The present Newton House dates back to 1660 and Sir Edward Rice – the great-great-great-great-great grandfather of the present Lord Dynevor – the house has substantial 18th-century and Victorian Gothic additions.
In 1943 Newton House was a full-blown Army General Hospital, treating soldiers and prisoners of war.
Newton House has had something of an unhappy recent history. It was sold by the present Lord Dynevor in 1974 and suffered badly, falling into near ruinous disrepair. It was occupied by squatters for many years and was stripped of many of its original features. (No more than two people at a time are allowed on the top floor because the structure has been weakened by the removal of beams and joists for firewood!)
Mercifully, both the mediaeval castle and Newton House have recently been restored by Cadw and the National Trust respectively, who now run the park.
First Broadcast: 3rd February 2009