Abergele
2019
In July 2019, we went on a family holiday to Abergele in North Wales. We stayed in a lovely self-catering house on the outskirts of Abergele. This was purely a holiday to relax and unwind. We had not had a proper family holiday for many years, so we were all looking forward to this time away.
While on this holiday, we visited various tourist attractions, but the one that grabbed my attention more than any other was Gwrych Castle just outside of Abergele.
A panoramic view of Gwrych Castle
History of Gwrych Castle
Gwrych Castle isn’t actually a castle, but a Grade 1 listed country house, which belonged to the Hesketh family, and is one of the first attempts at replicating true medieval architecture. It stands in 250 acres of grounds, which has some great views across the Irish Sea.
It was built between 1812 and 1822 as a memorial to the ancestors of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh. The original building was an Elizabethan house called ‘Y Fron (rounded hill), which by 1810 has fallen into dereliction.
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The castle eventually passed to the Earls of Dundonald by marriage to Winifred Bamford Hessketh.
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At the start of World War II, the castle was requisitioned as part of Operation Kindertransport.
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In 1946, the castle was sold by the Dundonald family, ending nearly 1000 years of continuous family ownership. Leslie Salts purchased the castle in 1948, who opened it as the ‘Showpiece of Wales’ for 20 years.
When it was sold by Salts in 1968, the castle was opened as a medieval entertainment venue, with jousting, banquets and markets taking place in the grounds. During this period the castle fell into slow disrepair, and saw the building shut to the public in 1985, with the final joust taking place in 1987.
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An American property company purchased the estate, to create an opera centre and hotel, but this never happened! The castle was asset stripped and vandalised. Its future became uncertain.
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In 1996, Mark Baker aged 11 years old, passed the castle daily, was appalled at the neglect and destruction he saw, he founded the Gwrych Casle Preservation Trust aged just 12. The formation of the Trust forced the absentee owner to sell the castle to Clayton Hotels in 2006, with plans to turn the building into a luxury hotel. Work began but due to the credit crunch, Clayton Hotels fell into receivership. Then a property developer purchased the building, they took the hotel through the planning process, then in 2018, the planning permission ran out, and the castle went to auction. With the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, the castle was purchased by Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust.
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The castle is open to the public, a reasonable admission price of £5 per adult and £2.50 per child (correct at time of publishing), with free parking. There is also an annual pass. All of which help towards the renovation of the castle. They also hold events throughout the year, to help raise funds.
In 2020, due to covid, all the events had to be cancelled. The only event that took place during the covid pandemic, was the 20th anniversary of I’m a celebrity get me out of here… I would like to point out, I am not a fan of any of these reality shows, so I did not watch it.. this programme is normally filmed in Australia, but due to restrictions due to covid, it was filmed at the castle.
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I hope that the future is good for Gwrych Castle, it is mainly ruins at the moment, with not many rooms you can actually go into, but it is well worth the visit. We only walked round the grounds immediately round the castle, and through the castle walkways, but there are so many more walks to be done within the grounds.
Conwy Castle
History of Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle was built at a cost of £15,000 (over £10 million in today’s money) by first master mason James of St George for King Edward l between 1283 and 1289 during the Kings conquest of Wales.
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In the winter of 1294-1295 the Castle withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn. In 1399 Richard ll was holed up in Conwy Castle. The Castle was occupied by Owain Glyndŵr for several months in 1401. After the outbreak of the English Civil War, forces loyal to Charles l occupied the Castle from 1642 until it surrendered to Parliamentary forces in 1646. The Castle was then partially slighted by Parliament, to prevent it being used in any further revolt. In 1665 it was completely ruined by the removal of its iron and lead which was then sold off.
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In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the Castle became a great destination for painters. Over the years visitor numbers grew, and in the second half of the 19th century restoration work was carried out. Then in the 21st century the Castle was managed by Cadw (Welsh for keeping/preserving) as a tourist attraction. Conwy Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe”.
Point of Ayr Lighthouse
History of Point of Ayr Lighthouse
Point of Ayr Lighthouse is Wales’ oldest lighthouse, it was built in 1776 by a Trust of the Major, Recorder and Aldermen of Chester to warn ships entering between the Dee and the Mersey Estuary. It was decommissioned in 1884. The lighthouse is now a Grade II listed building.
The lighthouse fell into dereliction until it was bought at auction in 1983 by James McAllister, owner of nearby Talacre Beach Leisure Park.
The lighthouse was listed on the property market in November 2011 by then owner James McAllister, along with two acres of land, for £100,000. It was eventually sold in April 2012 for £90,000 to a private couple who continue to own the property.
The lighthouse can only be accessed at low tide.
HAUNTING
Point of Ayr Lighthouse is said to be one of the most haunted structures in North Wales. Many sightings of a keeper, wearing a coat and cap, seen in broad daylight standing in front of the glass dome on the gallery walkway. Mediums have described sensing a presence of a man who had his heart broken. Others pick up the feeling of a man with a fever, reportedly how the old keeper passed.
Also a paranormal team of professionals went to investigate the sightings and supposedly contacted with the ghost, called Raymond, a lighthouse keeper who died of a fever while manning the light.
In August 2009, planning permission had been sought to erect a "human sculpture" inspired by the reported ghostly sightings on the lighthouse balcony. This application was made by then owner James McAllister who intended it to serve as a "serious art installation".
Local artist Angela Smith was contracted to design the 7 foot stainless steel ‘lighthouse keeper’ with the initial planning permission being approved for a three-year period. Permission was not sought to retain the structure after this point by the new owners.
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I have no idea if the couple or anyone owns the lighthouse. I also do not recall seeing the ‘lighthouse keeper’ sculpture when I was there.