Celtic Manor
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Celtic Manor Resort is a
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
, spa and leisure
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
and resort in the city of Newport, South East
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. Owned by Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch Hill in eastern Newport, near Junction 24 of the M4 motorway. The golf courses run over the north-facing side of Christchurch Hill down into the Vale of Usk, overlooking the Wentwood
escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...
. The resort's area is circa . Formerly the site of several Roman roads, the site's redevelopment has been overseen on occasion by the
Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Morgannwg-Gwent) is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in 1975 as part of the Welsh Archaeological Trusts. The Trust is a charitable company (Registered in ...
. The location has been occupied since at least 1634, when it was a residence. A manor house was built in 1860 and it passed through multiple tenants, was expanded circa 1915, and was the location of a hospital between 1940 and 1975. In 1980, Matthews (who had been born at the hospital) bought and financed the refurbishment and expansion of the manor house, and it opened as the Celtic Manor Hotel in 1982. The hotel was continually redeveloped throughout the next decades. In 2010, the resort hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup and in 2014, the resort hosted the 2014 NATO summit. The Wales Open is played at the site annually. The properties consist of four hotels, a country inn, luxury lodges, two spas, six restaurants, three championship golf courses, two golf and country clubhouses, high ropes courses, adventure golf, laser tag, archery and the International Convention Centre Wales.


History


Early history

During the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
, the Via Julia Augusta and several other Roman roads ran through the location to local Roman towns. The
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
was built in 1860 by coal baron Thomas Powell, from the
South Wales coalfield The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, espe ...
. The house was originally known as Coldra House, later renamed to Coldra Hall. Powell's son Thomas Powell Jnr and his bride Julia Jenkins were given the mansion as a wedding gift. However, Powell Jnr, his wife, and his son were murdered during an 1869 trip to then- Abyssinia, after which the house was leased to various tenants until 1915. The Firbank family rented 1900 until 1915, after which the hall was sold to Sir John Beynon, a local coal and shipping businessman who was the son of then-Sheriff Sir John Wyndham Beynon; Beynon added an additional wing. In the 1930s, Beynon donated the house to the local health authority and it became the Lydia Beynon Maternity Hospital, named in honour of his mother, in 1940. Over 60,000 babies were born there, including the present owner Sir Terry Matthews. It closed as a hospital in 1975.


Hotel development

Under the Celtic Inns group, Matthews bought the Manor House in 1980 for an estimated £290,000, investing £100m for its redevelopment. Originally planned as a hotel with 17 bedrooms plus an 18-hole golf course, the hotel arm of Celtic Manor Hotel opened in 1982, though the golf courses were delayed until the 1990s. During that decade, the group added a three-storey extension which expanded capacity to 70 bedrooms. From 1983 to 1987, it received the Egon Ronay Guide awards for the best hotel in Wales for five consecutive years. In 1991 plans were unveiled to develop two new golf courses and a convention centre on land between the Manor House and the River Usk. Matthews had become friends with the late golf-course architect
Robert Trent Jones Robert Trent Jones Sr. (June 20, 1906 – June 14, 2000) was a British–American golf course architect who designed or re-designed more than 500 golf courses in 45 U.S. states and 35 countries. In reference to this, Jones took pride in sayi ...
whose family roots were in Aberystwyth. Work began on the Roman Road course in 1992 – named after the nearby historical road connecting the former Roman fortress of Caerleon with the town of
Caerwent Caerwent ( cy, Caer-went) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It was founded by the Romans as the market town of ''Venta Silurum'', an important sett ...
. By 1994, work had commenced on the 400-bedroom Resort Hotel, as well as a £10-million golf clubhouse and the Coldra Woods golf course. The new development was completed and opened in 1999, adding 330 rooms. The former Celtic Manor Hotel was renamed "The Manor House" to distinguish it from the new "Resort Hotel." In 2001, the Resort won the bid to host the 2010 Ryder Cup. To prepare, The Twenty Ten Course, designed by Ross McMurray, was built as part of a £16 million development, the first golf course to be purpose-built for the event. The development included a 120-metre-long £2m twin-suspension bridge, the course and a new clubhouse and surrounding infrastructure, which was promised as part of the bid. The new bridge, The Twenty Ten Bridge, links the practice ground to the golf course across the River Usk and was officially opened by the First Minister of Wales,
Carwyn Jones Carwyn Howell Jones (born 21 March 1967) is a Welsh politician who served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 2009 to 2018. He served as Counsel General for Wales from 2007 to 2009. Jones served as the Member of the S ...
. In 2019 the Twenty Ten Bridge was closed to the public in the form of two high sided gates. The Resort stated that any users accessing the bridge would be at risk of being hit by stray golf balls, due to the bridge being built next to the driving range. The closure has left the village of Caerleon with no pathway access to the Resort and its facilities, requiring patrons to take vehicular transport.


2010 archaeological and heritage site

In July 2010 a bitter dispute developed between Matthews and
Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...
's planning committee which refused permission for Matthews to demolish or move a ruined Grade-II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
from a position overlooking the 18th green, a farmhouse dating back to 1630, described by Matthews as "damaging to the image of the entire nation". The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings said: "The problematic situation is entirely of the owner’s own making and refusal to safeguard the listed building over many years. It cannot be right to reward this by agreeing to a proposal to simply move a listed building out of the way." It being known that a Roman settlement had been located at Great Bulmore, the
Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Morgannwg-Gwent) is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in 1975 as part of the Welsh Archaeological Trusts. The Trust is a charitable company (Registered in ...
was appointed by the Celtic Manor Resort to oversee archaeological considerations prior to the course construction. The Trust worked closely with the designers to ensure the preservation of historic material and features. When a Roman pottery
kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...
was found during the construction of one of the greens, the green was redesigned to avoid it.Background to Celtic Manor area
at Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
While as much as possible of the potential archaeology was identified at the design stage, watching briefs were carried out during construction, since other structures might be discovered. As a result, construction work was halted in sensitive areas to give time to excavate features, including a second Roman pottery kiln with a probable workshop building and a Roman drying kiln. On the site of the new coach park, a small square tower-like building was found well to the north of any Roman activity previously discovered. It lay alongside a lightly metalled track, that must have branched off the Caerleon to Usk road. There has been some argument as to whether it was military—a Roman watch tower ( Castellum) for example—or whether it was a mausoleum where someone of importance had been buried. In the rubble that overlay the building were two pieces of an inscription, with a few letters on each. They were found to fit together, and Roger Tomlin, of the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
interpreted them as part of a verse referring to 'unjust fate', which could support the mausoleum theory.


Modern day and event hosting

The Wales Open was played at the site from 2000 to 2014 until the event was canceled, and once again in 2020 due to a COVID19-induced European tour revamp. In 2010, the resort hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup. The resort hosted a special stage during the 2012 Wales Rally GB. In 2014, the resort hosted the 2014 NATO summit. In June 2012, Matthews and the hotel announced a £160M 10-year plan for developing the hotel as a resort. Creating 230 new permanent jobs, and 700 in construction and supply during the development, the additions were to include 10 luxury 5-star chalets, 40 luxury hill-top apartments, and Europe's longest zip-line attraction. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the Celtic Collection Group announced plans to lay off about 450 of its 995 full time staff. In response, local politicians and community members sent a letter urging Matthews, by then a billionaire, to "do whatever you can to save these jobs, even if it means using your own considerable personal fortune to do so."


Resort facilities

The resort has placed in lists of popular wedding destinations and beautiful hotels. Its hotel properties are noted as a 19th-century Manor House, a resort hotel, and two others. The Manor House contains several "period" rooms from the original building, with some containing
four-poster bed __NOTOC__ A four-poster bed is a bed with four vertical columns, one in each corner, that support a tester, or upper (usually rectangular) panel. This tester or panel will often have rails to allow curtains to be pulled around the bed. There ar ...
s. The restaurants include "The Olive Tree"
buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...
, the Asian-style "PAD", "The Grill", "Newbridge on Usk", Twenty Ten course clubhouse restaurant "Rafters", and
steak A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patti ...
restaurant "Steak on Six". The bars include piano and live music bar "Merlins", "The Cocktail Bar", sports bar "The Cellar Bar", "The Manor Bar / Lounge Bar", and "Spike" at the Twenty Ten course clubhouse. Other amenities on site include the aforementioned golf courses, a golf training academy, health clubs, a spa, a shopping centre, tennis courts, and mountain biking and nature trails. Off site, there is Lazer clay-pigeon shooting and fishing.


ICC Wales

The delegate conference suite has an exhibition hall and 40 function rooms. It has a 1,500 seat auditorium with 4,000 square metres of exhibition space, which is able to accommodate up to 2,700 guests opened in 2019. Opened in September 2019, it is a joint venture partnership with the Welsh Government. It has a total capacity of 4,000 delegates.


Golf


2010 Ryder Cup

In 2001 the resort won its bid to host the 2010 Ryder Cup. As a result much of the Wentwood Hills course was redeveloped into the Ryder Cup's first purpose-built venue; the "Twenty Ten" Course. An additional clubhouse built specifically for the Twenty Ten course was completed and opened in autumn 2007. The opening of the Ryder Cup, which ran from 27 September until 4 October 2010, saw a visit from
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
. Europe won the trophy by 14½ – 13½ points.


2000 PGA Cup

In 2000 Celtic Manor hosted the PGA Cup, the biennial contest between club professionals from
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
and Ireland against the United States. The USA won 13½ - 12½.


All*Star Cup

The Celtic Manor hosted the All*Star Cup, a celebrity golf tournament televised firstly on Sky One in 2005 and then ITV in 2006. In a similar vein to the Ryder Cup, it pitched European celebrity golfers against American counterparts. Celebrities such as
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...
,
Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series '' Sunday Nig ...
,
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...
and golfing enthusiast
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
took part.


Defunct courses

*Wentwood Hills – Opened in 1999 and was the venue for the
Celtic Manor Wales Open The Wales Open was a professional golf tournament on the European Tour played at the Celtic Manor Resort. It was played annually from 2000 to 2014, as part of a 15-year deal between the tour and the Celtic Manor Resort, that included staging the ...
, on the
European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fi ...
from 2000 to 2004. *Coldra Woods – a par-59 academy course for beginners that opened in 1996 and was replaced by The Montgomerie in July 2007.


Current courses

*The Twenty Ten – It was designed by Ross McMurray. Wentwood Hills has been extensively remodelled for the 2010 Ryder Cup Matches, making the new version the first course to be purpose-built for the biennial transatlantic tournament. Opened in 2007, the resultant course comprises nine pre-existing holes from the Wentwood Hills course and nine new ones. The layout is designed to allow large galleries to conveniently follow the small number of concurrent matches which are played during the Ryder Cup. The course has only one fairway crossing, and there are open views of the 16th, 17th and 18th holes, which are situated in an
amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
. The spectator capacity is 50,000. The course hosted the Wales Open tournament prior to the Ryder Cup. *Roman Road – opened in 1994. This par-70 championship course hosted the Wales Open in 2005, 2006 and 2007 during the conversion of Wentwood Hills into the Twenty Ten course. *The Montgomerie – this is a par-69 course designed by
Colin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE (born 23 June 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer. He has won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999. He has won 31 European Tour events ...
that opened in July 2007. The course incorporates elements of both Coldra Woods and Wentwood Hills.Colin Montgomerie – Coldra Woods, Celtic Manor


See also

*
List of golf courses in the United Kingdom This is a list of notable golf courses in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and Isle of Man). England Bedfordshire * Ashridge Golf Club * Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands Golf Club * Bedford & County Golf Club * Bedf ...


References


External links


Celtic Manor Resort website
*
Celtic Manor Blog

Celtic Manor Facebook

Celtic Manor Youtube
{{Ryder Cup venues, state=collapsed Golf clubs and courses in Wales Hotels in Wales Resorts in Wales Sports venues in Newport, Wales Companies based in Newport, Wales Rally GB Ryder Cup venues Landmarks in Newport, Wales Swimming venues in Newport, Wales Organisations based in Newport, Wales Wesley Clover Hotels established in 1982 1982 establishments in Wales