head "below stairs" to explore the preserve of the Morgan's numerous servants.
The house was temporarily closed at the time of research; grounds remain open.
