Gwrych Castle

Gwrych Castle is a Grade 1 listed 19th century mock castle near Abergele in Conwy county borough, North Wales.

The castle was built between 1819 and 1825 at the behest of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh, grandfather of Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald. From 1894 until 1924, when the Countess died, it was the residence of the Dundonald family. The Countess left the castle in her will to King George V and the then Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VIII). However, the gift was refused and the castle passed to the Venerable Order of Saint John. In 1928, the Earl of Dundonald purchased the castle for £78,000, selling the contents to meet the cost. cite web| title =Castle to be auctioned for £1.5m | publisher =BBC News website | date= 29 March 2006 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/4856126.stm | accessdate =2007-04-30 ]

During World War II, the Government used the castle to house 200 Jewish refugees. cite web| title =Welsh haven for Jewish children | publisher =BBC News website| date= 26 January 2006| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/4648406.stm| accessdate =2007-04-30 ] Following the war, the castle left the Dundonald family and it was open to the public for twenty years. It was called "The Showpiece of Wales" at this time and attracted many visitors. cite web| title =Money boost for castle ruin fight | publisher =BBC News website | date= 11 May 2005 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/4534585.stm| accessdate =2007-04-30 ] It was also used as a training venue for the English World Middleweight boxing champion Randy Turpin in the early 1950s. In the early 60s it was an occasional venue for the famous motorcycle dragon rally.

The castle was last open to the public in 1985, and started to decline. The castle was bought in 1989 by an American businessman (Nick Tavaglione Fact|date=May 2007) for £750,000. However, his plans to renovate the building were not carried out. As a result, the castle was extensively looted and vandalised, becoming little more than a derelict shell, although it was used in 1996 as the backdrop for Prince Valiant, a film starring Edward Fox and Joanna Lumley.

During the period of Tavaliogne's ownership, a historian, Mark Baker, campaigned for it to be brought back to its days of glory - a campaign that he started when he was twelve years old. cite web| title =Teenager leads castle preservation campaign| publisher =BBC News website| date= 27 October 1999 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/486911.stm | accessdate =2007-04-30 ] He was also instrumental in forming the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, dedicated to ensuring the castle's future. The condition of the property was monitored by the Trust, who eventually forced the American owner to put it up for sale.

Clayton Hotels bought the castle in June 2006 for £850,000 after it failed to reach its £1.5m reserve price at the 2 June auction. On 30 April 2007 Clayton Hotels announced a 3 year project, costing £6,000,000, to renovate the castle and convert it into a 90 bedroom, 5 Star hotel, creating 100 jobs. The project is subject to planning permission, but has the approval of the Trust. cite web | title =Gothic castle to be luxury hotel | publisher =BBC News website| date= 30 April 2007| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6608035.stm| accessdate =2007-04-30 ]

The Gwrych Castle Trust Archive and the National Library of Wales hold important materials relating to Gwrych, including numerous original plans and various designs for the stained glass windows.

References

Books about Gwrych Castle

*"The Rise and Fall of Gwrych Castle including Winifred, Countess of Dundonald- A Biography" by M Baker
*"Gwrych Castle - A Pictorial History" by M Baker
*"Myths and Legends of Gwrych Castle" by M Baker

External links

* [http://www.claytonhotels.co.uk Gwrych Castle Hotel]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2768179 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Gwrych Castle]
* [http://www.gwrychtrust.co.uk Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust]
* [http://www.gwrych.org.uk Gwrych Castle Website]