Fairytale ending for castle after years of neglect
Gwrych Castle has a rich and diverse history, with direct links to the British Royal Family.
It was built by Lloyd Hesketh BamfordHesketh between 1810-22, incorporating his ancestral home. The castle was the largest newly-built structure of the 19th century and was designed by several prominent architects including CA Busby, George Edmund Street and Thomas Rickman – major figures in the Gothic Revival movement.
The frontage stretches for more than 1,500ft with 18 battlemented towers and views over parkland towards the Irish Sea.
The main house is believed to have had 120 rooms, with a run of formal rooms on a main floor centring on the spectacular marble staircase designed by Arts and Crafts architect Detmar Blow in 1914. The castle and its setting are considered one of the finest examples of picturesque architecture in Britain.
It passed to Lloyd’s granddaughter Winifred, Countess of Dundonald in 1894. When she died in 1924, she left the castle in her will to King George V and the then Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VIII). It was the intention that Gwrych would become the family’s royal residence in Wales – however the gift was refused on the grounds of the economic downturn of the 1920s. The castle passed to the newly disestablished Church in Wales before being purchased in 1928 by the countess’ estranged husband Douglas, 12th Earl of Dundonald.
During the Second World War, the castle housed 200 Jewish refugee children as part of Operation Kindertransport. After the war the castle opened to the public as one of the first country houses in Britain to do so. It was used as a training venue by the English World Middleweight boxing champion Randolph Turpin in the early 1950s.
During the 1970s the castle was used as a medieval entertainment centre and was the first themed attraction of its kind in Britain.
The castle’s doors closed to the public in 1985 and it started to further decline. It was bought in 1989 by an American businessman but, sadly, plans to renovate the building didn’t progress. The castle was extensively looted and vandalised, reduced to a derelict shell. It was used as the backdrop to the 1996 film Prince Valiant, starring Edward Fox, Joanna Lumley and Katherine Heigl.
THE future of a Grade I-listed Welsh castle is secure after half a century of uncertainty. After having fallen into a perilous state of disrepair, the future of one of Wales’ most important and fairytale-like country houses is safe after it was bought by a preservation trust.
Gwrych Castle, Abergele, Conwy, has been purchased by the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust after the UK Government-funded National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) stepped in with the final piece of the financial jigsaw.
Speaking to the Western Mail, Dr Mark Baker, who set up the trust, said the castle will be open to the public from day one but some serious work will need to be done to make sure the building’s foundations are secure.
He said: “As a child, I would pass the castle every day to and from school, and at the age of 12 founded the castle trust. Now 21 years later, we are in a position to purchase and realise that vision. A huge vote of thanks must go to the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust for believing in our vision.”
NHMF has given a grant of £600,000 in addition to a major grant from the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, which has enabled the purchase to go ahead.
Sir Peter Luff, chair of NHMF, said: “Gwrych Castle is enchanting even in its sadly reduced state. The vision of Gwyrch Castle Preservation Trust to restore this spectacular building with a rich history and to open it again is inspiring. All of us at the National Heritage Memorial Fund felt compelled to support their ambition.”
Marcus Binney, executive president at SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said: “Gwrych Castle has been in serious danger for 40 years and has appeared in numerous SAVE reports on threatened historic buildings. We have supported and encouraged Mark Baker since he first took an interest in the castle aged 12. The acquisition of the castle by his preservation trust shows that determination, patience and resourceful thinking can save and revive great houses that have been in desperate straits for decades.”
The castle and grounds are currently open daily for visitors but sections of the main building are closed due to its derelict state.
It is hoped to open the main building eventually to visitors as part of a full restoration programme.