A JEWEL in the city's crown, Tredegar House has been a part of Newport's history for hundreds of years and remains one of its top tourist attractions.

The manor house was built by the Morgan family who came to South Wales in the early 15th century.

Today the house receives thousands of visitors each year who come to see its beautiful gardens and its 90-acre parkland.

The National Trust are now the guardians of the house and have just started a multi-million pound renovation project. Rhiannon Gamble, property operations manager at Tredegar House, said they are 'very proud' to be supporting the Backing Newport campaign.

"There is so much here for the people of Newport to be proud of and our team are passionate about being part of such a vibrant, bustling city," she said..

"Here at Tredegar House we are all about getting people up and into the great outdoors to explore the rich and influential history on their doorstep.

"There has been a house at this site since the medieval times and it is nearly as old as Newport city itself; the two have grown and evolved with one another. A majestic estate of more than a thousand acres has been reduced to just 90 as Newport and the wider South Wales area have expanded and developed over the years."

She added: "Tredegar House can now be found nestled between the busy M4 motorway and Duffryn housing estate; two features that may seem contrasting with the stately mansion house, but we are proud of this unique aspect and the history that has got us here."

The original building on the site of Tredegar House is believed to have been a medieval manor house. King Henry IV gave the manor house and surrounding land to Llewellyn ap Morgan in 1402, as a reward for collecting local taxes and being steward of the king’s land in South East Wales. But Llewellyn ap Morgan was forced to forfeit the land and property by Henry IV after he became a supporter of Owain Glyndwr.

The land was returned to the Morgan family by 1485, after Llewellyn’s descendant, John ap Morgan, had become a supporter of King Henry VII. The family by the 16th century were established as powerful gentry in South Wales and the medieval manor had been redeveloped as a fortified Tudor manor house.

Famously, King Charles I stayed for one night as the guest of Sir William Morgan in 1645 while he was in South Wales to recruit followers to the Royalist cause.

The Morgan family's wealth continued to grow and by the 17th century when the estate was owned by William Morgan, the grandson of Sir William, he decided to remodel Tredegar House by demolishing three quarters of the Tudor manor house to make way for the 17th red brick Restoration mansion which stands today.

During the Industrial Revolution, the Morgan family increased their wealth by exploiting the iron and coal beneath their South Wales land. But their wealth diminished to very little in barely 50 years through a combination of death duty payments and the extravagant lifestyles of Courtney Morgan, the third Lord Tredegar and his son Evan Morgan, the fourth Lord Tredegar.

The estate was virtually bankrupt by the time Evan died in 1949, but he is perhaps the one Morgan who stands out the most due to his eccentric lifestyle, which included keeping wild animals at the house including a boxing kangaroo.

The estate and title then passed to Evan’s elderly uncle Frederick, who kept the title until he died in 1954 but he passed the failing estate to his son John, Evan’s cousin. John then progressively sold off the land and property owned by the Morgans in South Wales, London and Scotland, including Tredegar House and grounds.

The house was then purchased by the Sisters of St Joseph in 1951, who initially used it as a Catholic Girls' Boarding School and subsequently the building became part of St Joseph’s High School, when the Catholic Secondary Schools in Newport were merged together on the site of Tredegar House and parkland in the 1960s.

It was acquired by Newport Council in 1974 before the National Trust assumed its management in 2012. The trust have embarked on a renovation project called lifting the lid which includes repairs to the mansion house roof which is currently leaking that will be completed in late 2017.

The newly watertight roof will also allow the house to become more energy efficient, reduce the humidity risk to the collection and allow for the repurposing and redecoration of the worst hit rooms.

Future proposals include the development of the laundry building next to the community allotment and glasshouses found in the Orchard Garden, the car park and the pathways in the public park.

Ms Gamble said the multi-million conservation plan is to safeguard Tredegar House into the 22nd century and beyond - to 'ensure it remains a special place for ever, for everyone.'

She added: "Tredegar House has had many owners over the years, but it has first and foremost belonged to the people of Newport.

"We feel privileged to be looking after this remarkable property and we feel the house, gardens and surrounding parkland are a tremendous asset to Newport and one in which the city should be immensely proud.

"We had nearly 90,000 people through our doors last season and we are on track to better that this year. It’s been fantastic for so many people from near and far to want to find out more about this fragment of Newport’s vast history.

"Many of our events here have become highlights in the Newport calendar, including our annual Pirate Day and our traditional Christmas weekends. We look forward to expanding our visitor offer in years to come and to ensure Tredegar House remains at the forefront of the growing tourism industry in the city."