Saturday, February 07, 2026
From conservatory to indian restaurant
It was constructed along with a clock tower by Spanish opera singer, Adelina Patti who, after the failure of her first marriage, and in search of privacy and good trout-fishing for her lover, married French tenor Ernest Nicolini, bought a Welsh country house overlooking the River Tawe near Penwyllt, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons.
The conservatory and clock tower cost £100,000, which she was able to pay for by doing just one tour of the USA in which she charged £1,000, or £60,000 now, per performance. As Wales-online says, in 1918, at the age of 75, she donated her winter garden conservatory, now known as the Patti Pavilion, to the people of Swansea.
The building was dismantled from its Swansea Valley location and re-erected overlooking the bay in Victoria Park, Swansea, two years later in 1920. The building has been used widely for rock concerts, festivals, cultural events and a variety of other uses. I recall seeing Bob Geldof and Man there amongst many others.
In 1994, it was given a superficial makeover by the BBC's Challenge Anneka. This caused a small controversy as the various local workmen changed the colour of the roof from red to green, an alteration that Cadw took unbrage with even though the original roof was made of glass.
Wikipedia records that the building was damaged by a suspected arson attack in 2006. It underwent a major £3m overhaul in 2009 after it became clear that it was not being utilised to its full potential. The project was funded by Swansea Council. Work began in late 2007 to extend the building by adding a new glass covered wing housing an Indian restaurant; Patti Raj, which has subsequently been rebranded as Adelinas Bar and Indian Kitchen.
The conservatory and clock tower cost £100,000, which she was able to pay for by doing just one tour of the USA in which she charged £1,000, or £60,000 now, per performance. As Wales-online says, in 1918, at the age of 75, she donated her winter garden conservatory, now known as the Patti Pavilion, to the people of Swansea.
The building was dismantled from its Swansea Valley location and re-erected overlooking the bay in Victoria Park, Swansea, two years later in 1920. The building has been used widely for rock concerts, festivals, cultural events and a variety of other uses. I recall seeing Bob Geldof and Man there amongst many others.
In 1994, it was given a superficial makeover by the BBC's Challenge Anneka. This caused a small controversy as the various local workmen changed the colour of the roof from red to green, an alteration that Cadw took unbrage with even though the original roof was made of glass.
Wikipedia records that the building was damaged by a suspected arson attack in 2006. It underwent a major £3m overhaul in 2009 after it became clear that it was not being utilised to its full potential. The project was funded by Swansea Council. Work began in late 2007 to extend the building by adding a new glass covered wing housing an Indian restaurant; Patti Raj, which has subsequently been rebranded as Adelinas Bar and Indian Kitchen.
