Miskin Manor has a long and fascinating history dating back to the 10th Century when Wales was divided into Cwmwds (sections). One of these Cwmwds was Miskin. It is believed that the place name evolved from ‘Maes Cun’, meaning ‘Lovely plain’.

Around 1100, Nest, a daughter of the Prince of Glamorgan, lived at Miskin with her husband and occupied the Lordship and Manor of that name. Later, the ‘Bassets’ occupied the house for six generations, who sold it to David Williams in 1857.

As a well-known Welsh bard with the Bardic title of Alaw Goch, David Williams was a philanthropist to whom the National Eisteddfod owes a great deal. Miskin Manor was rebuilt and extended under his ownership in 1864, and the work was continued by his son, Judge Gwilym Williams, whose wife, strangely enough, was a descendant of Nest. Judge Gwylim’s statue stands outside the law courts in Cardiff.

The Manor then passed on to Sir Rhys Williams, whose wife, Juliet, was the daughter of the novelist Elinor Glyn. Under the ownership of Sir Rhys, the Manor saw a great deal of society life and even had the honour of entertaining the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII) on one of his trips to Wales in the 1920s. On Sir Rhys’ death, the Manor was passed on to Sir Brandon Rhys Williams.

The Manor has suffered two major fires this century, threatening its future. The first, in 1922, destroyed all but the external walls. The photographs on the ground floor of Miskin Manor illustrate the extent of the damage. The second fire occurred in 1952, shortly after which the house was transformed from a convalescent home into post-war flats.

From being a wartime hospital to many fires and deaths, it’s no surprise that this ancient manor house has spooky tales and is rated as one of Wales’ top nine haunted buildings.

Bangs, knocks, shadows passing the corridors, and items being moved are all but a few of the spooky occurrences at Miskin Manor, and many staff have reported strange happenings.